Acrylics - The Watercolor Alternative

Having read dozens of painting books, I'm sometimes disappointed to find that the next book I read is simply a rehash of basic information from older books, sometimes leaving out the better parts. Not the case here. While this book is appropriate for a novice painter, it's strengths will also be evident to painters with more experience. I tend to be a bit suspicious of run of the mill art books that filled with weak demos. That's also not the case here. Most of these demos are of award-winning quality, and the author takes the reader through all the steps to produce them, even describing the paint mixes for each layer. He works with a limited pallette, mostly a red, blue, and yellow, drawing on other reds, blues, and greens to brighten up the earthy background colors. His use of gesso for white and gray is unusual, but it works well for him. He uses masking, spatter techniques, straight lines, and multiple layers of washes or glazes very well, and also achieves or implies exceptional details and realism for watercolors. While he prefers to work with watercolor paper, his demos run include canvas, masonite. Most of the usual watercolor techniques are explained and demostrated, with an explanation for how acrylic's permanence calls for a few differences, though some discussion on stretching watercolor paper would have also been in order. There's also the usual information for beginners on paints, additives, brushes, tools, workspace, reference photos, compostion etc., and a few excellent words about discovering your passion. If you are interested in watercolor effects with acrylics, I can't think of a better book. Highly recommended.

Charles Harrington is by far one of the best of todays artist, this book showcases what acrylics can do and in such a way that makes one want to jump in and try their hand, also his DVDs are a joy to watch and learn.

Generally, this book was all that I hoped it would be. It gave specific step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations of demos for the techniques the book presents. Great pictures too. I thought of a few questions related to this topic while reading the book, and have not found the answers for some, so... it is not as comprehensive as I wished. As a long time water colorist and acrylic painter, I was given the exercises and steps I need to continue on my own using acrylics like w/c but avoiding some of the w/c problems that inhibit some of my ideas. A measure of my approval of the book is that I am considering a workshop by the author, when I have the opportunity.

Being a former teacher of art I have 4 favorite books and this has become one of them. I found Acrylics: The Watercolor Alternative to have the best demonstrations that illustrate technique. I use acrylics in my work and Harrington's versatile use of acrylics makes for a wide range of possibilities. He is an architect which is reflected in the dicipline of his work. I love the sketches and preliminary designs he prepares. This is very important for artists. I would highly recommend this book. Bino, March 2006 Ruston, Louisiana

I love this book. If you love the vibrancy of watercolors but not their 'fragility' this book offers a great alternative. I am an intermediate to advanced artist and find that this book is exactly what I was looking for. I especially like the section on riverbed rocks under water. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow and cover a nice range of subjects (landscapes, water, trees, buildings, flowers, etc.) There are plenty of step by step demos to get a feel for the technique. There is also a nice, but not overly long section on materials. His painting style is somewhat realistic, but not too much. After buying lots of books I have FINALLY found just what I was looking for. I took a chance on this one, since there weren't many reviews and I couldn't look inside the book, and I am very happy with it.