"Creative Marker Art & Beyond" provides instruction on how to use markers to create basic, stylized marker art. It appears to be for an audience like "Creative Marker Art & Beyond" provides instruction on how to use markers to create basic, stylized marker art. It appears to be for an audience like beginning DIY crafters or people who enjoy adult coloring books who are ready to try making something on their own. The book started with some basic information about markers and ways to use them. You don't need much in the way of equipment to get started, nor does it appear to cost much to try out. She gave information on techniques throughout the book and provided practice pages in the book.
The author dove right into the step-by-step projects, starting very simple and getting a little more elaborate by the last projects. Each project applied the techniques learned previously in the book so you can see how you use them. The photographs showed each step, and each step moved forward slowly enough that you don't get lost or wonder "how did she get there?" or "how did she do that?" She covered a variety of surfaces (glass, wood, paper, fabric, stone) and types of markers (permanent markers, paint markers, brush markers, etc.). Projects included personalized notebook covers, custom wrapping paper, rock art, a decorated glass frame, and more.
The projects aren't super-fancy, but they are creative fun. Overall, I'd recommend this book to beginners interested in marker art.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Merged review:
"Creative Marker Art & Beyond" provides instruction on how to use markers to create basic, stylized marker art. It appears to be for an audience like beginning DIY crafters or people who enjoy adult coloring books who are ready to try making something on their own. The book started with some basic information about markers and ways to use them. You don't need much in the way of equipment to get started, nor does it appear to cost much to try out. She gave information on techniques throughout the book and provided practice pages in the book.
The author dove right into the step-by-step projects, starting very simple and getting a little more elaborate by the last projects. Each project applied the techniques learned previously in the book so you can see how you use them. The photographs showed each step, and each step moved forward slowly enough that you don't get lost or wonder "how did she get there?" or "how did she do that?" She covered a variety of surfaces (glass, wood, paper, fabric, stone) and types of markers (permanent markers, paint markers, brush markers, etc.). Projects included personalized notebook covers, custom wrapping paper, rock art, a decorated glass frame, and more.
The projects aren't super-fancy, but they are creative fun. Overall, I'd recommend this book to beginners interested in marker art.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Plein Air Techniques for Artists" is an art book that provides tips for painting outside, specifically for capturing various lighting conditions effe"Plein Air Techniques for Artists" is an art book that provides tips for painting outside, specifically for capturing various lighting conditions effectively in your painting. The author used oils, but the focus was not on "this brush with this paint" but on how to achieve different effects. She included questions to help problem-solve why your painting doesn't look the way you desired and had demonstrations of several beginner paintings and how to improve them.
The book started with basic materials and color and composition basics. She then focused on how to capture various lighting scenarios: shadows, direct and indirect light, backlighting, front light, nighttime, evening light, fog, glare, reflections, etc. The book was full of paintings demonstrating her points as well as some step-by-step demonstrations showing how to capture shadow-and-light effects when the sun keeps moving and such. This book is going into my art library as I know I'll need to refer back to it over time as there are a lot of useful tips in it. Overall, I'd recommend this book to any artist who paints outdoor scenes.
