The Colored Pencil: Key Concepts for Handling the Medium, Revised Edition (Practical Art Books) [Paperback]

Bet Borgeson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Practical Art Books | Publication Date: November 1, 1995

No one who works in colored pencil—or wants to—can afford to be without this book, which is the most complete resource on the medium. The revised edition provides the latest information on colored pencils while retaining the best feature of the original: Bogeson's beautiful artwork; authoritative information about materials; clearcut lessons on color mixing and specific techniques; and demonstrations of various methods for creating works in colored pencils. Two new chapters introduce revolutionary techniques: applying frisket film to lift colored pencil pigment from paper, and using ordinary masking tape to remove even densely applied color.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bet Borgeson is also the author of Colored Pencil Fast Techniques and Color Drawing Workshop. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill; Rev Upd edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823007499
• ISBN-13: 978-0823007493
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Colored Pencil

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Break into the market with a new medium, January 3, 2001

By 

Linda A. Goin "goinhome" (Louisville) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Colored Pencil: Key Concepts for Handling the Medium, Revised Edition (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

Borgeson's book, "The Colored Pencil" is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to this medium. The acceptance of colored pencil work is fairly new and just starting to boom in the greeting card market as well as in other venues. Although the use of this medium may seem fairly straightforward, Borgeson gives tips on how to master the techniques for the traditional market.

Tools and surfaces are covered, and a color wheel and a touch of color theory is included. Borgeson is fairly crisp with her reviews of these basics for the beginner, and these tools are also invaluable as a refresher for the pro. The book is clearly focused on illustration and commercial uses for colored pencil rather than fine art aspects.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on colored pencil, December 14, 2001

By 

Eugene Arenhaus (Haifa, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Colored Pencil: Key Concepts for Handling the Medium, Revised Edition (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

As an artist who works in colored pencil as one of preferred medium, I am not ashamed to state that I basically learnt my technique from this book (and lots of exercise, of course.) Ms. Borgeson provides in this book both primary techniques of color application, which instantly put colored pencil in the "painting" category with their rich color and texture possibilities - and "tricks" for getting various effects. Focused on painterly texture and color, but not shunning experimental things, this book is one of the best to get started in color pencils - and return to it over and over again for refreshment. You won't find step-by-step instructions of "how to draw a blue horse" in his book, but rather a variety of examples and principles on which to build a color pencil drawing.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly the most comprehensive summary of the medium., December 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Colored Pencil: Key Concepts for Handling the Medium, Revised Edition (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

The Colored Pencil is clearly the most organized and comprehensive summary of the medium's techniques and methods. It offers all that is necessary to know in approaching its use. My only dissapointment is the lack of a broader range of example images. The drawings shown have a tendency to lean toward the contrived and sentimental which would be fine if the author also included some drawings that were more experimental and intellectual. The spectacular work of artist Ann McCoy (New York) comes immdiately to mind in this regard.