Customer Reviews

How Did You Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint Flowers & Gardens (How Did You Paint That? Series)

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

 

 

I have about any art book imaginable and ordered this from an Artist International Magazine sales pitch. It has 100 different artists with no more than 20 sentences describing their "technique". I would not recommend this book for much other than seeing different paintings of different artists. And I hadn't heard of any of the painters at that.

This book is ok for what it is, which is a collection of 100 paintings by different artists and a few tidbits they share. Inspirational, maybe to some. Instructional, not in the slightest. Tips... not that I saw, though I could have missed them.

The book and paintings might offer some insight to those wanting to see what can be accomplished with the various mediums and palettes of colors. It might offer some exposure to differing styles. It's not going to teach much to most though. Still I find it well worth the (used) price I paid.

This is a good book to be used as a springboard for your own work. It has works in different mediums, each artist briefly describing how they came to their finished work; it is not meant to be a 'how-to'; rather, to stimulate and hopefully jumpstart your temporary artist's block. It is also good to read other artist's technical approach to a subject.

t's like a trip through an art museum, with the artists standing over your shoulder and whispering exactly what they had in mind and what they did when they worked on the paintings! This book is empowering! Riveting! Although it's important to note that this is not a step-by-step "HOW-TO" book, it is definitely a "must-have" if you want to paint flowers - even for a beginner!. I'm a very early beginning artist-wannabe, and I must remind anyone who wants to LEARN how to paint flowers and gardens that they can find that education in other places. There are many excellent books, and especially videos, that are written for the express purpose of TEACHING you how to paint. Although this one, however, is not one of them - I am truly glad I discovered it. I will be looking for the others in this series as listed at the beginning of the book. When I first opened the book to read, I must admit, I was a little disappointed at first, to see that it wasn't a step-by-step instructional book. But, as I continued, I could not believe how much I was enjoying it, and how much I was learning from all the snippets of information, inspiration, and freshness that were packed into its pages, especially valuable for a beginner. Open it to any page, like a magazine, and just start reading. It's extremely well-designed and well written. I would also suggest you read the first three pages first, to understand its format. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. If it were a novel, I would call it a real page-turner. No, it won't teach me how to paint, but it does introduce me to the countless creative ideas and technical options and methods used by others to create beautiful floral paintings. Every book written has it's own purpose, and I wanted to be sure that the purpose of this book is well understood. A beginner like I am, needs books like these as well as books and videos that teach them the processes of painting. After all, how would I know what to paint if I don't get a crash course in all the options out there for me to consider? That could take years of college art courses and traveling that I don't have the time or energy for! I'm almost sixty years old and disabled! I need to learn my options fast! That's what this book is for... introducing me to all the options. It's something like visiting an art gallery or show, from the comfort of your own armchair. Here's how to enjoy it: If you comfortably curl up with this book with a cup of tea or coffee and a scone (be careful of crumbs), and just read it like a novel, you will become absorbed in all the details shared by all the artists who contributed to it. The photos are beautiful, with two pages devoted to each one. Details of each painting are also included on those pages. They include many descriptive and informative features like some of the following: Inspiration, Design Preparation, concepts like Value contrast, Color and Value harmonies, Composition, Brushwork, Atmosphere, Placement, Technique, Mood, Shape, Depth, Movement and much more. The small font size requires good lighting to read, but it's necessary to pack so much info on each page. My instincts tell me that if I pick up even ONE tiny new tip from each artist as I read this book, file that tip away in the recesses of my subconscious "artist's" brain for when I need it, I will have contributed a great deal to my art education! It empowered me to go on with my intention to become an artist, even at this late stage in life! My plan is to read books like this, including all the text, look carefully at the paintings, make my choices of what I admire, then go in search of books or videos that share the details of how to paint those paintings I admire. One cannot find all of that in one book! Remember--any book with all those detailed technical detailed educational instructions will only include the knowledge of ONE artist. This book opens your eyes to so many more attitudes than only one, from which to learn! There isn't enough room in one book to include such a vast variety of paintings and inspiring tips PLUS also include excellently written instructions on HOW TO paint them all. It's just not possible! But you definitely need books like this just as much as the "how to" books! I interrupted my reading of the book to write this review, but I'm anxious to get back to it now. It opens my eyes to all the alternatives of accomplishing similar works of art in so many different ways. I feel like a whole world has opened up and there isn't any WRONG way to be an artist. It gives me the confidence to realize that I don't need to confine myself to just one way of doing something because of one book or teacher that told me to do it that way. It will help you to "think outside the box" if you're one of those people, like me, who always needs to follow rules. This book of 100 paintings and articles will truly liberate you to be the best artist you can be. Enjoy!

This book was purchased as a gift for my artist friend. This book has one hundred artists' detailed explanations of their method of painting the subject matter. This is a high quality text with lots of informaton and encouragement in a condensed, user friendly format. The reproductions are excellent with a variety of painting styles and situations given.