Archive for category Medium: Pastel
Drawing & Painting Sports Figures || Jim Scullion
Posted by henry in Author: Jim Scullion, Medium: Acrylic, Medium: Pastel, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Figure on March 30, 2012
There’s no doubt that this is a niche market and I’d rather suspect that there may be more take-up in the sports market and by those who are looking for a showcase of the author’s work than there will be among its avowed practical art audience.
That’s a shame because, as a guide to painting the human figure in action, this is hard to better. The author has clearly studied his topic, and his subjects, in depth and he captures both general and specific poses with confidence and aplomb. The original cover image was going to be a portrait of Andy Murray just after he has won a point (it now seems to be missing from the book altogether) that absolutely conveyed, far better than any photograph, the pose and expression as well as the pent-up aggression Murray displays on these occasions. I don’t want to labour this change, because there are plenty of other, similar images in the book, but it was always going to be my way into the review and it’s something I’m familiar with, my interest in sport not being all-encompassing.
One of the things you can’t help noticing as you look through the copious images (250 in a 96 page book is nothing less than generous) is that Jim’s paintings have a strongly commercial quality. This isn’t surprising, neither is it a criticism; there’s a particular style that the market for paintings of sportspeople demands. However, if you look a little further, although a lot of this is characterised by the modelling and the use of colour, it’s also about making the subject stand out from the background, which itself has to be appropriate. This is worth further consideration, as Jim uses both clearly-defined grounds, such as the St Andrews clubhouse in a golfing picture, as well as those which are more blurred when action but also context need to be defined, or completely abstract to show speed. It’s all cleverly done and a lesson in itself.
If you want to paint sport, then this is pretty much your only guide. However, I’d recommend that anyone interested in figure painting should give it at least a look. You may not find the style is to your taste, but the execution is superbly done and you can learn a lot from just that.
Painting With Pastels || Jenny Keal
Posted by henry in Author: Jenny Keal, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: Search Press, Series: Tips & Techniques, Subject: Landscape on March 22, 2011
With pastel books being thin on the ground, any new addition is welcome and this is a rather excellent look at what the medium can do as well as a well thought-out manual on how to do it.
Jenny devotes roughly the first third of the book to materials and techniques and she includes some handy hints on using colour shapers to blend small areas, as well as how pastel pencils can help you fill in detail. She also has valuable advice on composition, perspective and recession. All of this makes this section of the book above the average application-methods tutorial and shows that Jenny is aware of the creative as well as the technical aspects of her subject. To find this where the series is avowedly on the technical side is a positive plus and is an indicator of what’s to come.
The remainder of the book is devoted, as is usual, to five well-detailed step-by-step demonstrations covering landscapes, waterscapes, flowers (in this case irises) and mountains. This is a good range of subjects and makes sure the book’s appeal isn’t limited (unless you were looking for portraits and figures, of course). There are also further example paintings at the end of each section so that the scope goes beyond the specific subject that’s been demonstrated.
All of this makes for a well-balanced book that works within the premise of the series but expands into a much more complete painting manual as well. However, there is a tiny little “but” creeping in here and it has to do, not with the areas that are Jenny’s strengths – choice and use of colour, composition, perspective and all that – but with her handling of shapes. In particular, her handling of hills and mountains, which have rather the appearance of slabs and blocks and rather oddly-shaped peaks. It’s not terminal and I do want to be careful not to damn the book with a niggle, because the rest of it really is very good, but it’s something you can’t help noticing and also something you’re going to have to work round for yourself.
All-in-all, I’d still recommend this to any pastellist, but be forewarned of the potential problem so that it doesn’t spoil the book for you.
Painting Sunlight & Shadow with Pastels || Maggie Price
Posted by henry in Author: Maggie Price, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: David & Charles, Publisher: North Light, Subject: Boats & Harbours, Subject: Figure, Subject: Landscape, Subject: Waterscape on March 22, 2011
There I was, saying pastel books are a bit thin on the ground and here’s another one! And one that goes deeper than the usual general technical manual as well.
