Archive for category Publisher: New Holland
The Natural World in Watercolour || Jean-Claude Chaillou
Posted by Henry in Author: Jean-Claude Chaillou, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Landscape, Subject: Still life, Subject: Waterscape on Apr 23, 2010
Well here’s something refreshingly different. Translated from a French original, this is a look at the more intimate corners of landscapes in an attractively loose style that should suit the British eye. A series of nine demonstrations looks at landscapes and waterscapes, producing really rather charming results that provide a perspective that’s often overlooked.
Creative Drawing || Gemma Guasch & Josep Asuncion
Posted by Henry in Author: Gemma Guasch, Author: Josep Asuncion, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Techniques on Mar 13, 2009
Derived from a Parramon original this displays that publisher’s somewhat scattergun approach where pages are peppered with illustrations, giving the feeling of a cornucopia of information and encouraging a dive-in method of access, rather than a start-to-finish one. This could easily be confusing, but it’s something they’ve been doing for years and is, to an extent, their trademark. The result is therefore more of a voyage of discovery and serendipity (which just might be this site’s favourite word – I’ll have to get back to you on that) than a planned and structured course.
At the beginning there’s the brief introduction to materials and techniques which pretty much every book feels it has to include. It’s not unkind to say that this is no better and no worse than any other: it’s unlikely to tell you anything you didn’t know already, given that what follows is really more for the experienced painter than the raw beginner, but at least it’s concise. The rest of the book is taken up with Creative Approaches: 14 subsections that look at a wide variety of subjects and techniques including colour, sgraffito, line and wash, abstraction and mixed media
Because this is not a structured book, you can’t say: this is what you will learn, this is what the authors will show you. Rather, as I said before, it’s something to dip into pretty much at random. Do that and your chances of pulling out a plum are great (though do please remember to wipe your thumb afterwards). Rather than work through at someone else’s pace, you can start from something that catches your eye and expand outwards from that. There are so many different interpretations here that you’re not going to stop at just a page or two; this is something that’ll have you exploring and probably seeing the same things in different ways at each reading.
Draw Faeries || Melanie Phillips
Posted by Henry in Author: Melanie Phillips, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Fantasy art, Subject: Figure on Feb 13, 2009
I have to admit that I’m in two minds about this book. One the one hand, I don’t like it, but that has more to do with the fact that fantasy art tends to bring me out in a rash. On the other hand, I admire it enormously.
So, what’s going on? Well, there’s my acknowledged problem with the whole faerie thing, but I also find some of the finished results unattractive: these are not creations it’s always easy to like. But then I can also see that, if you want to draw young faces and figures, this is a book that really can’t be bettered. Melanie Philips is a professional natural history artist, so she clearly knows her stuff. Fantasy art is her hobby, a busman’s holiday if you will.
There’s a lot of good, basic stuff included, with charts and diagrams showing you how to get the shapes and proportions right as well as examples of the main features – eyes, noses, ears, etc. What Melanie is particularly good on is capturing expressions and she does this with the eye of an illustrator so that, if you want worry, boredom or fear, you get that as well as happy, smiling and the more usual ones. As well as drawing, there’s a certain amount on painting too and this is where, I think, things perhaps get a bit insipid. However, you can’t fault the draughtsmanship and these are figures that really do look right, with the correct proportions and the clothes well rendered. There’s an old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I think you can. The picture in the illustration pretty much sums up everything I’ve said, both for and against.
So, if you want to paint fairies, I can’t advise you; you’ll have to make up your own mind. But, if you’re struggling with figure drawing, give this a try. At just under a tenner, it’s excellent value and, even if it turns out not to be exactly what you want, I don’t think you’ll feel you’ve wasted your money. Is that faint praise? I hope not.
Draw Dragons & Other Fantasy Beasts || Garry Spencer Millidge & James McKay
Posted by Henry in Author: Gary Spencer Millidge, Author: James McKay, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Fantasy art on Aug 19, 2008
This is a simple and unpretentious guide to fantasy art that will show you how to build up basic shapes and work toward what can be quite complex subjects. Where it falls down is that there tend not to be any intermediate stages between the simple outline drawings and the finished result, so that the beginner may land up feeling left adrift after the initial stages and the experienced artist get a lot of basic drawing instruction they don’t really need.
If you can square that circle, however, the book offers probably the best selection of fantasy subject matter around. It is a good source of ideas if you use it in conjunction with some of the other books that offer more technical information, albeit with a more restricted range of subject matter.
It’s hard to know where to pitch this. As I said, anyone with only a limited amount of drawing skill is going to feel quickly at sea, so I’m wary of recommending it for children, who would find the starting point of basic shapes particularly helpful. On the other hand, its slight tendency to superficiality might be annoying for the more experienced artist. I think what it comes down to is that you need to have a look at it. If you like the variety and the finished results, then it’ll spur you on to develop your own ideas further. As a basic manual of fantasy art, though, it has its limitations.
