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A FAVORITE BOOK
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Message
Posted
In the run-up to Christmas I get asked for hints about books I might like.(Lucky me) This is one I got last year. Having an interest in painting people, mostly in watercolour, 'Painting Portraits and Figures by Mary Whyte' is pretty much the gold standard for me. Not new this year, but still very much in print (amazon have it), it's been a constant joy for me. She writes of artists she admires, then deals with the basics of what equipment you need, provides demos, and the book is packed with her beautiful paintings. Mary paints in a realist style, but not photorealism. One of her main strengths for me is her unfailing ability in knowing where to provide detail and where to 'suggest'.
Here's her website, if you want to see how she paints...https://www.marywhyte.com/
Posted
Pat. The Complete Oil Painter looks like just my kind of book. For any 'how to' book I HAVE to be impressed by the artist's own work...I've googled Virgil Elliot, he's exactly the kind of painter I admire. I don't do much oil painting, but that's not relevant. I've put it on my 'wish list'...so I don't forget it.
Lara, I had to look up Messionier and Detaille, couldn't place the names...but certainly know their paintings. Whilst I admire their stunning technique, Academy History paintings aren't my thing. That said...'Napoleon's 1814 Campaign' is a favourite...Messionier's painting is in one of my art books.
Thank you.
Posted
Grab Virgil Elliott's book while you can, it's verging on going out of print if it hasn't already. There may be a few copies lurking in the usual places, though.
How-to books - (Virgil's is much deeper than that): with the vast number out there, it's constantly surprising that there's still a demand, but it seems there is. Perhaps people read books about painting rather than actually painting .... but while I sympathize with Michael's point (especially if he's talking primarily about watercolour: the range of titles there is huge and unceasing) I still like to read basic, intermediate, and advanced stuff; I find it quite relaxing, providing it's not full of technical mistakes, of course.... then it's just annoying.
Posted
The comments about 'how to' books are interesting. Our librarys have swathes of them, at my art group I see a few people using them, following the 'how to' bits...the demos. It occurs to me that I've never done that. I don't think it's a bad thing, either way. Mary Whyte's book happens to be a 'how to', but it's more than that, it's a little art gallery of her work that I can enjoy sat in my armchair with a cup of tea. One of life's great pleasures. In fact, it's the only 'how to' book I have. In a sense, every art book I have is a 'how to' book. I've got one called Infinite Worlds, an anthology of science-fiction illustration (illustration floats my boat). I bought it because it's jam packed with lovely pen & ink drawings by the likes of Virgil Findlay, a 1950's illustrator of cheap sci-fi magazines. Brilliantly drawn. Lara mentioned coffee table books (odd how things get labelled), I've got a couple of those. Mostly pictures, very little text...which is what I understand 'coffee table' books to be.
Posted
I'm going to get the Virgil Elliot book. Yes Lara, oh to be a book illustrator. That's another type of book I should have collected...illustrated books, I mean. I recently treated myself to 'The Hunting of the Snark' illustrated by Chris Riddell. It's Lewis Carrol's nonsense poem, of course (which I like). If you don't know the illustrator, he's mostly a line and wash artist...right up my street. I love his work. The book is a small hardback, but for me it's like a little treasure...printed on decent paper, the edge of each page gilded green. Not a very big treat...it cost about £9...which makes it even more of a gem. Getting a quality object like that for so little, great.
Posted
That is amazing Lew, I got the exact same book for Christmas last year! Beautiful isn't it? And thanks for the reminder, I need to go back and actually read more of it!
This year I've got a beautiful big 'coffee table' Anders Zorn book.
Anders Zorn: Sweden's master painter by Johan Cederlund and Hans Henrik Brummer.
Posted
The trouble is...there is so much eye-watering stuff around. Now Haidee-jos has mentioned Anders Zorn. Great artist, he does marvelous watercolours too. I have a slideshow of artists that I like as the screensaver on my PC...there's an Anders Zorn in there...two arabs rowing boats. Let's see where we are with my Birthday List (too late for Christmas, I've already sprayed hints around for that)...Virgil Elliot book(definite)...N C Wyeth illustrations...101 Illustrators from the Golden Age (might qualify as a coffee table book)...and now...Anders Zorn. I'm not sure I can get away with that...I might have to buy some myself.
Posted
One of my favourite books is 'Botanical Drawing' by Penny Brown. It beautifully illustrated it is said to be for the absolute beginner, and that's were I want to go
right back to basics.
I find it very relaxing doing the shading and it will also help with getting my eye back in when it comes to observation of a subject, just my thoughts, there.
Edited
by carol
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