Customer Reviews

New Artist's Handbook

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An excellent layout on the materials used in the fields of Fine Art and Craft . Special mention is to be made of secret mediums not used in old master painting , with reference to research done at the National Gallery [London]. A welcome addition to the educated Artist's study, should sit well along side one's Ralph Mayer .Also in keeping with todays emphasis on health , there are more than adequate references , to ASTM standards.The only noticeable grey areas are the weak chapters on Vitreous Enamelling and Ceramic Tiles ,perhaps added as an after thought.

I agree with the preceding reviewers but must add I found this book to be so general as to require supplementation by other books such as those by Ralph Mayer(somewhat out of date but still useful) or Robert Gottsegan. Ray Smith does offer some very dubious advice in parts of the text eg. he suggests that after priming your support with the traditional lead primer, you should sand it to smooth the surface. This is a TERRIBLE suggestion. Lead is very dangerous when inhaled--it only becomes inhalable when sanded or when used in pigment form. Sanding it is an absolute no-no.Ralph Mayer is a chemist, so his advice on safety issues is a lot more reliable than Mr Smith's. Of all three books, that by Gottsegan is probably the one I would recommend most as it is far more up to date than Smith's or Mayer's.

This book is an important resource for artists. Ray Smith has a complete knowledge of art materials, and he gives a complete and detailed description of each material and how they are used. It covers a wide range of art materials including paints, grounds, pencils, inks, printing equipment, cereamic tiles, stained glass, and so forth. Also included is information on color, perspective, framing, photography, and exhibiting your work. Basically it's a complete guide to the 2D mediums of art. if you're interesting in 3D arts such as sculpture or pottery, you're not in luck. Those fields aren't covered.

For me, it's interesting to just look through this book and examine the wide range of techniques and materials presented in it. You can find a lot of new ideas to try out. Even if you're an experienced artist, I think you can find something new that you will be excited to try. Check it out. It's worth it.

A medium and the tools applied to it are only the beginning. Along with exstensive introductions the the history and content of medium, there are wonderful examples and exercises which encourage experimentation. Well written, well illustrated and an excellent reference tool for anyone interested in art, technique or the tools of the trade.

I keep this around for when I'm bored and just want to browse and think about materials, but it's most useful for when you forget things. For instance, when you forget exactly how much dammar resin to soak in turpentine, like I did today. I found the answer in seconds and went back to work. Very, very handy. On the other hand, if you're not doing two-dimensional work, this won't be so handy. This is a great text on painting, drawing, and formal aspects and techniques in those areas.

Extremely readable and beautifully illustrated with hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations, this book has almost 400 pages jammed with information. It's an excellent reference book on art materials and basic techniques for the beginning and intermediate artist. It also makes for a great companion piece to Ralph Mayer's and Mark Gottsegen's books on artist's materials. My response to one reviewer's complaint to what s/he calls bad advice given in this book about sanding a lead primer between coats is, well, this is pretty much the standard practice and it's the same exact advice found in Mayer's and Gottsegen's books that includes the health warnings about the toxicity of lead pigment, so go figure. There are many references found in this book discussing safety and health hazards associated with pigments, solvents and the safe storage and disposal of art materials, as well as a guide on how to read manufacturers' safety labeling. This book's excellent 14-page pigment chart alone provides a 4-tier pigment toxicity rating and rivals the pigment chart found in Gottsegen's book. I think this book is wonderful and went beyond my expectations. If you're looking for a visual reference guide to art materials and basic procedures and techniques in drawing and painting, this book comes close to being perfect.

We have used a copy of this book in our studio for many years. Last month we met a young artist (12 years old) who has serious talent, and who, also, is a serious reader. This book was a perfect way for her to survey and 'drill deep' into the many, many aspects of visual art. This is a excellent gift for a dedicated artist (of any age) who wishes to find his or her 'place' in art. And Amazon - as always - had it here in a very short time.

This book has a great amount of information on various art mediums and techniques. With everything from in-depth pigment charts, prepping supports, drawing, acrylics, printmaking, and quick overviews in the back of the book on encaustic, vitreous enameling, vinyl and linoleum (which has some great photos of floor designs in children's hospitals, projects that are close to my heart), ceramic tiles, lighting and planting (landscape design).

I learned some things I didn't know in the conservation and framing chapter on technical examination of paintings.

I'm especially enjoying the chapters on oil painting, watercolor and gouache.

My copy is now well highlighted in multiple colors to help me find the info I need fast as I'm creating and I like the fact that it's spiral bound, so I can lay it open flat to follow the instructions as I draw, paint, sculpt and more.

I am currently taking a Mixed Media class online through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and purchased this textbook for the course. It holds a ton of useful information and photographs showing instruction on how to do things with various media. I am very impressed with this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in art and using mixed media.

So here's the thing - the book is titled The Artist's Handbook. It should be called "The Image Maker's Handbook". For example I, as an artist, am about to embark on making small models cast in plaster. As a refresher on this process I pulled "The Artist's Handbook" off my shelf and tried to find the section about sculpture. But it doesn't exist. Out of almost 400 pages there isn't any section that deals with 3 dimensional art at all.

I know no book can be the end-all on art techniques, but there isn't even a mention of sculpture in the entire book, which is ignoring a giant slice of the artistic world. I'm not going to throw the book out - it does contain lots of valuable resources and tips - but only if creating images is your primary focus.