Customer Reviews

Formulas for Painters

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is essential if you are interested in making your own style. Formulas for Painters is a cookbook full of sizing,paints,grounds, mediums, glazes, varnishes, fixatives, and adhesive recipes for the artist that wants more then what they can find in an over-priced art supply store.

This book contains many recipes for preparation of paints, grounds, sizing, medium, varnishes, etc. The layout enables easy reading and the recipes go beyond what is found in the usual art instruction books in terms of variety. Especially helpful are the pointers as to the purpose of a particular product and the effect that such product can achieve upon producing the same. A few illustrations of the final products would have been welcome to compare whether the final product achieved from a recipe is as it should be. Overall definitely a good book for all people who want to make their own art supplies.

If you want to know what you are working with in the world of paint-here it is.I'm talking types of paint and not brands.a Fantastic book for consultation on varnishes,fixatives,glazes,etc.It gives you the lowdown and how to make the stuff and what their purpose and use.It is not a "must-have" book but its one I really love as I've always been curious about the alchemist side of things.It is a technical book only but thats exactly what I wanted...but not needed.I love this book.

I differ from the previous reviewer who considers this book too technical. This book isn't technical enough. It lacks the technical information for the serious artist to decide if the cited formulas suit his needs.

For example, the section on the "Drying time of medium, glazes, and varnishes" doesn't tell you how the tested formulas were drying. Were these formulas drying on a hot day or on a cold day? Temperature makes an enormous difference on a formula's drying time. How thickly painted where these formulas? This too makes an enormous difference. Were these formulas tested after being mixed with paints? Or were they tested straight, no chaser? We might be artists; but we are still smart enough to comprehend, and need, basic and useful "technical" information.

It would also be helpful if the author cited the sources of his formulas. When I read about a formula in the book, I like to know which artists used the forumla so that I can see if their paintings are still intact. As the author didn't cite the sources of his formulas, I have no way of knowing if the formulas are archival or fugitive, and if I should trust them. I mean, the formulas could well have been copied from Francisco Pacheco's once authoritative painting manual - a book that recommends such dubious formulas as using olive oil in gessoes.

You will notice that there aren't many surviving Pachecos in the museums.

With these said, this book is perhaps among the most useful painting formulas books available. A serious and experienced artist can, to some degree, decipher if these formulas are archival based on their ingredients. In contrast, an inexperienced artist would be at a lost as to which formulas to trust.

Great little book for painters with tons of information. Tremendous value for price. Would not want to be without it on my shelf of reference books for oil and acrylic painters.

I use this all the time. For me, it is a must. It's like the Joy of Cooking for artists. One word of warning: it's not for beginners. It gives the recipe but doesn't go into detail, which is perfect for me. So if you know what you're doing, or like to experiment without knowing exactly what you're doing, go buy this book!
I recommend this to all of my students in Painting 2 and beyond. For Painting 1, it's way too much.

I purchased this book for an artist friend as a gift and he reported that
it was a unique reference source for practical art materials usage and
a valuable asset to his art library.

Very useful compendium of formulas for painters, Mediums, Varnishes, etc.
Every painter knows that is a reference!
I highly recommend it.

Formulas For Painters

Love, love, love this book. It's got basic recipes for everything from sizing to varnish. If you've wondered about anything from wax to egg tempera, even fresco and of course the vital oil painting formulas. Great stuff. I love the retouch varnish - I use it all the time. If you are a painter that works with the real, old ingredients, and avoid the new crazy products, this is a great help.

This is the manual that all others are compared to and remains the gold standard for basic instuction on painting materials.