Customer Reviews

Painting Animals That Touch the Heart

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fabulous book. It is one I continue to turn to as an aspiring artist. Finding a good book dedicated to pastels isn't necessarily easy not to mention finding a book on how to draw/paint animals. This is it... two books in one. Harrison does a fine job explaining the process of creating artistic masterpieces using pastels. Her paintings are captivating and the step-by-step pictures are just what I needed to bump up my ability. I also appreciate that she shares the core color pallette with the reader. I have several sets of pastels at home and wonder "how do they get that color?"... she shows you. She covers all of the important aspects (details)... paws, eyes, whiskers, fur, ears, expressions... you name it. BRAVO! Even though it appears Lesley covers EVERYTHING in this book... I still hope she comes out with more! This is well worth the investment whether you want to look at her creations or the process behind creating them. LOVE IT!

If I were to choose one artist pastel instruction book to learn & grow from, it would be,"Painting Animals that touch the heart", by Lesley Harrison. Whether you are a beginner or a professional pastel artist, Lesley's soft approach and easy to follow instructions will bring out the best in you & allow your free artistic talent to expand. As you read, you will clearly FEEL Lesley's true love & respect for the creatures of our mother earth, and in a sense, she will teach you how to project that feeling into your own works. Being that I am a self taught career artist, I have explored many self help art books to gain insight and develop my own style. I am very proud to say that if any artist, or any artistic art instruction book has most influence the development of my own personal style of projecting the SPIRIT of what I am painting, it would be the Art of Lesley Harrison. Thank you Lesley for your fresh and respectful approach to the cherished creatures of our earth. I shall always view your work as my mentor to the true & pure meaning of art. Your work & visions shall be honored. "May your foot prints always leave happy tracks in the sand." Brightest Blessings, __Artist White Wolf

I received this book for Christmas. I have just finished reading it. I can't wait to get started! Lesley has some nice tips on keeping fresh ideas coming, working within a space, different pastel brands, papers. I am looking forward to trying out her demonstatrions. She is excited about what she does and in turn is making me excited about trying it. She is an incredible artist. If only I could become 1/2 as good as she is. Well, off to get my materials and just in!

My hats off to Ms Harrison for finally delivering a book devoted to wildlife in pastels. Pastels are the under utilized, often overlooked medium in the world of wildlife art. Books abound in the market for wildlife art using oils and acrylics, the chosen medium for most artists. Ms Harrison has written a great art book for capturing the delicate intricacies of wildlife using pastels exclusively. From the tools needed, to studio setup, to using reference photos, paper selection, composition; she covers all the basics. Then she dives into the details of using pastels to capture coarse fur, soft fur, wet fur, ruffled fur, feathers, eyes, expression, reflections, etc. Pastels are such a rich, creative means for creating beautiful wildlife portraits. Glad someone has finally acknowledged that!

I must admit I didn't read close enough when I looked at the book on here,
I didn't notice that the 'painting' is not referring to paints but to pastels.
I'm new to the pastel medium, the few times I've tried to work with them its always come out lacking. But after working with the tutorials in this book I've finally gotten a very good idea on how to use this medium. The artist does a great job in telling you how to apply the colors in layers and how you should handle pastels and the tools/items you work with when you use them.
The artwork in this book is adorable and the wolf & Horse paintings are simply gorgeous.

This is a great book even for the beginner or even perhaps thinking of using pastels.
You could easily use most of these techniques with watercolor pencils or colored pencils as well.

This is possibly the best (definety in the top 5) pastel books I have found. The author has spectacular paintings, clear directions and information. This book is a keeper, no doubt about it. Very helpful I believe even for the beginner, I am returning to pastels after many years and simply love this book. I wanted to do some review of the new products etc...and this has been helpful for me.

I just got this book and I could not put it down. The stories the artist told were heart warming and inspiring. Her out look on art and the wonderful animals she loves to paint is unlike any wildlife artist I have yet to know about. The techniques and tips she gives are very helpful and easy to follow.
This is a book about working in pastels, a medium I have been leery of, but after reading this book and seeing the detail you can achieve, I am looking forward to working with pastels.

This is a beautifully presented and well thought-out book that should be of help to anyone who enjoys painting or drawing animals. One of the most attractive features of the book is the series of projects that lead the reader through the painting process step by step. And there is something for everyone - plenty of equine projects for those who especially like horses, as well as dogs and delightful ducklings. In short, "Painting Animals That Touch The Heart" is one of those rare books that makes my fingers itch to hold a paint brush.

I purchased this book not knowing that it was all in pastel medium. However the paintings are so beautiful that I have got lots of ideas for expanding my own painting medium which is in oils.
This books would be treasured by any pastel artist.

This book opened my eyes to the possiblities with pastels. Who knew someone could create fantastic, realistic paintings using pastel chalk? Mrs. Harrison gives enough information in her demonstrations that you can copy what she tells you to do, and come up with a creative picture of your own. It's a good springboard to learning how to use pastels. The book assumes that you have some working knowledge of drawing and basic art techniques, but you don't have to have experience with pastels. She doesn't cover how to store or frame your finished art, but there is plenty of instruction for recreating the realistic fur, stunning eyes and the life she puts into her paintings. I enjoyed this book so much that I read every page rather than just skimming it. It's worth buying.