Customer Reviews

Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Artist (Practical Art Books)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It seems a deep chasm yawns between the amateur artist and the emerging artist. This insightful and instructional book bridges that gap. Finally, a book that addresses how to move beyond the beginner stage! The author's generous advice is clear, relevant and timely. And you don't have to be a colored pencil artist to benefit---the majority of the book is applicable to other media as well. Written in a rare, articulate style, the author delivers provocative theories and philosophies not found elsewhere in art instruction books. An added bonus: detailed reproductions, in-progress artwork by the author, and no skimping on text. A most valuable addition to your personal art library.

This is one of the best books on colored pencil I have found. The artwork is beautiful and the instructions are superb. Projects and techniques are demonstrated step-by-step with color illustrations and photos.

The book starts with an overview of materials and tools including great advice of setting up a workspace. Then, it covers the fundaments of drawing such as perspective, volume, space, form and composition. The demonstration and discussion of color mixing and creating edges is excellent. This really helped me a lot. The book then goes on to help you really get started by giving tips on finding inspiration, using photographs, tracing and deciding when your project is finished. It explains color lifting and impressed line techniques as well as helping you build your own style.

The next section focuses of still life and floral drawings. It covers selecting and setting up a still life and well as lighting it. There are two great demonstrations of this. It nice that one included the photo the artist worked from making it easy to practice what the author describes. A section on landscapes follows. This gives all kinds of advice from working on location to assembling the elements of a basic photography kit. There is a great discussion on finding the perfect setting and center of interest, as well as using color to suggest space. There are two demonstrations here as well, showing both naturalistic and fantasy landscapes.

The afterward on integrating art into your life and selling your artwork is great for the serious artist. Whether you are just starting out or having been using colored pencil as a medium for a while this is a wonderful book on the subject.

Even as a somewhat-experienced artist I found this book to be at just the perfect level. While basic for anyone new to colored pencil, the book is by no means simplistic. It is intelligently written, and well illustrated. After finishing it (which I found to be as difficult as putting down any good novel) I felt I'd found a new awareness about the medium. Since, I have been excitedly pursuing all Borgeson taught me through her wonderful book. Note: A special reading treat at the end is her own prespective/insight on being an artist, whether choosing to be amatuer or professional. I highly recommend this as a good A to Z study.

Having worked with pastels and finding I didn't like them, I decided to explore colored pencil. I don't think I could have found a better book! However, the title although not misleading, but perhaps confusing. If you are a beginner, in the sense that you have never picked up a pencil and want to learn to draw, and think this book will show you, it won't. Put it on your wish list until you are ready for it, and check out some books on drawing. I like Betty Edwards and Lee Hammond. If you already have some drawing skill, even very basic, then this is a great book to get into the world of color. This book is more of a technique than a how-to. I've found it very inspiring. However, no matter how good a book is, nothing can replace art lessons from a good teacher. If you are truly a "serious beginner" sign up for a class and use this book as a supplement at home.

Not only is the book crammed with great technical information, but the chapter on being a professional artist, prioritising time for art, etc. is terrific.

When she says serious... in the last few pages she tells you about becoming a full time artist, pros and cons kind of thing and options. She gives suggestions of places you can look into to show your work, but does not tell you how, just where to go. She does however say to go to the library to find out more or the internet. I guess most people don't know that, to me it is obvious. But hey, now you know and you didn't have to buy the book!

The artwork in the book sucks. It lacks depth and looks flat. Sure there is color, but it all seems to have the same pressure to it. Some may be better than others, buy my eyes don't want to look at it long. So, a tip that I know in becoming a serious artist is that if you actually want people to buy your work, you will want to create something that captures the attention of the viewer and keeps them there. The more they look at your work or the longer, the more likely they will buy it. The only one in there that looked pretty cool was the monopoly picture.

It's odd, she shows some basic examples of creating the illusion of 3D using tonal values from light to dark as well as discussing form, volume and space... but does not fully carry it through in her own work.

I just think if your going to learn from an artist, you would want to learn from someone who can give a good example. Why not learn it the right way the first time? There are too many other books that could do it better for ya. Check out books by Ann Kullberg, Janie Gildow, Gary Greene, Vera Curnow, or even Bernard Poulin. These artists have books for beginners and advanced, check them out and find the level best for you. They are better examples to follow. And if you want to start selling find a book strickly for that. Though Ann Kullberg, in "colored pencil portraits step-by-step has a section where she explains how she sells her portraits.

If you can only buy one book on the art and craft of colored pencil, buy this one! If you have a hundered books on art, I'd still say: you need this one! Bet Borgeson is well known for her intelligence, wit, humor, and her refusal to "talk down" to the reader or student. Page for page, there is more useful information in this book than in any other art book on my shelves -- and most of it is invaluable for artists working in any medium. From the basics of "getting started," to the philosophy of an artist's life, this book is jam-packed with useful and thought provoking information. Its richness and quality call to mind Richard Schmid's _Alla Prima_ or Rex vicat Cole's _ The Artistic Anatomy of Trees_, two of my other personal favorites. I love this book!

If you can only have one book on colored pencil, let it be this one. I had to buy another one when my professor saw it. It is another book that I read with pen and highlighter in hand. I couldn't just read it I had to study it.

I think this may be a fine book for more advanced artists. There was little help for true beginners,even"serious " ones. There was much philosophy and opionion, but little practical help.

"Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner," though not everything you are going to need, will probably be indispensible for your first steps in serious colored pencil drawing. Bet Borgeson gives the basics you have to have in color theory, composition, and how to keep your inspiration flowing. She also talks about the ins and outs of how to sell your wares and actually establish a career in the arts. So there is alot of good here.

I didn't find all that I wanted, though, to tell the truth. In addition to the composition and mood and so forth of a piece, I was hoping for some more prosaic advice on how to do things like make an apple look like an apple instead of a tomato, or a blueberry look like a blueberry instead of a grape. "Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner" was frustratingly short on topics like this, or what colors to belnd together to get flesh tones, or what colors to use to make convincing shadows, and so forth.

So you won't find everything in this book, but what book will give you everything anyway? In summary, it's pretty good for what it's intended for, and if you're a beginner, you're probably going to need it. Four stars.