Art Class: A Complete Guide to Painting

Art Class: A Complete Guide to Painting by Simon Jennings This book is one of those for which you could give more than 5 stars. It is one of the most profusely illustrated books on the subject of painting, and these are color illustrations. Nearly every single page has nearly half a dozen or more of the most vibrant, colorful, and well appointed illustrations that I have ever seen. So what's the downside of the book? There is no downside. This is 192 pages of the most wonderful instruction on the use of painting that I have ever seen. I discovered this while visiting the art galleries and shops in Taos, New Mexico. The book shows Simon Jennings to be the "general editor" and Sally Bulgin to be the "Consultant Editor" and several other names are included in advisory roles. I don't understand the identifications concerning "authorship" but certainly this is a book to stand out above and beyond the ordinary instruction on painting and the uses of color. In my reviews of drawing books, I've always warned people of the use of buzz words and gimmick phrases such as "complete-guide-to" as a marketing gimmick. That's because almost no books live up to the promise. "Art Class: A Complete Guide To Painting" is most certainly an exception to this. "Art Class" is one of those texts that stands so far above the other books on painting that it eclipses the entire field. It is one of those books that is so visually stunning that it is well worth the trip to a book shop to flip through its pages. I liked the opening paragraphs on page 14, Chapter One, titled "Where Do I Start" where "Art Class" says: "This book covers many levels of ability, but this page is aimed at the absolute beginner rather than the painter whose interests have been focused and techniques honed through years of dedication and experience." Absolute Beginners! That's who gets the most benefit of this book. It shows all the materials you need to work in water color, oil, acrylic and what you need to work either indoors or out; but the text is so encyclopedic that you are not surprised to learn that the authors also were advised by technical experts from WINDSOR & NEWTON, which is the company that makes fine art paints. This is the most visually compelling art book I have ever seen. It's all about what you need to know to start working in color. More surprising still is the author's division of the book into three sections, instead of the typical ten to twelve chapters. Even the glossary is done in a unique manner. The page backgrounds are yellow, rather than white, and the outer edge of the glossary pages are trimmed in a beautiful red. This book is entirely designed by people who understand visual beauty and how to bring to life all things visually presented. "Art Class" lists the basics of these classifications as follows: Color, Paints, Diluents, Mediums, Primers & Grounds, Varnish and s

This a great book to get someone started painting or as a refresher course for those already painting. Good ideas for getting over the mental blocks artists sometimes encounter.

This is a very complete reference for what seems like all you need to know (and then some) about painting. I am not an experienced painter so I was almost a little intimidated at first with all the information presented here. The issue with me though was not the book (which is well organized) but putting the brush to the canvas...It's definitely worth the price, often I'll resell a book that I just wasn't "in to" but this is a great reference that covers so much I know I'll have it for a long time to come (I've only owned it for 3 weeks at this point...)

This is a remarkable resource -- comprehensive, well-organized and understandable. I am not blessed with artistic talent, though I love art and have always wanted to try painting for pleasure. This book is perfect. It is divided into three sections: Where Do I Start, What Should I Paint, and What are the Basics. It begins at the beginning, discussing the choice of medium and theme; the selection, acquisition and care of supplies; and the choice of subject. It then moves on to technique: how to render a three-dimensional object on paper; how to compose a study; how to paint color, pattern and texture; painting space, depth and distance. These instructions are augmented by lots of pictures. You will see the step-by-step way to paint a tree, a face, a still life, a landscape etc. The final section really covers the basics -- mixing colors, types of paints, brushes, accessories, palette layouts, preparing canvases, paper, correcting mistakes, pencils, inks .... Every page is interesting. I learned so much. A glossary and index complete this wonderful resource.The writing is clear and the many photos and illustrations are fabulous. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are interested in teaching art or learning to paint, you cannot go wrong.

I recently bouth this book on the advice of a friend and long time painter. AS a beginner I didn't even kow what to buy, much less where to begin. After reading this book cover to cover several times. It gave me the confidence to get started.With easy step by step instructions it helped me as a beginner get a really good foundation down.Now I feel free and confident enought to tackel harder and harder mediums.I LOVED IT