Big Art, Small Canvas: Paint Easier, Faster and Better with Small Oils

This is one great book on painting on small canvases. For someone with limited art work space, this is a good place to start. The introduction is good, especially on what size of brushes to buy. Some basic color theory, composition, techniques for tiny oils and plenty of examples and step by step instruction. Also, working on smaller canvases requires less paint. A good book to get started with. I use water soluble oils since I can't use regular oil paints.

For someone who has painted only on large canvass, Joyce Washor provides an excellent instructional manual in developing techiniques not normally utilized by artists on larger canvasses. I found it to be very helpful in the details and unique techiniques of enhancing the smallest of paintings.

This book is not only instructional, but a complete course in painting miniatures -- and fills a vast void in that area. The author not only provides excellent reasons for painting on a small canvas, but gives practical advice on setting up space and equipment, preparing the panel (canvas), and staging & lighting the props for a still life. She goes on to review elements of color theory, and presents her favorite complementary palettes. She discusses methods of 'seeing' in order to get the underlying drawing right, and outlines the most important elements of design: composition, perspective, balance, focal point, and texture. Additionally, several methods of creating depth in a painting are covered. Thereafter, Washor presents a series of step-by-step still-life and landscape demonstrations, each of which illustrates yet other enigmatic features of art. She even discusses framing! This book is packed with practical, useful, and instructive advice, and is filled with gorgeous, painterly examples of the author's work to inspire us. What a find!

Disregard the size of the paintings if you like, and just look at the gorgeous colors and brushwork!!!!! So sensuous. The author is very generous with her information. Her color palette is unusual, and the color schemes she uses are really, really lovely. This is one of the top oil painting books around. I highly recommend it.

Recently, since I was going to attend a workshop led by Joyce Washor, I purchased her book since it was on the materials list as suggested reference. I studied it before, during, and after the course, each time being totally fascinated. It is a clearly written guide, filled with helpful illustrations and photographs of her exquisite oil paintings, designed for any artist irrespective of their experience level. This is truly a favorite in my art book collection!