Customer Reviews

Colored Pencil Explorations

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

 

 

Expands the repertoire of colored pencils by including their use with other media. The result is mixed media at its best. This is not a book for people who need a paint by numbers approach, but it should not be shunned by beginners. There are many demonstrations in the book which take the artist (or would-be artist) by the hand and show how the subject was created, down to a precise list of what materials were use, including brand names of pencils and other media. The book utilized the works of several artists and explained their techniques in very clear language. Yes, some of the techniques are advanced, but this should provide inspiration for a beginner, not discouragement.
For the more advanced artist, the book explodes with ideas for combining a wide variety of media in ways that most of us have not considered previously. I was particularly intrigued with the example of using Mylar in a reverse painting technique. I recommend this book for anyone with artist's block; it will certainly help to "jump-start" your creative engine again.

This book is chock-full of ideas for colored pencil that depart from the standard blending and sketching methods. If you are an ultra-realist, there is a demonstration (or at least an example) of a cat sitting in sunlight that will knock your socks off.

If you are not an ultra realism fan, however, there are other demonstrations that depart from this genre. For example, there is a demonstration of a crumpled paper abstract technique that would suit a collage artist, especially one who makes or collects handmade papers. There is a section on masking and using airbrush; not something I'm likely to deal with but still, interesting to read. There are also demonstrations of colored pencil with watercolor underlay, grissage and other techniques.

This book does what it is titled; explorations. If you are looking for a how-to in colored pencil standard technique, this book won't be the one you want to start with. But if you want to explore the medium and spread your wings, this book is a beautiful inspiriation.

This is an excellent book for both beginner and advanced. There are many demonstrations on how to combine colored pencils with other media. There is also the inspiration of the beautiful works of other artists.

but FUN!
This book is full of creativity and good instruction...in fact, I have had an airbrush for awhile and couldn't quite get the hang of it. A simple step was being missed that I didn't realize...but I found that simple step in the general description of how to use the airbrush.
There are many other exciting techniques in here, and I am soooo glad I went ahead and ordered it.
Lots of beautiful and unique work too...not just the same ol bunch of flowers, cherries, limes, oranges, and grapes. Some of that is there...but so is an abstract tapestry!

It has a nice mix of small projects that aren't so intimidating and a gallery of stunning works that will inspire your creativity. I've always limited myself to colored pencils because of the "no mess" factor, but if you're ready to start making messes with watercolor, pastel, and even wood burning, this book is full of beautiful examples. The down side is that you probably won't have all the materials needed for all the projects, so you'll have do your own alterations or make some supply purchases.

I had been a fan of Janie Gildow for some time. Being an avid colored pencil artist (sic) :-) she is the ultimate artist. I got an Amazon gift cert and immediately bought this book. In it, Janie explores various different effects that can be achieved using colored pencil with other media, step by step, clearly and concisely. I am very happy with this book!!

This is a book which explores the combination of colored pencil with a myriad of other techniques. This is a book for the advanced colored pencil artist wishing to expand their horizons. Definitely not a how to book- not very practical.