Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Techniques

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the best art books I have found. The author teaches a lot in a few words. (Have you ever opened an art book, and turned to a subject, only to ask "Is that all they are going to say?") Part 1 is Techniques. Part 2 is Themes. Part 2 breaks general subjects like Landscape, Environment, and The Figure, down to teach you about Seasons, Space and Distance, Industrial Settings, Mood and Atmosphere, Standing Figures, Groups of People, Figures in a Setting, Full-length Portraits, Pattern in Still Life, etc. Even though each section is only a few paragraphs, I learned more than I thought I would. Each section also has several artworks with a paragraph explaining what the artist did.
This book shows a wider variety of illustrative styles than most I've seen. I found I could take a new subject, and flip through it until I found the style I thought would best represent it. It is full of color, good teaching, and variety.

This book is very rich in techniques for all kinds of pastel work, from ink and wash with pastel overlay to oil pastel. Many artists' works are featured, and there are plenty of demos on how the work was done. Plus there is a beginning section on various stroke techniques and the effect of colored stocks on how pastel looks applied.

My beef with this book is that it is not particularly organized. So if you are interested in oil pastel, you have to sift through 20 index entries where oil pastel is just mentioned in passing to where it is demonstrated in full.

Still, there is a huge variety in this book, so there is bound to be something to appeal to any artist, no matter what their technique or style.

As a professional artist working with pastel, I find this book to be an ongoing source of inspiration and reminders of alternative ways of 'doing' pastels. When I get stuck in a rut, or feel 'stale', browsing this book is one of my favorite ways to get rolling again. With the growing popularity of pastels as an artistic medium, this book truly should be re-issued.

I looked for it for several months locally, then placed my order through Amazon.com. It took six months, but the wait was well worth it! Thank you, Amazon.com!

The section on technique is quite good and helpful, but this comprises only about 60 pages of the 190-page book. The bulk of the book is on Themes (e.g. portraits, landscapes, animals, etc.) and this section doesn't offer much more than some pretty pictures and a few comments about each theme.

The book arrived in a timely fashion and in good condition. it is a real encyclopedia of pastel art. I wish I would have known about it a long time ago for it would have saved me money buying a number of books on pastel art which were not nearly as comprehensive. An excellent reference source for using any kind of pastels.

Although this book has many technical points, the examples of work seem to lack an aesthetic that is more contemporary to my judgement. I would have liked to seen more "edgy" work examples.

I tried pastels when I was younger and did not really appreciate their versatility until now. I purchased this book as a novice in the field and was immediately impressed with the content. The color pictures are excellent and there is much useful information regarding type of paper, type of pastel, techniques,color, etc. This is a very good book for anyone who is thinking of using pastels as a creative medium

The book is all that the title suggests: a compendium of techniques using the medium of soft pastels. There is also plenty in this book for the oil painter, watercolorist, etc., as there are many principles which appeal to all artists. No nonsense, plainly written, well-organized book.

Finally a book that talks primarily about technique and shares on a variety of subjects like landscape, still-life, portrait, etc. Not just about valuenand light and shadow. Have too many books on that!

Very useful book.

Very basic. Lacks real instruction and certainly not an "Encylopedia of Pastel Techniques". A waste of my money.