Customer Reviews

Gouache for Illustration

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an excellent introduction to the best techniques for painting in gouache, also known as opaque watercolor. Gouache has been a standard medium for illustrators for generations, yet it is not often taught in American art schools. It also has been used by fine artists for centuries. Gouache is remarkably easy to use, has low toxicity and is easy to clean up. Considering all that, it is amzing how little information about is available for professional artists.

Howard's book goes a long way toward correcting the problem. He explains how to select the right type of paint for your project, reviews several different brands of paint, and gives sound advice on color mixing. Even if you don't want to use opaque watercolor, the book is worth buying just for Howard's chapter on "Color Theories That Don't Work."

This is almost the only book you'll need to get started with gouache. As the medium of such outstanding artists as the late Bob Peak and industrial design master Syd Mead, gouache has so many possibilities IF you can learn how to use it and this book will tell you exactly how to get started! Be sure to do the exercises, get some decent sable brushes, and use one of the quality gouaches listed. Winsor Newton is pricey but Holbein's Acryla gouache is incredible once you figure out their color names (not standard like W&N or Holbeins standard gouache). His basic color palletes are a great start & his recommendation of the Quiller color wheel is right on. There is a new Quiller wheel out but the one in the book will not lead you astray. Study(!) the sections on color and color mixing and you will soon have a leg up on every other "beginner" and start seeing "what" makes some art professional as opposed to "straight out of the tube" amateur attempts. This book is great and I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to paint in gouache.

I have to wonder who is giving such glowing reviews to this book and the author's other illustration text. Beginning students, perhaps? This book definitely has more useful information than the author's other book, which was abysmal. But again, it is merely a collection of tips and tricks, and nothing more. Some of the tips, such as the general color tones of the human face, are pretty decent. But the book suffers from the same problem as the "Bible", and that is that the tips are so very basic that someone searching for this kind of info would be far better served by searching the internet or by buying a well-written, professional book on oil painting and then learning to adapt the techniques to gouache. Really, once you've painted a couple simple still lifes in gouache you'll know just about all you need to in order to adapt general painting techniques to this quick-drying, matte, paint. The same can be said of Casein or tempera. Ok, maybe not tempera. That's for the REAL pros. Still, this book provides one or two technical gems that are not gouache specific, and the rest is outdated and/or poorly presented. Look elsewhere unless you can find it in a bargain bin somewhere or borrow it from the library.

When it was only available on the used book market, this classic book on gouache technique was beyond most budgets.
Finally, the author has reissued it, reasonably priced and in digital form at http://artbootcamp.com/sales/Gouache-Ticking-Clock.html
There really is nothing else like it. Gotta have it!

I think this is one of the best books from cover to cover. Great information about paints and brands. Not boring! It has some very unique ideas regarding techniques. It was expensive but I would not give it back for a double price.

This book is jam packed with valuable information for not just painters who work in gouache, but all painters. If you only have room or money for just a few more books, make sure that this is one of them. It is excellent, I have worked in illustration and and have painted in watercolors for 24 years. Many gouache techniques and properties, for some reason, are not commonly taught. Some of the working knowledge in here is the type that one only learns either on the job, or as an assistant/apprentice. The author has been very generous to be so informative while writing this book. Definitely not your average "how to" book!!

The "Blank Star" review at the bottom is actually just a snipet of self promotion from the book's author Rob Howard. It's strange that he does this because it drags down the average rating which could affect sales. I suppose that since this book is out of print it doesn't matter, but anyway, great book, one complaint: Some of the tools that Howard recommends are no longer manufactured and it would be nice to get some existing alternatives.

This is one of the beswt books i have in my collection. I have studied arts in Holland. I like gouache very much. (www.loekweijts.nl) It's a pitty however Holbein gouache is not available in the Netherlands. Falling in love on the mighty gouache. Amazed myself with the results. A MUST to have.