The Pastel Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist

This book contains a wealth of knowledge about soft pastels, and their cousins the oil pastels, oil bars and other specialties and are used traditionally and with modern techniques in the book. It is a must buy. It opens a new world to what you can do with those pigments and mediums. The paintings are beautiful. It is comprehensively composed and illustrated.I regard the book cover design and title as generic in promoting what is inside. It needs to be redesigned to show the range of content. I think this book was ineffectively marketed and has not reached its full audience.

If you have succumbed to the allure of a gorgeous new box of pastels but find yourself baffled by this fascinating, enigmatic medium, this book is by far your best bet. The author has something nice to say about every brand of pastels, and his thorough review of the market helped me understand that there are merits to owning a variety of pastel types. Even experienced painters can be frustrated by this medium, but Creevy's approach makes it manageable. I own lots of pastel books, but it wasn't until I read this one that I actually experienced a breakthrough. Wish I'd bought this one first!!

I was searching for a book about pastels which contains as much as possible, i found this title to be most useful for this purpose. The book starts by explaining the different types of pastels and papers and other instruments and tools of the trade... that is very useful for selecting which for what. then he gives an account regarding the different basic and lateron advanced techniques of pastel drawing, the book has an array of examples which are simple and fairly easy an reproducible, you won't stand there saying how did he do that?. then it assends with the complexity to lift to a higher level. As in any book about art, the important thing is having the talent to be able to extract the most out of these books.

This is a wonderfully complete book covering all aspects of pastel painting. It is useful for both the beginner who needs to understand the medium and the experienced artist who needs a ready reference to a multitude of materials and techniques as well as a source of inspiration.The book starts out with a very thorough overview of materials, spanning about 30 pages, with lots of pictures as well as descriptions of soft, oil and handmade pastel types with a detailed analysis by brand. Oil sticks, numerous paper types, mediums and tools are also included. Basic pastel techniques are covered next including sketching, and pastel painting concepts such as liner, blocking-in, and atmosphere. Making corrections and the role of fixatives is also included. Then, you learn to create pastel textures by scumbling and dusting as well as by adding pencil or using fixative.A comprehensive section on color theory follows, including an explanation of the color wheel and using metallic/iridescent colors. There are demonstrations on achieving transparency and using different paper colors. Numerous other techniques follow, showing you how to use pastels with other media such as watercolors, acrylics, modeling pastes, oils and gum tragacanth. The unique characteristics of oil pastels and oil sticks are given special treatment as well.A list of quality suppliers as well as an index for easy reference are included in the back. This is definitely a must have for any pastel artist.

As an artist, I often look to other's works to observe technique and style. Lately, I noticed I was getting a bit behind in my pastel work...many other artists were mixing media and pushing the envelope on their pastel paintings and drawings. After browsing through several pastel books, I settled with Creevy's "The Pastel Book" and I'm very happy with my choice.Creevy not only covers materials and tools and basic techniques for the beginner; he takes the medium to new levels with the combination of watercolor, acrylics, gels, oil paint and monotypes. Creevy has also covered every brand of pastel in this book, from the hard stick pastels to the super-soft Senneliers; he also describes the effects of various oil sticks, papers and supports and tools. Step-by-step instructions for each technique helps the artist retain a mastery over the combinations on any given mix.An exciting book that will helped me gain an edge with my artwork.