104 of 104 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable for the Beginner, Aug 15 2006
By Kathy V. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: An Introduction to Acrylics (DK Art School) (Paperback)
When I decided that I wanted to start painting, I bought five "How To" books. This one is my favorite, hands down. The book is well organized, well written, and contains a lot of beautifully detailed photographs. The author has kept the text to a minimum, letting the photographs do much of the talking, which works far better for me than other books that have more emphasis on written instruction.
In only 72 pages, every topic is covered, and no question is left unanswered. It begins with a brief history of the medium, then moves on to cover color, paint types, brushes, painting surfaces, tools, and techniques, as well as galleries of different painting styles. There's even a section on experimental approaches, such as stenciling and inventive scraping. Rather than presenting a series of exercises (as many books do), this author encourages experimentation and discovering your own personal style, an approach that really inspired me to pick up a brush and get started.
Also worth mentioning is that every photograph and illustration is in color . . . really GOOD color. This may sound like a no-brainer, but a few of the other books I purchased contained a lot of black-and-white photos. Hey, you can't learn to paint in black and white!
Experienced artists may find the material here a bit too rudimentary, but for the true novice, like myself, this book is a winner. If you're looking for that ONE book to get you started, this is it!
106 of 108 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Book That Is Better Than Most, Jan 18 2002
By "noy_noynoynoy" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: An Introduction to Acrylics (DK Art School) (Paperback)
This book is great. Not only does it start out with the basics, it then takes you deeper, showing you supplies that are really worth gettting. After they show you the basics, they talk about different brush strokes, and color mixing. They show you why acrylic is such a great medium, and the different effects you can achieve using it. Then they begin to talk about light, and have an example painting that you can paint along with. They cover many different forms. Get this book if you want to know about acrylics.
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just The Basics, Mar 22 2005
By A. Hubbard "Myz" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: An Introduction to Acrylics (DK Art School) (Paperback)
For someone just starting out in the painting feild, acrylic or otherwise, this book is gold. It has all the basic information one needs to create an image. If you want to paint, but don't know where to start, this will definately be the book for you.