Colored Pencil Explorations

It has a nice mix of small projects that aren't so intimidating and a gallery of stunning works that will inspire your creativity. I've always limited myself to colored pencils because of the "no mess" factor, but if you're ready to start making messes with watercolor, pastel, and even wood burning, this book is full of beautiful examples. The down side is that you probably won't have all the materials needed for all the projects, so you'll have do your own alterations or make some supply purchases.

but FUN! This book is full of creativity and good instruction...in fact, I have had an airbrush for awhile and couldn't quite get the hang of it. A simple step was being missed that I didn't realize...but I found that simple step in the general description of how to use the airbrush. There are many other exciting techniques in here, and I am soooo glad I went ahead and ordered it. Lots of beautiful and unique work too...not just the same ol bunch of flowers, cherries, limes, oranges, and grapes. Some of that is there...but so is an abstract tapestry!

Expands the repertoire of colored pencils by including their use with other media. The result is mixed media at its best. This is not a book for people who need a paint by numbers approach, but it should not be shunned by beginners. There are many demonstrations in the book which take the artist (or would-be artist) by the hand and show how the subject was created, down to a precise list of what materials were use, including brand names of pencils and other media. The book utilized the works of several artists and explained their techniques in very clear language. Yes, some of the techniques are advanced, but this should provide inspiration for a beginner, not discouragement. For the more advanced artist, the book explodes with ideas for combining a wide variety of media in ways that most of us have not considered previously. I was particularly intrigued with the example of using Mylar in a reverse painting technique. I recommend this book for anyone with artist's block; it will certainly help to "jump-start" your creative engine again.

This book is a wonderful addition to your colored pencil library. It gives you the basic info on combining several different mediums with colored pencil and gives helpful info for all. Many GREAT demos. With the amount of mediums it gives, you can't expect them to go into great detail and they don't. Remarkable amount of helpful info in each chapter, though. The airbrush/colored pencil strawberry demo is so lush and juicy it's incredible. Makes me wish I owned an airbrush. Too bad they cost so much! The galleries are another great feature. This book is very inspiring. If you want specifically info on just combining colored pencil with watercolor and ink, there are several books devoted to just that combination (Creating Radiant Realism is Watercolor, Ink, and Colored Pencil, several Claudia nice books).

This is an excellent book for both beginner and advanced. There are many demonstrations on how to combine colored pencils with other media. There is also the inspiration of the beautiful works of other artists.