I received this review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine....more
"Palette Knife Painting" is an art instruction book on how to paint with palette knifes to create 3D, Deep Impasto paintings. The author used oil pain"Palette Knife Painting" is an art instruction book on how to paint with palette knifes to create 3D, Deep Impasto paintings. The author used oil paints, but you can also use certain acrylic paints. The author started out with the basics like materials and supplies and the basic techniques used when painting with palette knifes. She had 8 step-by-step projects (wave, ocean shore, several flowers, trees, windowsill) that practiced these techniques. While the directions and pictures were good enough for me to feel confident in trying them, I also felt like it'd be easier to understand how to use a palette knife for painting if I could see it on video. Happily, she does have some short videos on YouTube that show these techniques. Overall, I'd recommend this book to artist interested in learning palette knife painting, especially in using really thick paint to create a 3D painting.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Brilliant Inks" is an art instruction book on using inks, mainly with brushes. The author started by describing the different types of ink (acrylic, "Brilliant Inks" is an art instruction book on using inks, mainly with brushes. The author started by describing the different types of ink (acrylic, alcohol, etc.) and some tips about using them. She also talked about other materials (paper, brushes, ink droppers, dip pens, markers, etc.) and briefly covered basic concepts like color mixing. She then described some techniques for using inks (washes, spattering, etc.) and included step-by-step exercises for several of these techniques. She then had exercises that combined these skills, with step-by-step instructions and illustrations on how to paint a rose, mushrooms, butterfly, stylized bird, red panda, distant people, portrait, fashion figure, map, pomegranate, and dessert. She then had step-by-step directions for making several crafts: a cork bracelet, clay horse, alcohol ink "tie-dyed" tote, and accordion book of illustrations.
I've been painting with watercolors for years, so it was easy for me to understand her instructions as there were many similarities. She only briefly talked about alcohol ink markers, and she didn't seem to have the same problems with using them that I do so she didn't include tips that would help improve my results. However, I did find the ink selection and techniques part useful to help me use inks in my own painting projects. Overall, I'd recommend this resource to artists interested in painting with inks.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Understanding Light" is an excellent guide on what to observe and consider to better create a realistic sense of light in your paintings or drawings."Understanding Light" is an excellent guide on what to observe and consider to better create a realistic sense of light in your paintings or drawings. This is for any medium, but the illustrations were mainly watercolor, pencil, and pen. While the author provided tips on using value and such to create a sense of light, much of the focus was on making sure that you see what's actually there rather than using the colors you expect to see. She also gave useful tips for what to consider or change if you realize what you're doing isn't working. I've heard some of this advice before, but it never really clicked until I read it so clearly explained here. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to artists who are getting the hang of the basic skills of their medium and now want to improve their portrayal of light in a scene (urban or not).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Mindful Artist: Birds and Botanicals" described meditative brush pen drawing for 11 birds and 5 flowers. The projects didn't look like specific types"Mindful Artist: Birds and Botanicals" described meditative brush pen drawing for 11 birds and 5 flowers. The projects didn't look like specific types of birds, though they were posed in a variety of positions. The flowers were also usually vague "flowers" rather than specific types. The author focused on describing how to make the experience meditative rather than on things like proportion. The point was the process, not the end result. The text and step-by-step illustrations showed what part to draw next. There were some tips on getting the stylized look using brush pens, but most of the instructions were along the lines of "draw a few short, curved strokes around the center." Most of the projects were in black ink, but some added bright colors. Overall, I'd recommend this book to people interested in "mindful" art.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Mixed Media Color Studio" explores color theory while creating abstract, mixed media art. The author started by briefly covering tools and materials,"Mixed Media Color Studio" explores color theory while creating abstract, mixed media art. The author started by briefly covering tools and materials, the basic terms and ideas of color theory, and how to create a unique, signature color palette. She prefers using primary cyan, magenta, and yellow but did cover other combinations (some of which weren't really primary colors). She then had a series of step-by-step projects that explored color theory: making a color wheel using primary colors, acrylic painting with complementary colors, high-key/low-key schemes, grays and browns, contrasts, and then green, blue, orange, purple, red, black, and finally yellow as a focal color.
The painting was done in acrylic with inks, graphite, and pastels used along with other mixed media elements to create the finished project. The steps were more about explaining the actions and intent of each step rather than detailing how to make an exact replica of her painting. There were useful pictures illustrating each step. This book will appeal to abstract, mixed media artists who want to explore color theory.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine....more
This book shows how the author draws and watercolor paints 33 different animals, including some birds, marine animals, and reptiles. She started with This book shows how the author draws and watercolor paints 33 different animals, including some birds, marine animals, and reptiles. She started with a few pages providing tips about observing how different animals have different legs, eyes, etc. The "expressive" part seemed to be two pages pointing out how sloths and dogs appear happy while snakes and foxes look sly.
