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Watson-Guptill

Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter

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Arrives Wednesday, Nov 27
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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Watson-Guptill; First Edition (June 1, 1996)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0823032698


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 93


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.9 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.01 x 0.41 x 10 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #770,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #164 in Oil Painting #586 in Arts & Photography Study & Teaching #641 in Art Encyclopedias


#164 in Oil Painting:


#586 in Arts & Photography Study & Teaching:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Read the full title...get exactly what you pay for!
This is a great little book! It is not a "How-to Guide" in the strictest, pedantic sense. It's an honest book by a serious artist intended for those new to oil painting, just as the title suggests. That's not to say, however, that it would not be useful to more advanced artists. Those features that the book lacks are among its greatest qualities-there are no "10 Commandments" that are usually found in books of this genre. Most artists approached to write a book of this nature feel obligated to forbid X and insist on Y (with some justification, perhaps) but this book is just a well-considered, sincere, very personal discussion of one person's approach to his art and all the craft that it entails. Allrich's strength as a writer comes from his balanced, encouraging, honest approach to his topic. Basically, in this book, he says what he does and why he does it. He is never condescending when he discusses the techniques that "many other artists" employ. It's more as if he is inviting his readers to see things his way, if they are so inclined, (and to pick up some of his tricks) or to go the way that the Muse takes them. I'd strongly recommend this book for art students, would-be writers, people interested in the art and craft of oil painting and, of course, to anyone who wishes to "become a good (or better) painter". I'll re-read this book dozens of times! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 1999 by Adam Weber
    • Great instruction. NOT a bk about color.
I was surprised that someone was disappointed that this one book didn't cover everything! What book does? The fact that it doesn't even pretend to, that the author explains his palette and his technique is exactly what makes the book so valuable. It was one of the first books I bought ten years ago when I started painting, and I was so relieved to find that I could go through it, emulating his approach, mixing colors in a limited way (so that they are manageable!), etc. This book and "The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted" (Lechen), taught me to paint as surely as if I'd enrolled in an art school. I recommend both of them very highly. Then go to Al Gury, "Alla Prima," and Tolley, "Oil Painters Solution Book," and you've got what you need. Oh. And most recently, Carole Marine's "Daily Painter". ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2015 by Sandra Scofield
    • The One Book You Need
I need a 12-step program to deal with my addiction to How To Paint books, but after accumulating several shelvesful of books, I've narrowed it down to one each for watercolor and oil painting. This is my choice for oil. It covers practically every aspect of the process and development of your art, and he says everything so beautifully and concisely. I love the section on palatte and color mixing. My only disappointment with the book is that the illustrations are of poor color quality. They don't reproduce say greens, which distorts everything. Still, one gets the idea through the text, and the examples coordinate well with the points he is making. Highly recommended. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2005 by Yvonne Angel
    • This is just what I needed, being artistically capable ...
This is just what I needed, being artistically capable, but starting a new medium. It addresses a bit of the science of each type of paint, transparency, uses for supplies etc. Then the artistic basics are offered, for creating shadows, vista, and other techniques. Handy for the beginner who has artistic aptitude. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015 by Renee
    • Worthwhile
I do not have access to a good oil painting class for beginners. I have only done two exercises so far, but I like the lessons and it seems like it will give me a good foundation to build apon.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2012 by Vermont Craftsman
    • Serious beginner is the key word with an emphasis on serious
Very good coverage of techniques for oil painting which also applies to acrylic painting. It is for the beginning painter, but perhaps will also benefit more advanced but not educated/trained painter.
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2018 by Shenko
    • Paintings are nice, but many with a yellow-brownish tinge and too small
I do not know if it is because of the age of the book (1996), but all paintings have a yellow-brownish tinge, maybe because of the yellow underpaintings? So sometimes I miss the other colors like blue and green or these colors are not strong enough. But the colors are not muddy and are good in contrasts. Some of the paintings are too small to see the details. This is not always because of the smaller format of the book. The paintings show mainly nice still lifes and landscapes. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2015 by Purewater
    • Everything Is Yellow
This book fails to help the serious beginner, or anyone else, because the color plates are in tones of yellow. My first impression was that the author knew something that I didn't and this was how the colors should look. I thought that was his style. But when I went online to view his actual paintings they were colorful, not at all like what was in his book. So Allrich really doesn't paint with mustard! Apparently the author failed to check the color plates and allowed these errors to go to press. This is a fatal flaw for a book that is about color mixing. Worthless! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2011 by Vilan

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