2 comments about Painted Furniture Decorating Ideas & Projects.

1. Categorized into rooms,(aka living, bedroom, dining) this book starts off demonstrating how the painting of existing furniture can accentuate a room. In some photos, everything is monochromatic, in others - brightly decorated with bold colors and patterns. All photos are color, and show the entire room. Complete instructions for each project are in the back, along with some stencil patterns used.

   If you're looking for a primer on faux painting, this isn't it though. It does cover antiquing & crackle finishes.

   I liked looking through it, but there's nothing really impressive. ...




2. This book has inspired me to be more adventurous when it comes to painting my furniture. I have a hard time imagining what I want in a room, so this book is just what I needed because it provides the inspiration as well as step-by-step instructions. There are plenty of examples from funky to formal, which will help you make your room lively and personal.

5 comments about The North Light Book of Acrylic Painting Techniques.

1. found this boook extremely helpful in learning the techniques of acrylic painting



2. If you have ever read any articles from The Artists Magazine then you will be familiar with the style of demonstrations of acrylic painting that this book offers. It is quite good at showing a diversity of painting styles - from airbrush photo-realistic to very thick impasto and impressionistic.

   The book examines 23 different acrylic artists and shows some photos of each one making a painting in their unique style. I loved this book for the sheer number and quality of styles it displayed. The chapters ranged from discussions of the paints to the various mediums to airbrushing to abstract work.

   For inspiration and over-all examinations of how-to in painting in acrylic this is a good book. It does, however, have one major flaw. Just like the magazine it doesn't give detailed instructions on EXACTLY how to practice any of these techniques.

   For example, in my acrylic painting I am trying to learn how to blend. I know it is possible. I've seen plenty of other acrylic paintings that show excellent blending. I bought this book with the hope that it would show me how they got those blends. Nope. Blending only gets a page and a half in the entire book. You get statements such as "For blending colors, Kooluris Dobbs finds that her fingers work very well."

   Well Ok. So fingers work well - so show me a photo or two of her ACTUALLY blending like this. But the book never does. And it uses generalized statements like the one above for practically every other technique mentioned as well. So if you are looking for a book that gives actual detailed step-by-step instructions for a technique this book won't do it. In spite of this flaw the rest of the book was so good and so inspiring I gave it a 4 when otherwise I would've given it a 3 (seeing as I find the over-generalization in a book that purports to be about acrylic techniques as a fairly big shortcoming).

   I still think this book is worth getting despite the drawbacks. Everything else about it was high quality and the many beautiful paintings are inspiring in and of itself. If you paint with acrylics this is a good book to have on your reference shelf.




3. This book gives a wealth of information on different techniques, materials, and styles. The step-by-step lessons do a great job of showing how the work evolves, and how that evolution varies according to the style chosen by the artist. Just as important, at least to me, is that there are so many color photographs of so many really good paintings. Often, books like this have mostly mediocre work. This is a book am I sure to revisit a lot.



4. I like this book. The techniques are awesome. This is a good book for a beginner, or one who wants to explore other ideas that they may not have thought of. What I like is that it is focused on acrylic only. There are not many books on just acrylic. Many painting books seem to cover oil techniques and claim that the techniques can be applied to other mediums. But, you can only go so far, becuase oil and acrylic have two different characterisics.



5. thank you for this marvellous acrylic technique book, i have used acrylic paints before but this book gives me a new dimension to exercise, it will sit nicely in my art library with my other art books.yours faithfully,,margaret mcguinness

2 comments about Painting Fabulous Flowers with Donna Dewberry.

1. This is an excellent book for beginners and experienced decorative painters. Donna Dewberry always has clear instructions and wonderful ideas.



2. Absolutely WOW!! Makes several of her other books look mundane. She has many that I was interested in learning to paint. Excelllent

3 comments about Kanji De Manga Volume 3: The Comic Book That Teaches You How To Read And Write Japanese! (Manga University Presents).

1. Volume 3 deals with the last half of the Kanji needed in the Japanese Language Placement Test (JLPT) level 3. Each kanji is explained in on and kun yomi format, then stroke order is introduced. Most importantly, it presents each kanji in a short manga (comic) that introduces translations of idioms and frequently-seen-in-manga sound effects. Perfect for both the JLPT taker and those with some Japanese classes under their belt who want to pick up more words in Japanese that aren't in conventional books on the language.
   
   That said there are only about 80 kanji introduced per book, so there are cheaper books out there, but this certainly makes the learning a fun experience.



2. As with the previous Kanji de manga books, the third volume comes with clever drawings that will help you learn another essential 80 Kanji. The yellow cover is a bit much for me, but other than that, this book is great.



3. While I do like these books, and I have found them to be useful in my and my families learning of kanji, they are organized in a completely non-sensical way. At the back of each book, they proclaim that they are useful in studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficieny Test) exams. They are useful.. just not comprehensive.
   
   For example, Volume 1, which has 80 kanji in it to learn, (despite what the paragraph at the back of the book says) is NOT the full list of kanji you would need to learn to pass the first level exam (JLPT4). The JLPT4 test requires 103 kanji at the current time, as well as like 700 vocab words, and basic grammar and listening skills. If you were to just study this book, and nothing else, you would surely fail.
   
