Customer Reviews

The Illustrator's Bible: The Complete Sourcebook of Tips, Tricks and Time-Saving Techniques in Oil, Alkyd, Acrylic, Gouache, Casein, Watercolor, Dyes, ... Pastel, Colored Pencil and Mixed Media

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

 

 

So many self education books for artists claim to be definitive, comprehensive, or the only book you'll ever need. I don't know if this is the only book you'll need, but it is a cheaper alternative to paying tuition at an art college. And, unlike many how-to books (and some art colleges), Rob Howard gives very specific and detailed instructions. He's light on the motivational inspiration and heavy on technique. Afterall, a working illustrator (the book's target) doesn't need to get in touch with the inner artist, but rather needs tools to get the inner art out onto the client's desk.

Additionally, Rob Howard is quite talented. Often times people with Howard's gifts are so busy with paying customers that they don't have time to put together such a quality book. Every illustration is professional quality and an inspiration in itself!
The book is packed with photos and illustrations. He lists by name and sometimes manufacturer exactly what materials you need. Covers topics from Prismacolor pencils on Denril to Friskets and masking to pastels, acrylics and airbrushing....etc.

It's only weakness is that it's due for an update. First published in '92 before the internet explosion and before Adobe Photoshop and Synthetik Studio Artist became powerful enough computer based tools, this book focuses entirely on natural media. Just the same, an illustrator looking to set him or herself appart from the pack might want to set aside the software and use the proven techniques in this book!

An illustration student, I got this book thinking that it would prove useful for all types of techniques. However, not only is a lot of the information outdated, most of the methods are given only a few pages of description. I was most interested in what he had to say about gouache but there were only one or two pages dedicated to the medium.

Honestly, I was going to say that this book is a good idea for people who have very minimal knowledge of the subject, but it's such a quick introduction that I think anyone, even beginners, would do well to pick up a more in-depth manual. It definitely doesn't deserve the title of "Bible".

This book offered some good tips for techniques of how to sketch. It also showed in several pictures and photographs some tips and techniques of how to use different medias.
It discussed of different papers and sheets when sketching,drawing and painting.
Some of the book was outdated like when it discussed of scanning and photographing because digital and other newer technology were not used as it is today. (This book was published in 1992).

I would recommend this book for beginners who need tips and tricks of how to copy own drawings and how to do sketching. Also, when you are learning a new media, this book is good to have.

As an art book, this book is very good, but I was looking for tips on how to illustrate a book. The title led me to believe that it was covered in the content, but alas... not so. There are some helpful sections of different type of art mediums and an artist or art student would find it very helpful.

the knowledge and in-depth shared in this book is excellent, helps you to go further in the techs, and with tips and trick for the materials and equipment.The only "but" that i find is that it's not a step by step teaching for beginners. Excellente book!!!

Although this is a comprehensive source for materials and techniques for traditional illustration, it is also useful to artists in general, especially painters. There are numerous techniques that apply to watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylics, egg tempera, etc. This book does not cover computer illustration. If you only know computerized graphic design and illustration you will find the origin of terminology for which there are computer analogs such as masking and clipping.

Many of the techniques and materials are applicable to crafts and graphic art forms such as mixed media, print making, engraving, and traditional jewelry illustration.

I got this book many years ago, and I still use it today. It's definitely one of the best, if not the best art book I've ever gotten. These are the old school techniques, prior to digital art. I'll admit that digital art is amazing, but I would not recommend throwing away all the old materials, as you may be able to discover a technique that no one else is currently using.
This book is very practical and dense with valuable information. I highly recommend it.

I was very excited when I read the reviews, as It seemed to be exactly what I was looking for -a reference book for traditional art and old school illustration techniques.

Apon reading it, I'd say that this book would be of most use to experienced traditional artists looking to pick up some interesting techniques. It wouldn't hurt to be a little familiar with all the media listed, just to have an idea of what products and brands are still available.
There are many gems to be found within the pages -some fantastic images, step by step demos, and I love that the author has given very honest and considered product reviews and recomendations. The book was published in 1992, so obviously a lot has changed, but there is still so much useful stuff that will never be out of date. I've found that A great companion book to this is 'The Artist's Handbook' by Ray Smith, it's new and updated so you can do a bit of cross referencing.

I was primarly interested in the book for teaching students the finer points of using Gouache in Illustration. Although, there was nothing particularly new in the text about the material, it was all new to my students who found the material helpful.

I applaud the author's willingness to give back and to share, because I know writing books is generally no very lucrative. However, the techniques in this text are all merely snippets of tricks and tips that are far outdated and provide nothing in the way of practical application. If tricks and tips is what you're after, you'd be better served with Encyclopedia of Illustration Techniques or one of the Parramon titles. And the art itself is, I'm afraid to say, rather amateurish. I read in the intro that the author is a professional illustrator. And if that's so then I would be a bit embarrassed at the student-level work published in the text. If you are looking for real-world, meat and potatoes illustration instruction there are many, many titles better suited. Every medium and every possible genre are well represented here on Amazon. Skip the "Bible". Because it definitely isn't. And considering its hugely misnamed title, in light of the quality of the information provided, I felt it was only fair to other readers to give this book the lowest possible score.