New Holland 2008
£9.99
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 Jul 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
Creative Oils || Gemma Guasch & Josep Asuncion
Posted by Henry in Author: Gemma Guasch, Author: Josep Asuncion, Medium: Oil, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Techniques on Jul 18, 2008
Derived from a Parramon original this displays that publisher’s somewhat scattergun approach where pages are peppered with illustrations, giving the feeling of a cornucopia of information and encouraging a dive-in method of access, rather than a start-to-finish one. This could easily be confusing, but it’s something they’ve been doing for years and is, to an extent, their trademark. The result is therefore more of a voyage of discovery and serendipity (which just might be this site’s favourite word – I’ll have to get back to you on that) than a planned and structured course.
At the beginning there’s the brief introduction to materials and techniques which pretty much every book feels it has to include. It’s not unkind to say that this is no better and no worse than any other: it’s unlikely to tell you anything you didn’t know already, given that what follows is really more for the experienced painter than the raw beginner, but at least it’s concise. The rest of the book is taken up with Creative Approaches: 14 subsections that look at a wide variety of subjects and techniques including textures, glazing and impasto applied to flowers, still lifes, figures and buildings.
Because this is not a structured book, you can’t say: this is what you will learn, this is what the authors will show you. Rather, as I said before, it’s something to dip into pretty much at random. Do that and your chances of pulling out a plum are great (though do please remember to wipe your thumb afterwards). Rather than work through at someone else’s pace, you can start from something that catches your eye and expand outwards from that. There are so many different interpretations here that you’re not going to stop at just a page or two; this is something that’ll have you exploring and probably seeing the same things in different ways at each reading. Good oil painting books are thin on the ground, so grasp this with gratitude.
New Holland 2008
£12.99
Drawing With Coloured Pencils || Jonathan Newey
Posted by Henry in Author: Jonathan Newey, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Techniques on Oct 4, 2006
Coloured pencils have never really been taken seriously as a medium for the artist. The main, indeed probably the only reason for this is those sets we get given as children as soon as we’re old enough to hold them.
In spite of this, there’s no shortage of good quality materials from a variety of manufacturers and this is all down to the graphic arts market, where there’s no stigma attached to a medium that gets the job done, no hierarchy which starts from oils at the top and works steadily downwards.
It’s fair to say, and in no way a criticism, that this book does not pretend to be high art. Given that there’s a job of conversion to be done, it’s good that Jonathan Newsy starts right at the beginning and has produced that is both an introduction to drawing as well as instruction in what for many will be a new medium. In fact, the book works equally we in either guise: if you want to learn drawing techniques for a good variety of subjects, what you’ll find here is easily achievable results and well-illustrated, clear demonstrations. If, on the other hand, you already have some facility with drawing and you fancy trying a bit of colour, you won’t feel patronised and put off by too much elementary-school teaching. It’s fair to say, also, that if you’re already an accomplished draughtsperson, then you can probably manage all this by yourself and you won’t be needing a book at all.
The book is entirely structured around a series of 16 step-by-step demonstrations covering subjects grouped into Still Life, Landscape, People and Animals and covers a good selection of most of the things anyone is likely to want to draw. There is also a nicely concise introduction to materials and technique which will be invaluable to the complete beginner and not make anyone else feel they’re paying for several dozen pages of what they know already. All in all, this is an excellent and well-presented introduction.
Painting Animals || Christophe Drochon
Posted by Henry in Author: Christophe Drochon, Medium: Various, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Animals on Jun 27, 2006
Christophe Drochon’s animal paintings are stunning and are meant to stun. Close-up, highly detailed and against backgrounds that make them stand out, they’ll make you take a step back, even off the printed page. In this form, they’re not a style for everyone and, indeed, you might even find them a little difficult to live with when hung on a wall, but you can’t help admiring them.
However, we’re starting at the back here, in the gallery section of the book. It’s worth doing, because it helps to know where this is all going and that it isn’t watercolour cats asleep on a cushion in the window. I just thought you ought to know. The cover picture should give you an idea.
However, rewind a bit, start at the beginning, where Christophe does just that. Anyone who paints in this detail is sure as heck going to be able to draw and the book begins with some beautifully sensitive and subtle pencil sketches, moving on to watercolour and then to studio techniques in acrylics, oils and gouache. This is one of the most structured books I’ve come across and it progresses logically and with reasonable despatch, building up towards various details: eyes, fur, plumage and then to several demonstration paintings. All of this is perfectly accessible and very well organised. The hyper-realism of the gallery section doesn’t come into it until the very last minute so that you aren’t forced to emulate Christophe’s style, you can stop at any point that suits you and complete some perfectly acceptable animal paintings of your own.
