Painting Sharp Focus Still Lifes: Trompe L'Oeil Oil Techniques [Hardcover]

Ken Davies (Author), Ellye Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1975

Dust jacket notes: "Still lifes of such exacting detail that you feel you can reach out and touch the objects - that you can count the flecks in the wood grain and see your reflection in the glass; this is sharp focus painting, or trompe l'oeil, which literally mean 'fool the eye.' The author, Ken Davies, a highly skilled painter and teacher, and master of the trompe l'oeil technique, shows how you, too, can learn to render trompe l'oeil reproductions of any subject you choose. The book is based on his successful course in sharp focus painting and is presented as a series of exercises and demonstrations. After an initial discussion of materials and perspective, the author offers a series of preparatory exercises for you to do: line drawing of simple and complicated shapes; black and white drawing in tone, using charcoal pencil and Conte; black and white value painting in oils; color value painting, in which you paint a color wheel, a color value chart, and a color mixing chart. When you have completed these preliminary exercises, you are ready to actually start painting. Step-by-step, the author guides you through the details of rendering a color still life, an all-white painting, an all-black painting, still lifes made up of objects with rough texture (wood, iron, paper, stone) and smooth texture (clear and colored glass, silver, gold), and a still life with reflected light. Then the author shows how to use different techniques: speed painting, monochrome wet-into-wet, drawing with a brush and thinned oil paint, painting still lifes under colored light, and finally, the techniques of glazing and scumbling. "The author then invites you to look over his shoulder as he paints, from start to finish, trompe l'oeil still life, tabletop still life, and outdoor still life. This section is further enhanced by a gallery of the author's work reproduced in full color." Includes 200 black and white illustrations, 40 full-color plates, glossary and index.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns (December 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0273000918
• ISBN-13: 978-0273000914
• ASIN: 0823038564
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The "manual" for the art school I attended., November 20, 2011

By 

Geoffrey P. I. - See all my reviews

This review is from: PAINTING SHARP FOCUS STILL LIFES - TROMPE L'OEIL OIL TECHNIQUES (Hardcover)

PAINTING SHARP FOCUS STILL LIFES - TROMPE L'OEIL OIL TECHNIQUESAny realist painter, still life painter should have a copy of this classic title Sharp Focus Still Lifes by Ken Davies
this book was the basis for the painting program at Pair College of Art in Hamden, CT in fact Ken Davies
used to teach the Trompe L'oeil certificate program in the early 1990's as well as other courses. He was truly an amazing artist.
This book is truly timeless and very technical unlike a lot of titles out there now it very much like a How to book with
step by step directions on the drawing, under painting, glazing and texturing to give the depth that Trompe L'Oeil paintings have
what can you learn from an American Art School teacher if you are a foriegen book buyer well, look at the cover of the book
that is one task in the book that is broken down into multiple steps there are multiple projects featured within and you really
can judge a book by its cover as that project is the quality of what is featured within the cover.