Customer Reviews

Drawing and Painting with Colored Pencil: Basic Techniques for Mastering Traditional and Watersoluble Colored Pencils

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

 

 

This book should be on every colored pencil artist's bookshelf. It contains such a wealth of information, and the artwork that illustrates Kristy's technique(s) is simply a feast for the eyes. All colored pencil lovers -- from beginners to professionals -- will find something in this book to whet their visual tastebuds and stimulate imagination and creativity. Kristy not only demonstrates how to use traditional colored pencils in a unique way, she also incorporates watersoluble colored pencil techniques and shows how the two can be combined to produce images that are not only beautiful but truly original. There are no repetitious, "same old, same old" tutorials in this book. Every demo is an eye-opener and a gateway to a new level of creativity. In short, the book is a lovely thing -- a storehouse of valuable information and a collection of artistic gems. The reader embarks upon a real treasure hunt every time the cover is opened because something new and delightful is discovered each time a paragraph is read and relished.

Kristy Kutch's years of experience and teaching have made her one of the Modern Masters, and her knowledge and talent make the pages of this book glow.

This is a wonderful book, don't get me wrong, however I expected it to relate more to colored pencils by themselves. The first section does, then it goes on to a much larger section on watersoluble pencils and the final section is devoted to using them in tandem. If you are interested in using them in tandem then by all means, this book should be on your shelf! The text is precise and easy to follow, the artwork is wonderful, to say the least.

The illustrations for the techniques are Kutch's own colored pencil artwork. Her flowers are stunning and if I ever achieve a drawing on the level of her poppies or the morning glories, I'll be very happy.
Unfortunately, I struggled with some of the directions, bogging down over the art terms and special tools that I don't yet have. I think I'd benefit from rereading this book after I experiment more and stock in some of the supplies (special papers, ball burnisher, citrus thinner, etc.).
The techniques are shown in 5 or 6 steps with the illustration progressing as she describes the colors used. Most of the examples are flowers or fruit, but a few landscapes round it out.
The first 49 pages deal with regular colored pencils, then the rest of the book goes on to watercolor pencils and the techniques for those.

This is the best book that I have ever purchased on the subject of color pencils, and I now own 31 books on the subject, and this one I rank #1. Mainly because the author goes in extensive detail, on every aspect of color pencils (see the back cover for a list). And if you didn't understand some of the more complicated information, she rewords it and relates it in another way, along with pictures and demonstrations to make sure you get it. The author gives step by step instructions to demonstrate each technique that she explains, along with informing you of all colors and paper used for each demonstration. And she gives this same information for all the artwork throughout the book. So if you want to try and attempt to create any of the art on your own, you can. Another thing I like is the fact that she only uses one brand of each type of pencil. Some authors use more than one brand in there demonstrations, like you have an extensive amount of money to invest attempting to do there lessons. She uses Prismacolor for colored pencils, and Faber Castell watercolor pencils.
Then she gives you this same quality information on watercolor pencils, along with the techniques for them. One review stated it the book was more about watercolor pencils, this is not true. There were just more techniques for them, and this author gives you practice and the full step-by-step demonstrations for each technique, which I appreciated. This format is very effective in helping you to have success understanding and learning how to do the techniques.
Then she moves on to teach you techniques where you combine colored and watercolor pencils, and follows the same format as stated above. I was pleasantly surprised to see both types of pencils in one book, with so much information on both. This makes this book worth a lot more than the price Amazon is asking for. And this is a book that you will go to time and time again.

My copy of this book arrived badly water damaged and this prevented me from viewing the pages clearly. Not Amazon's fault though, nor the author's, but this did not impact my opinion of the book. I work in watercolor, and watercolor pencil and I draw realistically. My watercolor work is impressionistic so I balance this with realism. I expected better use of the mediums based on the book's title. This book gives simple lessons in just about every technique you might want BUT they are not complete. I feel it leaves out very important issues in several areas that I was able to read. This will trip up a student. The watercolor work was weak at best and the drawing not detailed. No matter what your style, contrast in values, variety of subject matter, subtley of transition and color saturation are important. Monochromatic paintings are beautiful due to their variety and placement of values. Often the paintings in this book contained numerous colors but still failed in subtlety and depth. When inspiring a newcomer it is important to present an attainable goal. But to underestimate their ability doesn't inspire the confidence to reach such a goal. Many of the demo's were boring. I felt that more realism was needed here. Perhaps it was the printing but everything seemed flat, although you can tell that the artist used strong color in many of her works. I would suggest that all students of pencil work get copy of "Colored Pencil Painting Bible" by Alyona Nickelsen, even if you want only to work in graphite or watercolor pencil. This book will help you to see realistically. Once you command drawing and color skills as she teaches them, you will have the ability to make choices as to your own style. It takes good training and skill before independent style can develop. Alyona gives both in depth.

This is a good book and it does show you a lot of information for beginners and includes water-soluble colored pencils (watercolor pencils). It's one of the "old-school" CP books and it's quite useful. The only think I don't like is that you can see the paper on some of the demos, I personally prefer lay down several layers very light and with a sharp point in order to make sure my transparent layering is good coverage but that's a personal thing. If you aren't a stickler for that, you'll love the book.

I recently borrowed this lovely book from the library,so that was a great preview,and I decided to buy it.It contains some great demonstrations in pencil and watercolor pencil.

Kristy is one of the best colored pencil artists around. She has the true soul of an artist and is a great instructor. This book has beautiful art and is a worthwhile addition to any colored pencil artist's library. I have enjoyed her workshops and DVDs too!

Drawing And Painting With Colored Pencilery good reference book, I was very happy

There are many other books available on this subject and they are all better than this one. There is nothing to be gained from reading this book. Forget it!