Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Paint Radiant Realism in Watercolor, Ink & Colored Pencil by Sueellen Ross, Terry Isaac ISBN: 1-58180-485-7 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: July, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.89 (9 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: You see, I am not much of a cat person...
Comment: Therefore, I could care less about how many cats were drawn in the book. However, this is an excellent book.
Why? Because above all the fancy schmanzy of all the beautiful drawings in the book, the artist applies a very important principle when rendering complicated and fuzzy subjects (or scenes): DRAWING THE NEGATIVE SPACE.
What does that mean, you ask? OK, here goes.
Remember when you were three, you drew a cat's whiskers with a few pencil strokes, like this >o<. Each whisker is represented by a line. That is drawing LINE, aka drawing POSITIVE space. In this book, however, in order to achieve the likeness and realism of hair (or any fuzzy thing, including grass, hay, straw, or torn cigar threads on Fidel's hairy face; but I digress), the key here is DRAW THE SHADOWS SHED BY THE HAIR, NOT THE HAIR ITSELF. In other words, you draw the negative spaces between the threads of hair, and leave the hair blank, then later render the blank (hair) space with different tones, depending on how the light shines on the subject, to achieve likeness and realism.
This little secret could cost you some bucks learning from someone at some workshop, but there you have it FREE from me, simply because I want to show you this book is really good.
Of course, you don't buy a book just to copy the author's style. (Although you could, however, then you probably don't really want to be an artist that badly because being an artist is being FREE, being YOURSELF.) What I learn from the book is simply another way to render beautiful artwork, and then find a way (my way) to do it myself. With this book, you learn to creat meticulous artwork in mixed (ink, colored pencil, and watercolor) mediums to a professional level. If your drawing skill is not the thing you are proud of, then you can make it up with using, say, a projector, tracing paper, or the likes. Having said that, I honestly encourage anyone to hone their drawing skill since it is a must for being an artist.
Just to wrap it up, let me cite some of my own experiences in rendering meticulous artwork. I once did several figure drawings in pencil (it took about three to five hours each) that in the end even the fleshy look of human skin can be rendered with such a simple medium as pencil. (Trust me, YOU want to touch "it"!) All due to the meticulousness of the process! My probable next project (or it could be yours): Shed the back light on a female model, and render (in pencil, perhaps) the sensual hair on her filtrum (above her lips), her wrist, or her lower back..., just to appreciate more the technique of drawing the negative space mentioned above! Until then, happy drawing... negative space!
Rating: 4
Summary: this book can be a useful tool
Comment: I hate to see this book get a bad rap because it is full of information.
The bottom line with this book is it is meant for the more ad-
vanced 'draw-er', but i don't think that is a bad thing! Also,
she does give a good amount of technical information.
The complaint about 'paint by numbers' is because the stage be-
fore applying paint is so complex, but if you view this with an
eye toward using her proven techniques in your own ways, - perhaps on only the primary focus of your work it could be very
useful.
It isn't required that you copy her style exactly, that is never
the point anyway, so you can use some of her techniques; especially which mediums work (and don't run) to your advantage!
Good Book! The opposite of the kind of 'pour it on stuff' that
can also be lovely, but quite valuable to the more meticulous crowd!
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent book for intermediate to advanced artists
Comment: "Paint Radiant Realism..." is one of the best art instruction books I've purchased. If you already enjoy incorporating intricate detail into your work, you will probably love it. But if you are not naturally a "detail freak", Ross's approach will probably drive you crazy.
Beginners who still need step by step guidance in even the most fundamental aspects of the various media involved (pen & ink, watercolor and colored pencil) will probably not like this book. Only those who have a strong foundation in drawing, light and shade, and value contrast will be best able to fully comprehend and utilize Ross' mixed media techniques. The two demo pieces, "Sunspot" and "Daisy Faces" clearly outline Ross' step by step approach to building depth and realism with a combination of ink, watercolor and colored pencil.
Personally, I found her use of ink to establish the darkest values, as well as her technique of using white colored pencil as a resist to save whites to be the most valuable ideas to incorporate into my own work. This, after all, is the real purpose of art instruction books. One should not buy a book in the hopes of becoming a clone of the author; rather one looks for aspects of the author's knowledge and techniques that can be incorporated into ones' own work.
Excellent book and highly recommended for experienced artists.
 |
Title: Colored Pencil Solution Book by Janie Gildow, Barbara Benedetti Newton ISBN: 1581800266 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $27.99 |
 |
Title: Painting Country Gardens in Watercolor, Pen & Ink by Claudia Nice, International Artist ISBN: 1581801424 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: July, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.99 |
 |
Title: Creating Textures in Pen & Ink With Watercolor by Claudia Nice, International Artist ISBN: 0891345957 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.99 |
 |
Title: Painting the Allure of Nature by Susan D. Bourdet ISBN: 1581801645 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: September, 2001 List Price(USD): $28.99 |
 |
Title: Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step by Ann Kullberg, Ann Kullberg ISBN: 0891348441 Publisher: North Light Books Pub. Date: March, 1999 List Price(USD): $27.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
