Art Book Mini Reviews

"Listen to everyone. Ideas come from everywhere." Tom Peters

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•The Art and Craft of Paper was originally published as Paper Pleasures and is one of my favorite books on paper arts. Faith Shannon demonstrates techniques of making handmade papers, paste paper, monotype, marbling and papier mache. There are projects for using the papers on boxes, cards, trays and other projects, as well as some information on making handmade books. The instructions are easy to follow and the illustrations are lovely.

watercolor simple fast and focused •Watercolor: Simple, Fast and Focused by Mel Stabin is subtitled "Essential Concepts for Mastering the Medium." I love this book. Stabin clearly follows his own advice both in painting and writing: simplify, think and paint quickly, and focus. He stresses the importance of value pattern and making watercolor value sketches in Sepia or Payne's Gray. His design tips are excellent. One statement is worth quoting here: "Growth is contingent upon production." So get busy and paint! Beginners especially would gain from learning how to think about painting, but more advanced watercolorists would benefit from this book, as well.

•Printmaking in the Sun is a full course in a book, suitable for artists of all levels from beginners to experienced printmakers, photographers and painters. The book is a guide to making professional quality prints using the Solarplate method. Except for the Solarplate, supplies are simple: paper trimmer, lightproof paper, baby oil, tissue paper, plastic bags and cardboard. The technical explanations, hands-on photos, examples of artwork, supply lists and charts are excellent. This is something I haven't tried, but after reading this book, I'm tempted.

drawing and painting plants and flowers •Drawing and Painting Plants & Flowers by Polly Raynes leans toward the English style of watercolor, less splashy than the American style. Basic techniques are shown in several media: watercolor, acrylic, pastel, crayon and pencil. In addition to the anatomy of flowers, the book discusses painting and drawing studies indoors and out. There are sections on perspective, composition and color and several step-by-step demos. There is an especially nice section on the history of flower painting. A book for traditional painters, not splashers.

•Hugh Greer's Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques contains several tips the artist gleaned from his training in architecture. The step-by-step demos are very clear and have complete lists of materials for every project. The discussion of his basic palette and the properties of acrylic paints is very good. He pays special attention to various aspects of the landscape, including cloud formations, light sources, time of day, and tree shapes.

•Encaustic Art: How to Paint With Wax makes this historic art look easy. I've never done it, but I think I could follow this book if I had the recommended equipment and special encaustic waxes. Michael Bossom uses diagrams and step-by-step demos for everything from setting up the work surface to applying the wax and cleaning the iron. There are just four basic actions in the techniques, which can be used for abstraction, landscape, and fantasy painting.

• Foundation Course in Drawing by Peter Stanyer and Terry Rosenberg is "A complete program of techniques and skills." There are many illustrations and projects to choose from. A variety of drawing media are described. Some of the subjects explored include using projection systems, life, contour and gesture drawing, measuring, tonal and structural drawing. Many different subject matter possibilities are explored. All you'll ever need to know about drawing in one book.

• Stanley Maltzman's book, Drawing Trees is subtitled "Capturing character and detail in trees. Starting with pencil and charcoal, Maltzman discusses observation and drawing of tree forms and how trees and leaves grow. There are examples of specific trees (individuals) forests and tree groups. Use of negative spaces within the foliage masses is covered, as well as details of bark, knotholes and leaves. Composition with trees and painting with watercolor and gouache are also discussed. The book is clearly written and filled with illustrations.

• 60 Minutes to Better Painting by Craig Nelson helps you to "sharpen your skills in oil and acrylic." There are many illustrations, including step-by-step studies. Nelson uses his quick-study concept to improve your work quickly. Beginning with small (5 x 7) 30-minute sketches to capture the essence, the artist goes on to slightly larger formats (9 x 12) with some refinements in a 45-minute time frame. Finally, more detailed renditions can be achieved in 60 minutes on sizes up to 12 x 16. This forces the painter to make decisions quickly. The book is well written and user friendly.

•Mel Stabin has done it again with The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast and Focused. He keeps supplies and techniques simple, with numerous mini-demos throughout. From seeing and composing to expressing the figure with rhythmic gesture and contour lines, Stabin show you how to paint without drawing. There are many examples with detailed descriptions and a few step-by-step demos. Suggestions for skin palettes are also helpful. This would be a good book in any watercolorist's library.

Jean Grastorf's Pouring Light: Layering Transparent Watercolor focuses entirely on pouring without tricks and experimental techniques. Grastorf's demos are very well done. One of the later demos, "Shell Beach," would have made a good first demo of the processes. The opening pages on supplies and materials are thorough. I like her take on design, too. She works with a very limited palette of three colors in most paintings and has an excellent chapter on color (color wheel with yellow at the top. Yay!). Note well her excellent pages on value studies. She describes the masking techniques clearly, but you must pay attention in every demo to how the process works, otherwise you may get "mud" if the colors mingle too much or the pours are of too heavy consistency. This is in my opinion the best of the three books for breaking down the pouring process into doable sequences.

How to Make a WC Paint Itself How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself by Nita Engle is subtitled: "Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects." Nita Engle is the Grande Dame of masking-and-pouring in watercolor. Her paintings are far more complex than Grastorf's and Wallake's and create an illusion that is almost photographic without being filled with picky detail. Her palette is unique and she is the absolute master of her colors. She sprays water, throws and squirts paint, spatters, floats and pours colors in sequences for special effects, after having masked key lights and white areas on the paper. This is a text-heavy book loaded with information as well as technique, but well worth the concentration it takes to work it out. Her watercolors are magnificent. I love this book for intermediate to advanced watercolor painters.

Jan Fabian Wallake's Watercolor: Pour It On is subtitled: "Let Your Creativity Flow Using Dramatic Color Glazing Techniques." The book has many demos and varied illustrations of creative watercolor techniques. Wallake describes at least thirty techniques and texture washes. There is a good section touching on design with rudimentary color (and a skewed color wheel, which drives me nuts). Wallake shows a palette arrangement similar to that of Nita Engle. There isn't as much detail on pouring in Wallake's work as there is in Grastorf's and Engle's. Both of the latter have more subtlety in their work, but Wallake does love vibrant color. Along with an index, there is useful information on showing and selling your work. The author's explanations are clear and illustrations are instructive. The book is very user friendly and helpful to artists who want to loosen up their watercolor techniques.