   At first I thought maybe the authors had just made an error and meant to say that the books were organized loosely based on the elementary school grade level. However, this is also not true. An example of this is ±(oj"hana") which is a grade level 1 kanji taught to first graders, but is in fact in Volume 2.
   
   The only other glaring problem I've found with these books is the lack of any sort of English definition lookup or table of contents. While you can look the kanji up if you know the spelling in kana, being able to look it up in English would've been really nice. However, the books are cheap and fun and pretty easy to use.

No comments about Terry Harrison's Sea & Sky in Watercolour.

5 comments about Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting.

1. A must have reference book for fabric painting.



2. An inspiring and well written book that takes the guess work and mystery out of creating your own fabrics. Mickey's style is user-friendly, approachable and encouraging. The illustrations are good and Mickey's own fabric creations will inspire the reader to try their hand at this art form. I highly recommend this book!



3. I am very happy with this book. I'm going to attend a workshop with Mickey Lawler in August so I was pleased at how fast the book arrived. It is everything I expected it to be.



4. An excellent resource written by one of the experts in the field of fabric dying.



5. Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting I purchased this for a friend who had been unable to get it in N.Z. through book stores. It arrived very promptly and she is delighted with it. Judi Exton.

No comments about Painting Peaceful Country Landscapes: 10 Step-by-step Scenes in Oil and Acrylic.

3 comments about Watercolor for the first time (For the First Time).

1. This book is beautiful. Mr. Fluckiger's artwork is a joy to look at. The instruction extends from very basic, what products to buy and where to find them, to more complex techniques.
   I have enjoyed painting greeting cards and small pictures, while my father, whom I gave this book as a gift, was inspired to paint our family home in watercolors. The results have been fun as well as beautiful. We would never have attempted these works without the inspiration provided by this book.
   I recommend it to anyone with even a slight interest in dappling with watercolors.



2. I absolutely love this book. It is so well explained, with so many details. He tells you which brushes to use and when to change them. The pictures are amazing. This is truly a keeper. You can buy this book without any reservations, there will be no regrets, I garanty it.



3. "Watercolor for the first time" is a beautiful how-to for the beginning watercolor artist. The book is divided into the following 4 sections:
   
   Section 1: Getting Started
   Section 2: The Basics
   Section 3: Beyond the Basics
   Section 4: The Gallery
   
   The book begins by providing the reader with instruction on what tools to use (specifically, which brushes, what kind of paints and colors and what other materials are necessary). Next, the author instructs the reader on basic techniques, including how to create basic washes, controlled washes and how to add detail to one's paintings. Beyond that, the book provides the reader with instruction on how to complete specific projects- such as a black-and-white painting, how to capture difficult material in one's painting (such as drapery or glass) and how to use masking fluid to show crisp, white space.
   
   All of the instruction in this book is accompanied with large, glossy pictures and clear, concise explanations. The format of the book is nicely done and not overwhelming to someone just starting out.
   
   Section 4 is particularly notable- as Mr. Fluckiger presents a gallery of his beautiful paintings. His style is quite impressive- as he is able to bring an inspiring and unique realism to watercolor.
   
   I highly recommend this book!

2 comments about Russian Decorative Painting: Techniques & Projects Made Easy.

1. A book by Priscilla Hauser and Boris Grafov which is beautifully presented but I think a beginner would have difficulty with the projects. There are pages dealing with some of the "basics" (such as brush loading, palette preparation etc) which would not be necessry for a painter with some experience. What is helpful to anyone new to the Zhostovo style are the techniques required to paint the leaves and flowers and this is shown in close-up and color very well. There are 10 projects featured and the book finishes with a superb gallery of completed pieces from various collections and these are an inspiration in themselves. The paintings throughout the book are in oils.



2. I am so happy with this book. I am new to this style of painting, and the projects are made very easy!

5 comments about Capturing Light in Acrylics.

1. I was delighted to look over the book. It is well written, beautifully illustrated, clear to use. It ranks very highly in my estimation.



2. I am an artist and painting teacher working in oils, which I love. But, increasingly, I have students who want to paint in acrylics. There aren't that many books out there on the subject, but this clearly explains how to paint in acrylics and achieve the fine art look of oils. It goes beyond, and shows what acrylics can do that oils can't. So, now rather than think there are two mediums, watercolor and oil with acrylics somewhere far below - I now see acrylics as a third medium with it's own advantages and possibilities. This book covers all of the basics that a good book or teacher covers ... color, temperature, value, edges and design. "Capturing Light in Acrylics" should be on every acyrlic painter's shelf ... and maybe the oil painter's and watercolorist's, too.



3. I just received this book and already I can see how the techniques described and displayed will greatly improve the "look" I'm going after. An artist friend saw the book and barely wanted to give it back after thumbing through just a few pages. This book is BEAUTIFULLY illustrated with the talented Mr. Hammond's artwork, but his narrative is so clear and concise that you know his good influences will show up in your own work and improve your own style. This is not a book for beginners, but intermediates will gain so much more and even old pro's can incorporate techniques that will help bring paintings to life through light!



4. the book is good, and the illustrations and explanations also. it has many landscapes to support the advice and lessons



5. John Hammond's book is an excellent first book for the beginning acrylic painter, but also a fine refresher course for the experienced painter. His emphasis on light - developing tonal values is key to bringing paintings alive. It is a book that is more about how to think, how to see than a to techniques and tricks.
   - J.S.