She then provided step-by-step instructions for drawing and painting an animal, with illustrations (about 8-10 steps per animal) along with some very basic text instructions like "add the front legs." Some of the painting illustrations were taken at an angle (showing her working), so the example we're supposed to mimic is not quite in correct proportion. The author assumed that you already knew how to draw and watercolor paint as she'd tell you to do certain techniques but never explained how to do them. She did point out some tips when painting animals, like make the spots random.
Contrary to most art instructors, she had you start with drawing the animals face (including eyes and mouth) before adding the neck, body, legs, and tail. For painting, she skipped sketching the basic proportions and just painted the body shape in step one. I used to do this, but my animals never were in proportion. I finally realized why most instructors have you start with basic body shapes (in proportion) for the entire animal before refining the details. So her instructions don't really work for me.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher through Amazon....more
This book is an acrylic paint art instruction book. I had thought paint marbling was relatively simple. The author made it sound like there were a numThis book is an acrylic paint art instruction book. I had thought paint marbling was relatively simple. The author made it sound like there were a number of challenging aspects and skills that took some practice before you got good results. You also need specialized ingredients and specific paints in order to get the correct buoyancy in the thickened water. If you're ready to buy a completely new set up to try it out, this book seems to thoroughly cover paint marbling.
She talked about the equipment, materials, and ingredients you'll need, the basic steps, and step-by-step demonstrations on how to do different techniques to get different marbled effects. She started with the easiest techniques and then built on those to create more elaborate designs. She also talked about troubleshooting problems and how to fix them as well as how to use abstract marbling with multimedia art (watercolor, collage, etc.) I'd recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in trying out paint marbling.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"En Plein Air: Light & Color" is an art instruction book on watercolor painting. The author focused on urban landscapes and painting outside while vie"En Plein Air: Light & Color" is an art instruction book on watercolor painting. The author focused on urban landscapes and painting outside while viewing your subject. He provided useful tips on these topics (including useful tools and materials) and on watercolor painting in general. He provided several step-by-step exercises to teach various techniques, including perspective, creating good contrasts in value, and how to paint people, cars, and boats with minimal detail so that they don't distract the viewer from your focal point. He talked about choosing colors and creating a sense of light and dark to draw focus and create mood. I felt like he was able to clearly convey information and describe techniques. Overall, I'd recommend this book to watercolor painters who want to learn how to paint on location, urban landscapes.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"The New Oil Painting" explains how you can do oil painting without needing harmful chemicals or solvents. Much of the book focused on supplies and ma"The New Oil Painting" explains how you can do oil painting without needing harmful chemicals or solvents. Much of the book focused on supplies and materials rather than on painting techniques. The author explained how to thin colors, glaze, and clean brushes without needing harmful chemicals. She provided lists of where to find the supplies you need. She provided step-by-step instructions along with pictures showing the process of cleaning a brush, for example. She provided a lot of interesting information about how artists historically did these things before resins were added to paints, meaning solvents were then needed.
