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For Dummies

Oil Painting For Dummies

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Format: Paperback


Description

Nobody ever said that oil painting was easy. But it gets much easier and a lot more fun when you follow a step-by-step approach that starts you off on the right foot, helps you build your skills one at a time, and gives you plenty of exercises to develop your craft. That’s what you’ll find in Oil Painting For Dummies.Completely free of arty jargon, this full-color guide has all the hands-on instruction you need to master the basics. You’ll see how to plan a painting, build an image in layers, mix colors, and create stunning compositions. You’ll also find everything you need to know about oil paints, solvents, and pigments; brushes, palettes, and painting surfaces; and how to keep costs down at the art supply store. Discover how to:Choose the right suppliesSet up your studio and care for your equipmentHandle your materials safelyDevelop your design and composition skillsMake practice sketches and studiesUse broken stroke, dry brush, glazing, scraffito and other brush strokesTry out different compositionsMix any color you wantSimplify tricky still-life subjectsPaint landscapes and common objects out doorsPaint portraits and the human formComplete with handy color chart, basic materials list, and a very useful viewing square, Oil Painting For Dummies is the fun and easy way to discover your inner artist! Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies; 1st edition (February 5, 2008)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 047018230X


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 07


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.9 x 0.9 x 9.9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #272,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Oil Painting #981 in Drawing (Books) #2,194 in Art History & Criticism (Books)


#39 in Oil Painting:


#981 in Drawing (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Great guide!
I tried oil painting briefly in college and again for a couple months prior to retirement. For the last six years I've focused on watercolor painting and wanted to try oils again. However, I realized that I had no clue how to use oil paints except straight from the tube. This book did an excellent job of explaining layering (especially fat over lean), glazing, sgraffito, impasto, and numerous other techniques. The book also presented safety protocols when working with toxic paints, thinners, and glazes and procedures for organizing materials and cleaning brushes. There were numerous practice assignments and helpful hints throughout the book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022 by S. Henn
    • This is all you'll really need-for starters but later you wish for an better INDEX
I have dabbled in many mediums but have never had any training or study program. This book is it! As I have been reading the thing that I like best is that it tells you why and why not. People say, "Experience is the best teacher" but I have found the corollary - Experience may be the best teacher but it is also the most expensive". Say you happen to paint a beautiful picture but you didn't prime the "support" (anything you paint ON)...and then in a couple of years it start falling apart from the underside THEN you'll be sorry you hadn't known....or you put a lot of thinner ON thick paint and the thinner layer dries way faster and the oil never dries. Or you are sketching with a paint extremely thinned with terp and you love the effect and so decide to leave it. With time you sadly discover that that thinned paint was not stable and can be dusted off, ruining your masterpiece. This book is like a college course of the basics. But it still lets you have the basics and gets you started before you have to learn it all. I did not give it a five because as I was writing this review I realized that so many topics I went to refer to were not in the index. Examples: Primer, yellowing paint, cracking paint...still I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn all aspects, but especially for beginners - it is quite comprehensive. BUT NOW A YEAR LATER I find I don't open it at all BECAUSE there is not an adequate index. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2013 by jjrose
    • Comprehensive
This book is written for the beginner, like me. Very well illustrated, written. But not over the top with technical talk, which I like. It should not turn off or bog down the beginner. So all in all, very comprehensive encouraging. Well worth the cost.
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021 by Brian L. Bonicamp
    • A treasure trove of useful information, but lacking in pictures
I was put off by this book by the initial flip through. I thought that it should have more pictures, and some of the pictures look as if a junior highschool art student painted or sketched them. It was until I really sat down and started to read this book, that I found that even though the pictures are laughable, the information is very detailed and helpful to artists ranging from begginer to advanced. It's an alright book and I'd recommend it to others who don't mind studying without visual references. Out my favorite 10 oil painting instructional books, I guess I'd rate this one as number 10. The main reason is that I like to paint people, and the chapters that involve portraits and the figure are extremely lacking. If you are looking to get this book to educate you or further your understanding on how to paint portraits or the figure, please look elsewhere. In conclusion, this is a good book filled with a large variety of detailed but brief technical information, and pretty crappy example paintings. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2013 by Thanx a lot Greg
    • This book is NOT FOR WOOD CARVERS
I am a wood carver who wants to ues oil paints to paint some of my wood carvings. This book was a huge disapointment in that respect. The book lists many mediums that a person could use oil paints on; but not a single word devoted to using oil paints of wood. It is a book designed for beginners as are most of the "DUMMIES" books. I see many other carvers using oil paints on their carvings; so this goal of seeking knowledge on using oil paints on wood is not that unusual. It may be a great book for beginers in painting with oils; but it is totally usless if you wish to learn something, anything, about painting with oils on wood. A huge disapointment for me, as it will be for anyone seeking knowledge on using oils on wood. Save your money and look around for something else. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2012 by Ken in Idaho
    • It is a good book. I must be a dummy.
The authors try to simplify the process of oil painting, and for the most part, succeed in doing so. They don't try to impress the reader with big words. When they use one, they explain it with smaller ones. They explain nearly every aspect of creating a painting. I borrowed this book from the public library and then bought my own copy. The older one, from the library, had a yellow page at the front of the book that was called a cheat-sheet. It contained a color wheel and a color chart. The copy that I purchased did not nave the cheat-sheet. There is a color wheel midway through the book, but it is smaller than the other one. Try to find the older book, with the yellow page. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2013 by Ross H.
    • A Perfect Start
This book should be everyone's first instructional text regarding oil painting! I can't think of another "how to" book on the subject that is even close to offering as much, and in such an easy to understand manner. Granted, once you have "mastered" this issue, you will need to go deeper somewhere else. The only downside is the title and humiliating cover that everyone on the street recognizes (you don't want to walk in the front door of your local Museum of Modern Art with one of these beauties under your arm!) - if you are a beginner, amateur, or it has been a long time since you picked up a brush....buy it, you'll love it, it is probably exactly what you have been looking for. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2010 by Fitz
    • Good overall reference for beginners
I bought this book to go along with the beginners oil painting class I'm taking and have found it useful for reinforcing some of the lessons learned in class. Since most of the language of painting is new to me, this has been helpful for reviewing terms and techniques between classes. It probably would not replace having a qualified teacher, but it has been a good reference tool to understanding oils and painting styles. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2009 by WattaBeach

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