 • Becky Koenig has written a comprehensive study of color and design, Color Workbook, published recently by Prentice Hall. The book, a thorough text, covers the history and science of color in great detail and includes a summary of color systems and some technical information on computer color for artists. This is a text book on color with many charts and diagrams, not a step-by-step painting book, although there are colored-paper and some painting exercises at the end of each chapter. The final chapter on the history of color in art is an interesting summary complete with art reproductions. |
 • If you would like to be able to do beautiful calligraphy and handwriting, here is a classic book that can get your started. David Stuart's Calligraphy A to Z is an unabridged Dover re-publication just out this year. It's a very user-friendly book for anyone wanting to learn calligraphic writing or simply to improve their handwriting. The text is practical and non-intimidating with simple drills for 23 basic strokes common to all letters. Stuart teaches the internal structure of letters rather than the outward form. |
 • A beautiful new book from North Light is Penny Soto's Painting Glowing Colors in Watercolor. The book includes a sensible discussion of materials and equipment, although it is a bit "over-the-top" on the number of colors (80+) needed to get these color effects. Soto's process includes using photographs as a composition tool, making thumbnail sketches, value sketches and detailed value drawings on the watercolor paper, which are erased so a ghost image remains. There are many step-by-step demos and good sections on lighting the subject, shadows and reflections. |
 • Paint Happy. The delightful, Matisse-like paintings of Cristina Acosta are far from typical of most books of art instruction. The projects in pastel and acrylic paint involve solid art principles, especially in design and color. Starting with easy projects, the step-by-step picture-demos are well presented in a doable format. You wouldn't have to paint in her style to learn a lot from this book. The craft projects tacked on at the end don't contribute much to the value of the book, though. |
 • Painting Landscapes from Your Imagination is jam-packed with illustrations of spontaneous wet-in-wet watercolor painting. This is a great book for beginners intimidated by drawing and detail. Adapt creatively to wet watercolor washes and invent a simple subject. Smibert advises using a small sheet with a large brush to learn brush control. This is a simple, effective method of teaching yourself to paint, including clever idea-starters and reference photos. |
 • Collage for the Soul by Holly Harrison & Paula Gradsal helps you express your hopes and dreams through art. Starting with materials and techniques, the authors suggest using items and symbols of personal significance to you, such as relationships, dreams, wishes, nature and visual memories. Exploring your creativity in this personal way achieves satisfaction on a different level from working simply to create a visual object. A gallery of collages by different artists is inspiring. |
 • Natural Impressions: Taking an Artistic Path Through Nature. Carolyn Dahl says, "The nature print (is) a new way of seeing the world." This book is well written with a poetic style. The discussion of supplies and equipment is clear, as are instructions for several projects using leaves, flowers and fish to make nature prints. In addition to the painting/printing techniques are instructions for discharging with bleach (both paper and fabrics), making crayon/fabric and computer prints. |
 • Richard Taylor's Creative Drawing Course discusses three types of drawing: descriptive, energized, and direct. In descriptive drawing the artist searches for the dominant elemen, using line, tone and shape to represent it. Energized drawing is sketching the gesture and using color and texture. Direct drawing is a combination of the two. The book covers mark-making, measuring, grids, and positive/negative space. The author urges the artist to create, not copy, the object being drawn. |
 Painting the Landscape in Pastel. by Albert Handell and Anita West is filled with fine examples of their work, mostly plein air paintings of the Southwest. There is a section on organizing the pastel palette and indexing pastels. I wouldn't recommend the book as a course for beginners, but it has much information on how to handle color and light using techniques with specific subjects. The step-by-step demonstrations are good, as is the information on composition and using reference photos. |
 Painting the Faces of Wildlife. There are 18 step-by-step demos in this book, done in oils, acrylics and watercolors. The drawings and demos are good, with detailed information on specific animals. The discussion of field research, photography and equipment is very general. Because the information on materials and painting equipment is not specific, I think this book would be most helpful to those who are already comfortable with the techniques of their medium and wish to refine their painting techniques.
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