That this is an American publication is only apparent in some of the faces and maybe some of the colour choices – continental light is brighter than the more muted colours we’re used to in Britain. However, the principles are sound and the author has a lot to say which she communicates well. The step-by-step demonstrations are relatively short, but are balanced by good accompanying text and nice large illustrations that allow you to see what’s really going on. There’s a good range of subjects which are mostly landscapes but also include figures, water and boats. Each section is devoted to a particular way of handling light – painting reflected light, making the shadow your subject – so that there’s never any doubt about what you’re doing. The final chapter, The End is Only the Beginning, includes work by several other artists, serving to increase the scope and authority of the book as a whole.
As an instruction manual, this can’t be faulted and, as an extension of the literature on pastel painting, it’s invaluable.
Pastel Pointers || Richard McKinley
Posted by henry in Author: Richard McKinley, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: North Light, Subject: Techniques on October 26, 2010
Books on pastel have always been a bit thin on the ground, so a new one is always welcome. And when it’s as good as this, it’s to be welcomed with open arms.
This is by no means a book of merely pretty or attractive pictures with a few notes on how you too can achieve this result. Rather, it’s a thorough look at a wide variety of techniques in the medium that goes into considerable depth. On a quick flick-through, you might even think that it’s a bit light on the illustrations, but this is not the case and, just when you feel the need for a visual pointer, one will appear.
As well as materials, techniques, styles and working methods, Richard also looks at finishing, framing, record-keeping and even tax. As this is a US publication, you might think this last won’t be much use, but it’s sufficiently general that it could be applied to any tax regime and that attention to detail (or in this case, lack of it) is typical of the whole book.
If you work in pastel, buy this: it’s the best you’ll see in a long time. There’s even a 27 minute DVD covering landscape painting included.
Tony Garner’s Enchanted Light – pastels of the Norfolk Broads || Adrian Hill
Posted by henry in Author: Adrian Hill, Author: Tony Garner, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: Halsgrove, Publisher: Halstar, Subject: Landscape on October 25, 2010
The calm, flat landscapes of Norfolk seem ideally suited to the medium of pastel and Tony Garner explores both the broad vistas and intimate corners of this enchanting county.
Generally speaking, pastels fall into one of two categories, the very loose or the very tight and Tony’s fall into the detailed end of the latter; some of his work has the appearance of some Victorian watercolours.
If you want to explore the county of Norfolk or the possibilities of the medium of pastel, this is a book that’s certainly worth an extended look. Personally, I have the feeling that some of Tony’s work is a little grandstanding – it’s perhaps a trifle over-dramatic and some of the colour choices are a little adventurous, shall we say. However, that doesn’t, in the end, detract from a book that has considerable appeal on many levels.
The Pastel Colour Wheel Book || John Barber
Posted by henry in Author: John Barber, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: Search Press, Series: Colour Wheel Book, Subject: Colour Mixing on January 26, 2010
The format of this series is becoming familiar and the idea is that you can use the 8 projects, which include full-colour step by step demonstrations, in conjunction with the colour wheel built into the front cover. Yes, it’s a gimmick, but sometimes gimmicks concentrate the mind and, with the emphasis here on relatively simple combinations of colours, you can explore the possibilities of the medium, freed from at least one layer of complication.
If there’s a gripe, it’s that the paper chosen makes the illustrations look dull which is, it has to be said, a neat trick when the medium is the pure colour of pastel.
Pastels: How to Paint || Carol Hodgson
Posted by henry in Author: Carol Hodgson, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: Search Press, Series: How to Paint, Subject: Techniques on October 13, 2009
There aren’t that many books around on pastels, which is a pity, because it’s an attractive and relatively simple medium. To have one that concentrates on the absolute basics and comes from a series that assumes very little previous knowledge on the part of the reader is a double treat.
Carol Hodgson shows you how to handle pastels and then provides three very thoroughly illustrated step by step demonstrations of sunflowers, an olive grove and a Venetian scene that cover a good variety of both subject and techniques. Everything you need is there, all that’s missing is the mystique.
Be An Artist in 10 Steps || Ian Sidaway & Patricia Seligman
Posted by henry in Author: Ian Sidaway, Author: Patricia Seligman, Medium: Acrylic, Medium: Drawing, Medium: Oil, Medium: Pastel, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: Hamlyn, Subject: Compendium guide, Subject: Still life, Subject: Techniques on January 20, 2009
This substantial volume is a bind-up of five previously-issued titles covering drawing, watercolour, oils, acrylics and pastel. The approach in each of these was the same: paint a complete picture (a still life), learning a good variety of basic techniques in the chosen medium as you went along. Most medium guides do more or less the same thing, that is to say they give you a series of demonstrations that showcase things like colour, tone, blending, washes, brushwork and so on. Normally, though, these are quite truncated sessions that may not really result in anything more than a collection of unrelated subjects and don’t always lead to anything in the way of a coherent finished result.
