Customer Reviews

#5326 Altered Surfaces: Using Acrylic Paints With Gels, Mediums, Grounds & Pastes

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beware! This "book" is only 50 pages long. It should be classified as a "booklet" created by and for Golden products. The photos are so small it is very difficult to see what the author is trying to teach. I know Chris Cozen is a Golden Working Artist, but she really should indicate that Liquitex and other producers of art mediums and gels offer similar products, often at much lower prices. Do your research.

The photography and ideas are very good, but the 'book'should be twice as many pages, the photos twice as large and the author should do more illustrated step-by-step photos of what she is trying to teach. Someone got greedy on this one.

If you can only afford one good book on versatile mediums and gels, buy "Acrylic Revolution" by Nancy Reyner, another Golden Working Artist. Patty Brady's (another Golden WA) book is due out later this year, but IF I buy it, I will take a very critical look at the length. I wish I could have looked inside this book first.

I am a professional acrylic painter and teacher and am always looking for new ways to create in this amazing medium. This purchase was a disappointment.

If you are an artist interested in the enormous range of possibilities of acrylic paints, this is the book for you! Even if you are experienced with acrylics, you are guaranteed to learn new things from this book. As a part of Golden Acrylic Colors' Working Artists program, Chris Cozen has an astonishing knowledge of acrylic paint and how it behaves.

This deceptively slender volume is packed with information, while still containting enough basic information that a beginner could easily start with this book. As the title suggests, there is a lot of information about acrylic mediums and grounds (sorely lacking in many other books), including some of the new products released recently by Golden. Molding paste, crackle paste, pumice gel, fiber paste, clear tar gel and glass bead gel are just a few of the items she covers. She also describes how to achieve the look of encaustics with acrylic products, something I plan to try soon!

This is one of the best sources of information for artists interested in expanding their horizons with acrylic paints. Not a substitute for a class from this inspiring teacher, but a good reference guide and source of ideas.

I am soooooooooo glad someone recommended this book to me. I learned more from this book than from the dozens of classes I have taken over the years. The author is not only talented but an awesome person. I emailed her for an opinion and she emailed me back immediately. THAT was impressive. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is interested in scrapbooking, ATCs, painting.....

I though it was a good book to explain & demo the different types of media & had some great visual examples. But for a beginner to mediums, it was vague with poor visuals that did not match the steps. Many of the steps are not represented with pictures or are incomplete. I found it frustrating to follow. I have several other books, including "Acrylic Revolution" which were more helpful.

I hesitated a lot to buy Chris Cozen's books because of some comments I had read. Yes, this book IS small (more like a large pamphlet). Yes, it is geared towards using Golden products - what else would a Golden working artist suggest? It does not take much of a leap to realize that one can use other companies acrylic mediums to more than likely achieve a nearly the same (or the same) results. I loved this little book. It answered all of the questions I had about the various uses of different mediums and paints. Succinct. To the point. Well done and worth the cost!

While I do agree that this isn't really a "book", you should know what to expect from a Design Originals publication. I can also see the point about not using other manufacturers' of acrylic paint - but I can always choose to replace a recommendation with a substitute if I choose. And I love Golden products! The cover first caught my eye, you can't see how colorful it is, and it is beautiful! When I began to leaf through the book I saw so many ways to play with acrylic paints I knew I had to get it - and I am so glad I did! I have had a blast exploring acrylics and losing that fear that I am just wasting them (I suffer from Artist Acquiring Disease* - I love getting new goodies but I hate using them, hate making that first cut, that first mark, because I am certain I will never see something this awesome ever again. I am working to conquer this disease and I am pleased to say I have not acquired for 1 1/2 months! Hooray for me!!) Like I said, I really enjoyed this book and I refer to it all the time to check out new techniques and color schemes.



* I hope whomever reads this can appreciate the humor in which this was written

This book covers every product that you have ever wanted to know how to use in your art. The descriptions are complete and easy to understand. The author also gives great examples of the multiple uses of each product. All in all, this book is definately worth purchasing. It is one you will turn to again and again over the years you continue to be an artist.

Book of interest to the artists and the techniques of mediumns and surfaces and how to produce them, Good visual and wonderful colored photoes. Learned a lot of new techniques. Should be on any book shelves of the modern artists.

This book is about as good as a practical class. The information is clear,
especially with the beautiful photo's. I was so fired up, I just wanted to
start experimenting! Thank you to the author, you opened a new world for me.

After studying the techniques in Rethinking Acrylic and Acrylic Revolution, this book with its emphasis on visual examples is like a gallery of ideas page after page. It's inspirational just to see the myriad of different uses of the mediums and paints. In spite it's focus on images, the author manages to get in a number of very useful tips and hints. I loved it.