Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings: Pick up the skills * Put on the paint * Hang up your art
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Painting
Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings: Pick up the skills * Put on the paint * Hang up your art Details
Review "Anyone who has ever found themselves intimidated by a full-sized canvas or at loss as to what to fill a large painting surface with will be relieved to encounter this guide by artist Nelson. Fifty short exercises walk the reader through creating tiny five-inch square paintings of lots of different subject matter using a wide range of techniques. The small format can foster experimentation and learning, while the medium of acrylics is more immediate and easy to use than oils or watercolors. Most of the projects will take an hour or less to execute, and by the end of the book, a handsome body of work will have been produced. After an introductory chapter on tools, materials, and basic techniques, subsequent chapters present exercises to familiarize the reader with acrylics, show how to represent space realistically, how to construct abstract compositions, and how to render form and surfaces. Each two-page project features a handy sidebar, which details the specific materials used, the exact shades included in the color palette, and notes other similar projects in the book. VERDICT There is something here for beginning and experienced artists alike." - Library Journal Read more About the Author Mark Daniel Nelson studied classical sculpture and drawing at the prestigious La Scuola Classical Sculpture School and holds a degree in Visual Communications from the Colorado Institute of Art. He has taught courses in Human Anatomy, Art History, and Oil Painting at the Art Students League of Denver and at the Curtis Arts and Humanities Center. His work can be found in numerous public and private collections around the United States. He lives in Parker, Colorado. Read more
Reviews
My 13 year-old and I have had fun painting together. We chose to use 8X8 and 12X12 canvas instead of the recommended 5X5. I think any square size would work. We went out frantically gathering the supplies the author recommended. I couldn't find the list on amazon anywhere. It would have been nice to be able to order everything all at once. For anyone interested, here are the basics that we purchased: #6, 8, and 10 round brushes #4 flat and filbert brushesThe author recommends synthetic brushes. We bought these at the local craft store. Probably could have gotten a better deal on amazon, but we didn't want to wait! Also, I would recommend a couple larger brushes (especially if you are thinking of using a larger canvas like we did). A detail brush is useful too (so you can sign your masterpiece!)The paint colors needed for all of the projects are: Titanium White Mars Black Cadmium Yellow Light Cadmium Orange Cadmium Red Medium Yellow Ochre Unbleached Titanium Ultra Marine Blue Light Blue Permanent Cobalt Blue Burnt Sienna Cerulean Blue Dioxazine Purple Phthalo BlueThe author goes into detail about buying decent brushes and paint. We chose the grade just above the disposable type and have been happy so far. As for the paint, we got the cheapest tubes available at the craft store. I'm sure a serious artist would have paid more attention, but we just wanted to get started!Overall, we spent around $100 total on supplies and the book. Sounds like a lot, but it will provide hours of entertainment for us!
