Brushes: A Handbook for Artists and Artisans [Paperback]

Jacques Turner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558215018 | ISBN-13: 978-1558215016 | Publication Date: June 1, 1992 | Edition: 1st

A comprehensive guide to artists, brushes, the hairs and bristles in use, styles, selection, evaluation, and care; with eighteen color plates and many line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fine handbook that should be within reach of very serious artist."-- New England Review of Books

From the Back Cover

Are you getting the most from your brushes? Whether you work with watercolor, oil, acrylic, or ink, on canvas, paper, wood, or fabric, your choice of brushes is crucial to achieving the results you want. No longer do you have to buy and hope for the best. With Brushes there's no guesswork involved in selecting the perfect brush for every project. This comprehensive guide will tell you: why the origin of the hairs or bristles in a brush is so important to the finished quality of your work; why some brushes are so expensive and which are the best buys; how to choose the right shape and size brush for your work; why brushes intended for watercolors should never be used for oils and acrylics; how you can keep your brushes in good shape for many years; why you should use good varnish brushes; the truth about synthetics and synthetic blends; and much more. So don't compromise your artistic vision. Whether you're a watercolorist, oil painter, calligrapher, fabric painter, hobbyist, woodworker - or use brushes for any purpose, this authoritative new book will make sure you never again have to ask, 'Which brush should I choose?' (6 X 9, 104 pages, color photos, b&w photos, illustrations)

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Green Editorial; 1st edition (June 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558215018
• ISBN-13: 978-1558215016
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An examination of an important tool, May 15, 2000

By 

Roberts E Howard (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brushes: A Handbook for Artists and Artisans (Paperback)

There are countless books written on watercolor, acrylics, oil paints and even a few on gouache and casein, but the common thread linking all of the painting media has been overlooked . . . until now. Brushes are the most common of all artist's tools, yet the vast majority of artists are woefully uninformed about how to pick out a good brush and, even what the difference is between the good, the bad and the mediocre brushes.

In writing this book, Jacques Turner has drawn from long experience in the brush-making business to provide us with a truly useful manual on what goes into the manufacture of a good artist's brush as well as the reasons and uses for the various shapes and hairs that seem to complicate and confuse our choice.

For me, this book has opened up possibilities that would have been remained closed. My new-found knowledge has certainly proved its worth when buying brushes.

A quick and easy read, Turner writes for the artist, not the research scholar.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Make Artist's Brushes, July 15, 2007

By 

M. Dupre "Tig Dupre--Book Nut" (Port Orchard, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brushes: A Handbook for Artists and Artisans (Paperback)

As a practicing artist, I am always looking for new ways to make expressive and appealing images. I work mainly in porcelain pottery, decorated with slips and glazes.

I bought this book to learn how to make brushes, brushes which will enable me to create more distinctive images. My needs are somewhat different from what the book provides, but I found enough information to assist me in experimentation with making tools for expression.

The book is more geared toward industrial manufacture, but there is more than enough information and example for the individual to make implements of good quality and function. The difficulty lies in gathering materials and finding a place to work where the cat will not try to supervise...

I recommend this book for all artists who like to make their own tools.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for brush makers, February 21, 2010

By 

Linda P. Stauffer "bkwrmkt" (Quakertown, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brushes: A Handbook for Artists and Artisans (Paperback)

I make handmade brushes for potters [...] This book has provided some background info for presentations at workshops I do. Great information!