The author also discussed things like why you paint with fat over lean (and what that means), layering, and color mixing as well as briefly talking about storing paintings, painting the sides for display, varnishing paintings, and safety measures. If you're interested in oil painting but have been been deterred by concerns about harmful fumes and chemicals, then I'd recommend this very useful and informative book. However, a complete beginner to painting might feel at a loss on how to apply the information since the author assumed a certain amount of familiarity with painting.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
This book covered watercolor techniques and tips from beginner to advanced level. They also covered a variety of styles of painting (realistic, abstraThis book covered watercolor techniques and tips from beginner to advanced level. They also covered a variety of styles of painting (realistic, abstract, etc.) as well as a variety of subjects (landscape, portrait, etc.). Each technique had some instruction and tips on how to do it, but the main part was a step-by-step project for each technique. This project used the new technique and some previous techniques, and the basic projects were much simpler than the more advanced ones (later in the book). Some of these projects were step-by-step instructions (use this color and this technique to get this result) while other projects were more tips of what to think about or look for in that step (mostly in the advanced section). The focus was solely on watercolor, but they assumed that you could draw very well when it came to the advanced projects. For example, you draw the profile of a person for step one in the portrait "technique" project. The rest of the steps were loosely filling in certain parts of the drawing with watercolor. They did a good job of describing the techniques, providing tips, and choosing interesting projects. Overall, I recommend this book to beginners and intermediate watercolor artists.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Origami Fold-by-Fold" teaches you how to fold 35 original origami models. The author started by explaining the different symbols that show where to f"Origami Fold-by-Fold" teaches you how to fold 35 original origami models. The author started by explaining the different symbols that show where to fold and which direction to go as well as how to do the most common folds. He started the projects with simple models and worked up to the most complex so that you can learn the skills you need as you go along. He had 10 simple projects, 10 intermediate projects, 8 complex projects, and 7 very complex projects. For each step, he had an illustration as well as the symbols, but minimal to no text.
On the digital version, each step's illustration was rather small and it was sometimes difficult to see the difference between the symbol for folding forward and folding back. I had trouble following the directions even on the first project. I had to carefully study the picture (rather than the symbols) to catch on to what I was supposed to do since the symbols were not clear in one spot. He then had you go back and repeat several steps (starting with the wrong step) but doing it on the other side. If you have trouble flipping/reversing instructions, this could be challenging. If you are familiar with the folding symbols, I think this would be much simpler to follow. However, this may not actually be the best book for a complete beginner (like me) to start with.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"The Wood Burn Book" teaches how to do wood-burning projects. The author started by describing the different equipment and materials you'll need, then"The Wood Burn Book" teaches how to do wood-burning projects. The author started by describing the different equipment and materials you'll need, then she described various techniques for wood burning. She also discussed how to transfer a design onto the wood, how to add color to the wood-burned art, and how to finish a piece. She then provided step-by-step projects for adding decoration to various types objects made of wood. You can see examples of these projects on the cover. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning how to do wood-burning.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Creative Woodburning" is a guide on how to do wood-burning projects to make works of art. The author started by describing the different equipment yo"Creative Woodburning" is a guide on how to do wood-burning projects to make works of art. The author started by describing the different equipment you'll need for safe use during the wood burning and provided tips on the easiest-to-work-with wood. She described various techniques for wood burning, like shading, blackening, and stippling, in enough detail that I felt confident that I could do it. The author used templates to create her designs, and she provided the templates for the projects in the back of the book. She also described how to get the template onto the wood. She also talked about things like staining the wood or the different ways you can color the wood-burned art. She then provided a variety of projects, from decorating a jewelry box to a wooden egg or a clock face. While she described how you would do the project, it's not the usual step-by-step description with matching illustrations, yet I felt the earlier techniques sections provided all that was needed to complete the projects. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning how to do wood-burning art.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Portrait Drawing for Kids" is an art instruction book for beginners at drawing human faces with graphite pencil. The targeted age range is 9 to 12 ye"Portrait Drawing for Kids" is an art instruction book for beginners at drawing human faces with graphite pencil. The targeted age range is 9 to 12 years old, but I think it would be most useful for teenagers and adults since it assumes a certain level of focus and observational skills. In each chapter, she taught a new concept and then demonstrated how to draw it using six illustrated steps with brief text instructions for each step. She then provided three practice pages which simply showed the six steps with no new instructions. These practice faces would be at different angles and be both male and female and different ethnicities.
