Customer Reviews

Painting with Acrylics (Acrylic Tips & Techniques)

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I was unsure of buying this book because it was unreviewed and I had not heard of the author. I'm very glad I took the chance. I've been dabbling with acrylic painting for the last year or so (with no other painting or art experience), and I'm still a pretty rank beginner. I have several other books on acrylic painting. Some of them I like very well, but this is the one I was able to follow the most easily and wind up with something approximating "art."

The strenght of the book is the detailed instruction for completing each project. Lowrey approaches things in a step by step manner. Some of my other books are step by step, but they seem like huge steps because I am left wondering, okay, how did you get from this step to that step? Not here. I think any beginner would be very pleased with this book.

As for what the book covers - It has brief sections on materials, color theory, and composition. Most of the book, though, is split up into six projects:
1. Watercolor technique
2. Oil (impasto) technique
3. mixed watercolor/oil technique
4. glazing with white
5. glasing with color
6. using pastes & gels.

Following each project is a number of paintings created with the same technique. And Mr. Lowrey's paintings are very attractive, I think. I very much like his use of color.

At any rate, Mr. Lowrey's book was very helpful to this beginner. He maintains a website, so check out some of his art if you're curious. (an internet search on Arnold Lowrey and acrylic should be sure to turn it up.)

"Painting With Acrylics" starts with an informative introduction which discusses the wide variety in styles and uses of acrylic paint. The sections on acrylic mediums, brush strokes, composition and using color were particularly interesting. The author then shows how to paint six scenes using a well-rounded variety of techniques. He shows how to use palette knives, sponges, sand paper, paper towels, razor blades, fingers and of course paint brushes to achieve the look of water color, scumbling, oil paint, and glazes. In addition, he teaches the reader how to use acrylic pastes and gels. I highly recommend this book.

After a short introduction about the materials, color, and tips on composition, Arnold Lowrey spends the bulk of this book giving instructions on how he created 6 paintings that use different techniques. These instructions really are step by step and never jump way ahead in the painting in one "step" leaving you thinking, "what, how did he do that?" He always lets you know exactly what colors and instruments he used to create each object in the painting. All in all, incredibly helpful.

This book is great, it shows in detail exactly how to do acrylic paintings using all kinds of subjects and mediums... as a newby to painting (I usually draw) I am having a lot of fun. I thoroughly recommend this book

This book was very easy to follow and very helpful in learnibg how to use acrylic paint. I injoyed very much doing these paintings.

I am a beginner to acrylic painting and I bought this book as a guide to get me started. I haven't gone through the entire book yet, but my initial problem came up when I went to purchase the brushes and the paints that the author recommends and realized that the names he was using for both of them were names specific to certain brands that I couldn't find. Some of the brushes and paints I was able to match (closely enough), but some were never found which was rather disappointing.

I'm a beginner, so take this for what its worth. I learned quite a bit, but I'm not sure what I don't know yet. :)