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50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques. is a fantastic book with clear instructions for digital darkroom techniques. The author uses Photoshop Elements, my favorite digital image program, but they can be adapted for many other programs. For PC and Mac. Some of the contents: Creating a Master Imagae, Image Coloring Techniques, Combining Images, Creating Backgrounds, Using Scanned Backgrounds. And there is a great deal more. I love this book! Comes with CDRom.
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Watercolor Mixing: the 12-hue Method. is similar to the expanded palette and color schemes of my Exploring Color System. You might find the palette variations interesting to play with. There are nice sections on achieving glowing color and playing with pure spectral colors. There are good examples of the color theories, but no step-by-step demonstrations. Illustrations show the work of artists at various skill levels, making the projects look doable. Only five of the colors used are transparent. With the exception of Cerulean Blue, the palette is very strong in tinting strength.
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Color Mixing for Artists is described as a system of using minimum colors for maximum effect in watercolors, acrylics and oils. Each medium is assigned a starter palette. Charts indicating the proportions of colors in various color mixtures are followed by gallery paintings showing how the mixtures are used. I'm not fond of this type of formula painting, but it may appeal to someone who wishes to control color mixtures precisely.
•  Betsy Dillard Stroud's new book, Painting From the Inside Out looks like a winner to me. The subtitle is "19 projects and exercises to free your creative spirit." This book looks very exciting. If you haven't had the courage to try creative experiments, this one might be a break-through for you. It is filled with wonderful illustrations and ideas, several of which I hadn't seen anywhere else. Stroud is an award-winning painter. |
•  David R. Becker's book, How to Sketch With Watercolor is for artists who love to play with their paints and make sketches for studio paintings but don't necessarily want to do completed plein air paintings. Amazon is taking orders now. Dave's first book, Watercolor Composition Made Easy, is also available. Dave's books are full of practical information on techniques and materials and feature his colorful paintings of a variety of subject matter. Dave is a popular workshop instructor. Visit his web site for more information. |
•  Check out Ann Kullberg's breathtaking Colored Pencil book: Capturing Soft Realism in Colored Pencil. In addition to the beautiful artwork the book appears to be well organized and full of useful techniques for the colored pencil artist. You may also want to visit Ann's web site "for all things colored pencil," including galleries, critiques, faqs and more. |
•  Here's an exciting new book that appeals to me as a colorist: Splash7: A Celebration of Light, edited by Rachel Wolf. The Splash series books feature some of the best artists in contemporary watermedia with a vast array of techniques and subject matter. If you're collecting the Splash series, you won't be disappointed with this new addition.
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The Unanswered Question: Death, Near-death and the Afterlife, by my son, Kurt Leland, includes research on the Tibetan and Egyptian Books of the Dead and the writings of Swedenborg, as related to his own adventures described in
Otherwhere: A Field Guide to Nonphysical Reality for the Out-of-body Traveler. He compares and contrasts these ancient texts with documented descriptions of near-death experiences, his dreams and out-of-body travels to search for clues about the Afterlife. The reader is transported on a journey that is fascinating, sometimes amusing, and occasionally terrifying. The books are rich in resources, citing books and organizations that Kurt found helpful in his quest for understanding his remarkable personal experiences. Visit Kurt's web site for a link to a review of "The Unanswered Question" by Whitley Strieber.
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• I have a passion for landscapes, so this book caught my eye right away.  Expressing the Visual Language of the Landscape. Editor Jennifer King has selected a dazzling collection of landscapes by contemporary painters that is a visual delight. The 18 artists work in a variety of media and describe their techniques and motivation in how-to-do-it essays. Artists have been drawn to the landscape for centuries and these are some of the best I've seen in recent years.
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• At last, a user-friendly reference on art techniques, materials and terms. Phil Metzger's The Artist's Illustrated Encylopedia: Techniques, Materials & Terms. is a comprehensive reference, lavishly illustrated with contemporary art works, photographs and charts. While not as scientific as Ralph Mayer's The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques., the classic technical book on artists materials, Metzger's book is one encyclopedia that is worth reading from front to back. In addition to painting processes and materials, notable art periods are summarized and placed in context. Useful for practicing artists, art students and teachers. |
| Be sure to check out my Awesome Book List page for hundreds of recommended books with direct links to Amazon.com for reviews and ordering. |