The credit for this approach has to go to the writer, Françoise Coffrant. The blurbs are sadly silent about who she is, but I feel she must have some sort of close association with the artist as the text is utterly sympathetic as well as economical. Each time a new creature is introduced, Françoise gives is a brief characterisation. This is sometimes a bit philosophical for English taste, but the translator is right to retain the feel and character of the original and the book reads well in English. New Holland have published a number of art books that started life in French and they have found a thoroughly sympathetic translator who does a lot more then just move text from one language to another.
Not many people are going to want, or be able, to paint like Christophe Drochon but the real achievement of the book is to create something which can be used as much as a primer as a masterclass without short-changing anyone.
Year published 2006
List price: £14.99
Wet On Wet || Ewa Karpinska
Posted by Henry in Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Techniques on Mar 28, 2006
Wet-on-wet painting is one of watercolour’s greatest secrets. By painting one section before the previous one has dried, colours can be mixed on the page and a wide variety of blending effects obtained, such as rain-filled, windswept skies. By its nature, however, this is a technique which it is extremely difficult to manage and, although it is the very unpredictability that appeals, a pro-active approach can yield some control over the outcome.
A lot is written every year about wet-in-wet, but most of it is in general technical manuals and only really scratches the surface. Books solely devoted to this one technique are relatively few and far between but, as this one amply demonstrates, there’s no shortage of what can be said.
Inevitably, any in-depth approach is going to be on the technical side, simply because what affects the outcome is the paper type you use, how much water is involved, how soon after the first wash the second is applied and, sometimes, even the colours used. It’s much to the author’s credit that she demonstrates these variations through practical examples and illustrated tables, rather than lengthy explanations. She also includes a handy table of effects where you can see how a number of different methods of application are effected by the combination of paper type and the level of dilution. This short, invaluable section will give you a broad outline of what you may need to do to achieve a particular effect.
The technical side takes up roughly the first half of the book and the second is devoted to a series of step-by-step demonstrations which illustrate what happens in a completed painting and subjects include flowers, landscapes, still life, trees and water.
This is one of a developing series of books from New Holland which have been translated from French originals (and well translated, too) and it looks as though there is quite a flourishing school of technical painting in that country that could be very instructive.
How To Mix And Use Colour || Tony Paul
Posted by Henry in Author: Tony Paul, Medium: Various, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Techniques on Mar 28, 2006
Achieving the right colour is an art in itself and one about which many books have been written. Many more experienced artists will tell you that it’s the very basis of art itself and that it ought to be instinctive, something you don’t even have to think about. Sales of all these books tend to belie that, however!
Inexperienced painters usually to make two mistakes: the first is to use colour straight out of the paintbox and the second is to believe that more is definitely better. Colour as it comes from the tube or pan is garish and rarely bears any resemblance to what exists in nature. The huge variety of colours available is largely down to history; various artists throughout the centuries have tried to produce something with a specific shade or characteristic or simply something that doesn’t recede when thinned more than a little or which is reasonably permanent. For most practical purposes, the average painter needs no more than one or two of any colour type to be able to achieve most of the mixing variations they’re ever likely to need.
The belief that “just a little more” will produce a stunning hue is simply wrong. White light, when it emerges from a source, contains all the colours. The appearance of a specific colour is because a filter (in this case paint) is applied that absorbs all the others. It also absorbs a large proportion of the light that fell on it so, the more colours you add, the more filters you add, the less light escapes and the darker the painting appears. Paintings which appear vibrant with colour have the simplest mixes.
All this is a complex process to learn and you need confidence if you’re going to be successful. The good news is that Tony Paul leaves out most of the colour theory and concentrates on the practical. The book is divided into three sections: Understanding Colour, Basic Palettes and Colour Mixes. Tony Paul works, rather neatly, in a way where the pigment is more important than the medium so that the book can cover watercolour, oils and acrylic all at the same time without providing conflicting or confusing information. Effectively he concentrates on the pigment and leaves out the medium. This does mean that you have to be familiar with the mechanics of colour mixing but it’s a relatively small price to pay.
Once it gets down to specific mixing information, the books works by colour type and then by specific pigments within each. Tony gives you a simple history of that colour itself, a basic mixing chart showing the main mixes that the pigment can produce, a table of its properties and an example painting, either by himself or another contemporary artist.
All of this makes for an attractive and manageable approach to what is, inevitably, a relatively technical subject as well as a manual that should provide years of use for reference. Now reissued in paperback, it’s also splendid value for money.
Year published: 2003
List price: £9.99
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