Because nature is so expansive and complex, so varied in its range of light, landscape painters often have to look further and more deeply to find form and structure, value patterns, and an organized arrangement of shapes. In Landscape Painting, Mitchell Albala shares his concepts and practices for translating nature's grandeur, complexity, and color dynamics into convincing representations of space and light. Concise, practical, and inspirational, Landscape Painting focuses on the greatest challenges for the landscape artist, such as: • Simplification and Massing: Learn to reduce nature's complexity by looking beneath the surface of a subject to discover the form's basic masses and shapes.• Color and Light: Explore color theory as it specifically applies to the landscape, and learn the various strategies painters use to capture the illusion of natural light.• Selection and Composition: Learn to select wisely from nature's vast panorama. Albala shows you the essential cues to look for and how to find the most promising subject from a world of possibilities. The lessons in Landscape Painting—based on observation rather than imitation and applicable to both plein air and studio practice—are accompanied by painting examples, demonstrations, photographs, and diagrams. Illustrations draw from the work of more than 40 contemporary artists and such masters of landscape painting as John Constable, Sanford Gifford, and Claude Monet. Based on Albala's 25 years of experience and the proven methods taught at his successful plein air workshops, this in-depth guide to all aspects of landscape painting is a must-have for anyone getting started in the genre, as well as more experienced practitioners who want to hone their skills or learn new perspectives.

Paint pastel landscapes bathed in pale, glowing light and rich, warm colors with the aid of practical instruction from and inspirational finished works by one of the masters of the medium. Learn to capture nature's transient light conditions in order to anchor your work in time and space. Renowned artist Lionel Aggett offers easy-to-follow guidelines for working with pastels, choosing materials, and selecting a subject. He then explains how to approach the challenge of translating the unique effects of both natural and artificial light on paper. Develop your own approach to light, dealing with such variables as weather, geography, time of day, and season. Numerous step-by-step examples and stunning finished paintings will help you achieve a more perceptive and personal response to light conditions, as you develop your practical ability to render your inspiration on paper.

In these pages, popular artist/instructor Susan Sarback puts aside abstract formulas and presents a different, immediate way to see and paint in color. Through this technique of full-color seeing, artists will expand their ability to see light and color in their environment, and to express this heightened visual awareness in their work.

One of the ground-breaking books on acrylics - new in paperback. Acrylics is now a very popular medium with artists of all abilities, especially with the advent of new and better acrylic paints. 'Capturing Light in Acrylics' (HB 07134 8863 8) was and still is one of the best books on the subject. John Hammond, a highly successful practising artist, shares his experiences and knowledge of this incredibly adaptable medium and offers helpful advice, instruction and inspiration. Particular attention is paid to the skilful interpretation of light to convey the mood and atmosphere of a place. The section on Practical Considerations includes details on materials, equipment and colour mixing; Interpreting Light reveals the secrets behind light and tone, shadows, changing light and weather conditions; the Subjects and Inspiration sections cover choosing subjects, composition, working on location, landscapes, city views, boats and beaches, Mediteranean light and figures; and Developing Ideas details working with sketches, photography and studio painting. Practical explanatory text and inspirational illustrations combine to make this a valuable addition to any artist's bookshelf.

A pure-pigment medium, pastels have been used by painters for centuries for the powerful and evocative colour they can produce. Professional artist and experienced teacher Mark Leach uses pastel to translate beautiful landscapes into striking, minimalist paintings with simple form and strong blocks of colour, while still retaining a sense of location and place. His simple techniques demonstrate how to move away from realism and towards using abstract painting to express mood and feeling. The book includes: Introduction: Beyond realism • Balancing the emotional and physical Composing and Developing Images: Composing a non-realistic image • Feeling and passion • Light, form and texture • Seeing colour • The journey to abstraction The Joy of Colour: Understanding the colour wheel • Colour moods • Colour palettes and mixes Subjects to Paint: Still life • Landscapes • Figurative painting • Colour on water The Art of Pastels: My studio • Pastels • Pure pigment • Composition • Sketching from life and landscape • Painting from sketchbooks and photographs • Light and tone • Mediums and supports for pastels • Pastel painting techniques

As artists, we have choices. There are very few rules that apply across the board. We can create highly realistic paintings, or perhaps more expressive paintings, or paintings that have very little basis in reality, including those that are totally non-representational. We can record color as we see it or as we’d like it to be. As pastel artists, we have even more choices. We can use a wide variety of pastels, strokes, surfaces, and techniques to create many different looks. The choices we make form the framework of our individual style, our signature as artists. Any subscriber to The Pastel Journal realizes how varied the medium of pastel can be. For the experienced artist, these articles are stimulating, offering possible ways to experiment with alternative approaches. For the beginner, the panoply of choices can be overwhelming. Painting is primarily an intuitive process. But intuition is gained through study and experience. Part of my impetus in writing this book has been to create a more structured approach to help those fairly new to the medium understand its many possibilities. The book is aimed at all levels of pastel artists. Beginners will find a wealth of helpful information and intermediate artists will gain insight into how to take their work to another level and develop a style. Many advanced artists teach pastel; the organization of ideas and the exercises included should be of assistance. I offer a variety of suggested approaches and sometimes make up terminology to describe my experiences with the medium. The instructions in the book are based on my preferences and the guidance that I offer my students. The diversity of styles and techniques evident in the paintings of contributing artists should make it clear, however, that there are many ways to successfully work in pastel. Having acknowledged the many possibilities, I want to note a few musts. Representational paintings must be well-drawn. Poor drawing skills cannot be overcome with lovely color or great technique. Likewise, paintings must have strong compositions, regardless of whether they are realistic, abstracted, or non-representational. Values must be properly interpreted to produce strong compositions and to use pastel to its full effect. And finally, pastel paintings must sing! Whether the applications are light and airy, or rich and painterly, it should be clear that the artist is in control of the medium and is using it to produce his or her desired look. For years I have resisted suggestions that I write a book. As a landscape painter, I knew that there were more authoritative books already available. And the growing popularity of pastel has led to so many resources, including online blogs, a biennial convention, and the wonderful Pastel Journal, mentioned above. What could I add to this? My personal training in pastel has been from weeklong landscape workshops with some of the leading pastel painters in the country. As a teacher in a community college, I am not teaching a particular style nor focusing on specific subject matter. Some of my students work with the landscape, but others do portraits or figurative work, while others prefer still life, or work abstractly. In dealing with this mixture, I’ve realized that there are different ways to approach one’s use of color, and this formed my first idea for creating a book. Furthermore, as a teacher, I’ve spent time experimenting with different surfaces, pastel brands, and techniques in order to make suggestions to students to help them find the look they want to achieve. I do not teach students to paint the way I do, but instead, try to share my experience and help them develop their own individual style.

LEARNING HOW TO CAPTURE SUCH QUALITY HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!Inside you'll find guidelines for rendering accurate skin tones in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil and pastel. You'll begin with a review of the five essential painting elements (drawing, value, color, composition and edges), then learn how light and color influence the appearance of skin tones. Best-selling artist Chris Saper provides the advice and examples that make every lesson and technique easy to understandâ€"immediately improving the quality of your work. You'll discover how to: • Paint the four major skin color groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic) • Refine these colors into dozens of possible variations within each group • Select your palette and mix hues for clean, beautiful colors • Determine the color and temperature of light that falls on your subject • Paint direct and indirect sunlight, artificial light and highlights of light • Master the four elements that determine color in shadow • Use photographic references when you can't paint directly from life You'll also find seven step-by-step demonstrations and an appendix of sample color charts for each major skin type under a range of lighting variations. It's all you need to bring your portraits to life!