From the first brushstroke to the finishing touch, let the Portfolio series guide you as you begin your artistic journey in acrylic painting. Beginning Acrylic teaches aspiring artists everything they need to know to get started painting in acrylic. From choosing the right paper, brushes, and paints to basic painting tips and techniques, this beginner's guide to acrylic painting is bursting with valuable exercises and advice to help artists master this colorful and approachable medium. Beginning Acrylic guides beginners through an exploration of acrylic painting with easy-to-understand concepts and step-by-step methods, including how to paint a variety of skies, trees, mountains, roads, clouds, and waterscapes from start to finish. Building on these basic, fundamental techniques, novice artists can practice their craft with step-by-step painting projects that are broken down and explained with large, detailed images and examples. With comprehensive instruction and artist tips and tricks, Beginning Acrylic is the perfect resource for artists just getting started.

Learn to create eye-catching, well-composed works of art using acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints. Beginning Composition features quick exercises for getting started in art, primers on the principles of composition and the Rule of Thirds, what to look for when composing artwork, examples of successful (and unsuccessful) compositions from a selection of artists, and customizable painting projects. The Portfolio series covers essential art techniques, core concepts, and media with an approach and format that’s perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists. From this concept- and technique-driven series comes Beginning Composition, which details how to compose a work of art so that it draws in—and then holds—the viewer’s attention. Written and illustrated by Kimberly Adams, an experienced author and professional artist with years of experience in creating versatile, stunning works of art, Beginning Composition teaches you how to create successful compositions in acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints. After an introduction to the essentials of composition and some examples of composition in action, you are then invited to create your own artwork on a range of subjects, including landscapes, florals, animals, and more. The painting projects encourage personalization and creativity. Other topics covered include conveying mood and emotion through composition, the Golden Ratio, focal points, and more. With Portfolio: Beginning Composition, artists of all skill levels can learn to create engaging compositions in a range of art media.

Learn the core concepts and techniques for mixing any color your palette needs with Beginning Color Mixing. Perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists, this guide's concept- and technique-driven approach makes this challenging subject approachable for artists of any skill level. Loaded with techniques on how to use and create color for vivid artwork, Beginning Color Mixing explains every key aspect of color mixing. You’ll learn about basic color theory, hue and saturation, value, temperature, and color relationships and discover how to wield color to create mood and atmosphere. Each key concept is clearly explained, allowing you to master the core techniques and put them into practice immediately, whether you’re working in oil, acrylic, or watercolor. Featuring plenty of step-by-step exercises, expert instruction, and inspiring artwork illustrating the techniques,this is a resource no painter’s library should be without. The Portfolio series covers essential art techniques, core concepts, and media with an approach and format that’s perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists. Also available from the series:Beginning Acrylic, Beginning Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, Beginning Pastel, Beginning Colored Pencil, Beginning Color Mixing, Expressive Painting, Beginning Pen & Ink, and Beginning Composition.

Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink will teach you everything you need to know about the fundamentals of drawing with pen and ink. From the beloved and best-selling Portfolio art series by Walter Foster Publishing comes Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink, a book that invites you to explore this classic art medium in new and refreshing ways. This comprehensive guide is packed with valuable resources for artists of all skill levels, starting with the basics and ending with intricate, original step-by-step projects that are sure to impress—and inspire. Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink introduces drawing basics, including stippling, hatching, and crosshatching; how to master the fundamentals of mark-making and line work; and helpful exercises for contour drawing, gesture drawing, perspective, and more. Chapters on value, tone, mood, light and shadow, and texture follow, ensuring that artists gain the drawing knowledge they need before working on the step-by-step projects featured in the book. Artists can even learn to add color to their black-and-white art using watercolor for a fresh, modern take on an age-old art form. Whether you're a new artist looking to try a celebrated art technique, a pen-and-ink enthusiast, a mixed-media master, or a graphite-pencil fan looking to branch out to new mediums, Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink will teach you everything you need to know. The Portfolio series covers essential art techniques, core concepts, and media with an approach and format that’s perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists. Also available from the series: Beginning Acrylic, Beginning Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, Beginning Pastel, Beginning Colored Pencil, Beginning Color Mixing, Expressive Painting, Beginning Color Mixing, and Beginning Composition.

Ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop their acrylic painting skills, Painting inAcrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium and painting a variety of subjects. Beginning with detailed information for using acrylic tools and materials, Painting in Acrylic introduces artists to the basics, including brushes, supports, acrylic mediums, color palettes, and other essentials for using this fast-drying paint. Artists will learn about color theory, the color wheel, and such basic techniques as impasto, stippling, glazing, drybrushing, washes, and creating an underpainting. Aspiring artists will explore value, perspective, light, shadow, and form, as well as how to effectively render a variety of textures, including wood, foliage, glass, metal, water, rock, and more. Engaging, approachable step-by-step projects appeal to artists of all skill levels and cover a range of subject matter, including still lifes, animals, tabletop compositions, landscapes, flowers, trees, and more, from start to finish. A professional acrylic painter provides easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction and inspiration so artists can put their newfound skills to practical use as they discover the secrets to mastering this lightweight, versatile, and easy-to-use medium. Perfect for first-time acrylic painters, as well as experienced artists looking to refine their technique, Painting in Acrylic inspires creativity, provides suggestions for overcoming technical obstacles, and includes plenty of useful tips and encouragement. With comprehensive, valuable information; stunning artwork; and a fresh take on a traditional medium, Painting in Acrylic is the perfect addition to any artist’s library.

Discover and master the fundamentals of drawing with professional tips and expert instruction. Designed especially for aspiring artists, Beginning Drawing, the third title in Walter Foster's new Portfolio series, offers a well-rounded introduction to the art of basic drawing. In this concept-and technique-driven approach, beginning artists will discover the fundamentals of the craft and how to put those skills into practice for creating realistic works of art. From selecting and working with the tools of the trade to learning a range of basic techniques, Beginning Drawing provides a thorough, easily digestible overview of key drawing concepts, including lighting, shading, shadows, perspective, texture, and composition, and then demonstrates how these techniques intersect, both functionally and creatively, in a wider context within a complete piece of art. Step-by-step lessons encourage practice, focusing readers on the methods and techniques designed to enhance their overall skill level, before graduating on to more subject-specific works. Packed with professional tips and expert instruction, Beginning Drawing is the perfect book for anyone desiring to learn, and ultimately master, the art of drawing.

Beginning Pastel guides beginning artists through an exploration of pastel techniques and step-by-step projects for acomprehensive and approachable overview of the vibrant pastel medium. Pastels are a unique tool, and Beginning Pastel is the perfect introductory resource for artists just getting started in this colorful medium. Before jumping into the step-by-step projects, this book covers choosing the right paper, pastels, and colors, to basic techniques like blending, gradating, and masking. Each stroke and technique is clearly explained and beautifully illustrated. After learning the key concepts, you’ll promptly put them into practice through simple step-by-step exercises. With pastel often considered an advanced medium, Beginning Pastel makes the tricky task of drawing in pastel accessible and achievable for any artist. The Portfolio series covers essential art techniques, core concepts, and media with an approach and format that’s perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists. Also available from the series: Beginning Acrylic, Beginning Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, Beginning Colored Pencil, Beginning Color Mixing, Expressive Painting, Beginning Color Mixing, Beginning Pen & Ink, and Beginning Composition.