The author started by looking at the basic facial shape and how the face changes when you view it from the front, side, three quarters view, etc. Then she covered eyes and eyebrows, nose and mouth, different expressions, shading and how it changes based on the direction of the light source, adding ears, necks, hair, beards, and glasses. She then had you practice by doing different activities (with explanations on how to pose or otherwise do these activities), like drawing yourself, your friends, profiles, and group portraits. She also had you look at different portrait styles throughout history and try some of those styles. Overall, I would recommend this book to beginners at drawing faces, but I was confused by why she didn't better explain how to get an individuals facial portions correct.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher....more
This book focused on how to draw or paint botanicals. For a book "for artists," she spent a lot of time describing the basic materials, tools, terms, This book focused on how to draw or paint botanicals. For a book "for artists," she spent a lot of time describing the basic materials, tools, terms, and techniques needed for the different mediums – graphite pencils, colored pencils, fine point markers, silverpoint, watercolor, and gouache. She then provided step-by-step instruction on how to accurately draw or paint leaves, flowers and petals, fruits and berries, stems and branches. The instruction focused a lot on what things to look at and consider when trying to accurately replicate the live plant or a plant in a photograph. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those wanting to learn how to or improve their realistic, botanical drawings or paintings.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Botanical Art Techniques" is an awesome, comprehensive guide to drawing or painting botanical art for anyone from a complete beginner on up. They sta"Botanical Art Techniques" is an awesome, comprehensive guide to drawing or painting botanical art for anyone from a complete beginner on up. They started with the very basics and progressively worked up to projects suitable for more advanced artists. The different articles were written by different people, but the articles worked well together to teach about botanical art techniques. The authors covered the basics of the different mediums: graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil, watercolor on paper or on vellum, and more briefly on egg tempera, oil, acrylic, gouache, silverpoint, and etching. They also covered the basics specific to botanical art, like working in a studio or outside, how to keep the plant alive while you draw it, and things to consider in composition.
They also gave step-by-step demonstrations for drawing or painting a variety of subjects, like flowers, leaves, fruits and vegetables, roots, branches and stems. There were demonstrations for a cactus, kiwi vine, crab apple branch, slipper orchid, grapes, magnolia flower, and many more. The instructors did a very good job of teaching how to do these things rather than just telling you how to replicate a certain drawing. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to make realistic art in a wide variety of mediums, but also specifically to anyone interested in botanical art.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
This book is an art instruction book about creating somewhat stylized faces with marker, pencil, and watercolor. For each part of the face, the authorThis book is an art instruction book about creating somewhat stylized faces with marker, pencil, and watercolor. For each part of the face, the author showed how to make a very simple version and then how to add detail with just another mark to create more and more detailed variations. She talked about the proportions of a face and how to create the basic facial shapes, ears, eyes, noses, mouths, and hair. She then showed how to put these elements together to create a unique face along with adding accessories. She talked some about how to create different skin tones, though she's not highly realistic with skin or hair color. She also suggested ways to use these expressive faces in urban sketching, personalized cards, etc. Overall, I'd recommend this book to teens and adults who want to learn how to draw and watercolor paint somewhat stylized but expressive faces.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
"Inking Florals" is an art instruction book on how to draw flowers. The author started by briefly covering materials and tools, then she described the"Inking Florals" is an art instruction book on how to draw flowers. The author started by briefly covering materials and tools, then she described the basic steps she uses: study the reference photo in detail to see how the different parts (petals, stems, leaves, etc.) are shaped, use a pencil to draw the outline of the flower and the basic shapes, use an ink pen to draw over the shapes and then add details, then add color using watercolor. She assumed that you have a basic knowledge of watercolor as this was usually one step with general instructions like 'paint red over the petals.' There also wasn't much instruction specific to drawing with ink. Rather, the focus was on how to draw flowers.
There were step-by-step instructions for creating 16 different flowers. The first step of each showed the different shapes of the flower "pulled out" by themselves for you to trace or practice drawing before working on the actual flower. At the end of the book, there were some tips for creating bouquets or adding animals. This book seemed to be aimed at beginners who don't have much experience in drawing (since she suggests tracing) yet she also didn't do much hand-holding in terms of describing techniques. Probably the most useful step was where she demonstrated how to draw the different petal, stem, etc. shapes seen in a reference photo, so this may benefit people struggling with that.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley....more
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