Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils (Hardcover)

by Kevin D. MacPherson (Author)
Key Phrases: cadmium red light, titanium white, ultramarine blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Light, Yellow Ochre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Offers down-to-earth advice on painting gorgeous outdoors scenes through 10 step-by-step demos Teaches painters how to master the art of observation Shows readers how to translate field notes and sketches into fully realized studio paintings The overwhelming beauty of the outdoors is one of the most inspiring - and elusive - subjects for painters. With Landscape Painting Inside and Out, Kevin Macphearson first shows readers how to see like an artist, then teaches them how to recreate their vision into stunningly realistic outdoors scenes. His insightful process encourages readers to focus on the small details to achieve big results.

About the Author
A founding member and past president of the Plein Air Painters of America, Kevin Macphearson is a highly respected artist for oil paintings and a sought after workshop instructor. His work is seen regularly in art magazines including The Artist’s Magazine, American Artist and International Artist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; illustrated edition edition (October 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581807554
• ISBN-13: 978-1581807554
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Oil Painting
  #2 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Landscape
  #2 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To > Landscape Painting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Excellent, October 21, 2006

By	Joseph Reader (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

Because a 5-star rating might imply perfection, I hate to give 5 stars to any book. However, while this book is not perfect, its virtues are so great (especially in comparison to most other painting-technique books) that it deserves such a high rating.

Macpherson's first book, "Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light and Color," is also excellent. With this new book, and its beautiful paintings to illustrate the text, he expands on painting landscapes. Both books are very useful.

If I were to criticize, it is that, very occasionally, the book introduces a thought that could have been more fully elaborated. And potential buyers should understand that the book does not go into great detail on how to paint specific aspects of landscapes (e.g., clouds, water, trees, etc.); and that seems to be intentional. Rather than address brushstrokes, etc., this book goes right to the heart of things, to concepts that will more fundamentally improve how one paints. (I'm talking here about concrete, practical advice, not metaphysical fluff.) Such principles can indeed be found in some other books, but this book states them more clearly, and with better illustrations, than any other book I can think of. This book keeps one's focus on what is most important to a successful painting.

In short, this is a substantial book that makes many other art books seem rather superficial, or at least unclear, by comparison. This book will probably not obviate the use of specialty books (e.g., on painting clouds)--of which there are some excellent ones--rather, this book will give you the foundation on which to better apply the advice of those other books. As you can tell, I like this book. I suspect it will be regarded a classic.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book for the serious painter!, December 27, 2006

By	Sandy N. Mcneal "Sandy Nelson" (Wilmington, NC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is rare that a great painter is also a great teacher, but this book is proof positive that it can be done. Kevin has presented the artist interested in outdoor painting or how to translate the outdoor experience into studio painting, a concise & complete way of thinking as well as notes on materials and techniques. This book goes on the shelf with the other 4-5 essential manuals on the painting process...quite simply a necessary volume, beautifully illustrated.....my students will be required to buy this one! Bravo Kevin!!

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as much "color and light" in this one., August 11, 2007

By	Carl Bradley (Hernando, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read this author's previous book on putting color and light in your paintings, I was a little disappointed with this one---I expected more. The book was well organized, (had, once again, pages of stuff about selecting your brushes, etc.); the author set forth his view of a limited palette, and said that you needed to be excited about your painting---but I don't believe that he was excited when he wrote this. If he was, he didn't convey it well. Had a number of exercises, some reasonable, others only for the wealthy (use an entire tube of cadmium red light on your painting (That is, really thick!)

Anyway, having read through the book, I would not buy this book again --- that's the bottom line.