Painting Red Hot Landscapes That Sell!: A Sure-Fire Way to Stop Boring and Start Selling Everything You Paint in Oils [Hardcover]

Mike Svob (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: International Artist Publishing; illustrated edition edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929834187
• ISBN-13: 978-1929834181
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,117,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended By This Professional Artist!, May 21, 2004

By 

"alexsilverfire" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Red Hot Landscapes That Sell!: A Sure-Fire Way to Stop Boring and Start Selling Everything You Paint in Oils (Hardcover)

As a full time painter I can tell you that this is the best book I have read on the subject to date. Mike Svob is brilliant not only in his compelling work, but in his explanations and methods as well. He emphasizes what needed to be stated, and is often overlooked in other books... how to know from the first few minutes of your painting process if you will have a success. By making sure you know what inspired you and focusing on conveying that to the viewer, by making a 3-tone thumbnail sketch, and by blocking in with good basic drawing skills your shapes and values all BEFORE you even think about the impact of color, your work will surely be at it's best.

Mike has made it very clear to me that while color can be your trademark, and is often what the buyer notices most, it is the last element in the process of a successful painting. Only through good design, believable, dynamic values and an interesting message behind the work, can color be the final touch to capture the viewer. As an artist, Mike shows me that the elements the buyer doesn't notice or think about (such as compositional balance, hard & soft edges, dark-light value range) are what the artist must focus on intensely if the painting is to succeed, and in the end color just gives a little extra "zing" to an already well made painting.

Great words of wisdom, intuitively simple and yet a little surprising from an artist known for his colors. I am grateful that Mike has decided to share his many wonderful step by step painting methods with us, and that an artist with such a wonderful grasp of what makes a painting great is adding his beauty to the world.

Thank-you Mike Svob!

PS - I see that one reviewer decided to trash this book because apparently they didn't like Mikes style of painting ... and said that his work was "obnoxious." Lets keep in mind that we are not reviewing an artists work, but the lessons in this book - which were both CLEAR and COMPLETE. I personally love Mikes stuff, and since he shows his work in many galleries and has been a professional artist for over 20 years then it's safe to say that a lot of people agree with me, and his work is beautiful. I have heard a lot of reviews on this book that state they would buy it just for the full color paintings inside and leave it on the coffee table!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that inspires!, June 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Painting Red Hot Landscapes That Sell!: A Sure-Fire Way to Stop Boring and Start Selling Everything You Paint in Oils (Hardcover)

Mike Svob's book is one that I can't put down. It's full of hands-on, practical advice, written in an honest and often humourous manner. It's a great book for an impatient artist like myself who wants superb painting advice without boring theory. The overall design of the book is very appealing. Highly recommended!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't let the title keep you from buying this book!, May 3, 2003

By 

Caren Goodrich "caren" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting Red Hot Landscapes That Sell!: A Sure-Fire Way to Stop Boring and Start Selling Everything You Paint in Oils (Hardcover)

Yes, I repeated what the previous reviewer said. I was thinking the very same thing before I even read the previous review. The title sounds gimmicky, and I held my breath as I ordered it unseen. The book arrived, and I'm happy to say it's worth every penny. And you don't have to be a landscape painter to glean knowledge from Mike Svob's instruction! The advice is specific, the examples are excellent. I'll be referring to this book again and again. I haven't written a book review in quite some time, but this book stirred me into action.