Where this book differs and is, as far as I know, unique, is that the authors work their way through different elements of a single overall composition to achieve the same result, so that what you get is a much more complete work of art at the end of it and a much better idea of whether what you’ve learned has been worthwhile. All this, of course, depends on whether you are comfortable with this single-minded way of working and whether you want to paint a still life. No pain, no gain, however, and it’s worth sacrificing the variety of the more traditional approach for this more seamless way of working.
Many artists choose to concentrate on one or maybe two media, so the value of a compendium such as this is necessarily limited. I’ve always suspected that this kind of book appeals to people who think they want to paint and to others who are looking for a gift book, rather than to those who are already a rung or two up the ladder. Nevertheless, there’s no shortage of these compendium guides about, so one has to assume there’s a market, though how may of their buyers or recipients then go on to pursue their craft at any length, I wouldn’t like to guess. It’s also worth observing that this volume is, at 415 pages, both longer than most and also more expensive. Its unique approach and the quality of the authors, both of them experienced and effective teachers and writers, do on the whole justify the price though.
Marine Painting || Françoise Coffrant
Posted by henry in Author: Francoise Coffrant, Medium: Oil, Medium: Pastel, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Maritime, Subject: Seascape on July 28, 2008
The littoral, that is to say, the area where the land meets the sea, offers a wide variety of subject matter as well as constantly changing conditions that can be both a challenge and an opportunity for the artist. As such, it’s a huge subject and one which is often covered in parts, boats and harbours being the most popular.
It’s not possible to cover the whole subject in great detail in only 96 pages, but this guide, based on a French original, makes a surprisingly good job of it. The author deals mainly with coastal landscapes, but also ventures into boats, harbours, buildings and people. The structure of the book is to begin with an overall survey of subject matter and painting elements (skies, waves, high and low tide, boats and so on). These are covered concisely and, at this stage, the main concern is simply to note what’s there and what the possibilities are. Françoise then looks in more detail at six paintings by different artists, with step-by-step analyses of their progress. These are rather like demonstrations except that the approach is more that of “this is what was done” rather than “this is what you do”. It’s a subtle differentiation, but one which more experienced painters may appreciate, it being more analytic than prescriptive. The artists themselves won’t be familiar to a British audience, but don’t feel you won’t be at home with their style and subject matter: these are people of whom we’d be glad to see more. The final section is a gallery of paintings by professional artists that more than adequately demonstrate what you can achieve at the edge of the water.
This is, in many ways, much more a book of ideas than it is of techniques, and this well suits its approach of being a survey rather than a detailed guide. It would be ideal for someone who has a reasonable amount of basic technical ability and is interested in learning more about subject matter than just the nuts and bolts of how to apply paint to paper or canvas.
New Holland 2008
£14.99
Pastels In 10 Steps || Ian Sidaway
Posted by henry in Author: Ian Sidaway, Medium: Pastel, Publisher: Hamlyn, Subject: Techniques on July 18, 2008
This rather original approach to teaching is aimed pretty firmly at the beginner and Ian does his best to demystify the whole process.
The book takes the form of a series of demonstrations based on a single still life composition, each section introducing a different technique. Where this scores is that you don’t get differences of palette, lighting or type of subject that only add further layers of complication. You can therefore see much more clearly what’s going on and concentrate on the technique in hand: impasto, layering, texture, erasing, sgraffito and so on. When the whole thing comes together in the final section, you can also see absolutely clearly how everything relates, how the different techniques have been applied to different parts of the subject and what effect they’ve had. You could even go through it again and vary what’s used where to see whether you can get a better result.
A couple of extra chapters at the end of the book extend the scope by covering flowers and landscapes, applying in more traditional step-by-step demonstrations what you’ve already learnt.
As a primer in pastel painting, this approach has much to recommend it but, although there’s a basic introduction to the medium, you might want to supplement it with another short introductory one as well, just to get you familiar with handling the pastels themselves.
Hamlyn 2008
£14.99
