Search Press have been packing a lot into their art instruction books lately, and this is no exception. It follows the pattern of Trudy’s previous books in having break-out details of completed paintings, but there are also some longer demonstrations as well as hints and tips. The overall impression is of a busy and fact-packed book, and this is borne out in practice.
Trudy begins with a useful survey of the various materials available today (and it’s become so diverse that this is rather more than the basic overview), from simple coloured pencils to those from Coloursoft and Academy and on to Iktense and Aquatone, before looking at pastels, papers and the various watercolour options. The quite detailed illustrations in this section drive out any dryness and you can easily see how the different types produce individual results. The same thing applies to the Techniques chapter, where basic marks are quickly worked up into an example – perhaps a leaf or a petal.
The detailed sections are divided into Flowers in Containers, Flowers in the Garden and Flowers in the Countryside. The categories are relatively arbitrary, but serve to avoid what could otherwise become a lengthy and perhaps even indigestible final chapter. It really doesn’t matter, because this is a section you’re going to want to dip into, pick and choose and just have a go. It’s that sort of book: do you keep reading or put it down and get drawing?
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