Customer Reviews

Painting With Water-Soluble Colored Pencils

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I find it hard to explain why I was so disappointed in this book. Perhaps it is the redundancy of subjects(cherries), yet the cherry part was interesting in the fact that it compared a same subject with different techniques. Still it lacks something.

The other examples of pictures that were in the book were overwhelming for me. It is as if I were already expected to know how to draw the pictures. I did not find there to be enough step by step instruction.

I also have another book by Gary Greene- Textures. That book is far more inspiring and instructional than this one is.

This book just does not whet my appetite for watercolor pencils enough to make me want to race to my pencils and start drawing right away. Instead, it just makes me sigh, and put the tin away for yet another day.

This topic could be covered in a far more inspirational and effective way than was done in this book. And the examples should be more exciting and motivating than they are.

A must have book for water-soluble CP users. At last, one book that shows everything that is possible with these pencils.

The introductory section lists tools and materials in a comprehensive way, allowing the user to compare brands and see what suits their style best. A short section - the cherries referred to above - then shows the wide range of different effects that can be achieved, and I found this informative and useful.

The bulk of the book is taken up by fabulous artists - including of course Mr Greene, but also Rhonda Farfan (Colored Pencil Society of America President) and Bernard Poulin (CPSA Advisor) - showing step by step how they achieve fabtastic art work! What more could you ask?

As an experienced artist but a beginner in this particular medium, I found this book to be very informative. I noticed that some of the reviewers complained about the cherry paintings, but I found them to be quite helpful. I enjoyed seeing how one subject looked painted several different ways. Though some of the sample step-by-step paintings are pretty substandard, a few are quite good (such as the one of the three parrots). Though probably not the most inspiring art book in the world, this is the best book I have found as an introduction to water soluble colored pencils.

I don't understand the complaint with the cherries by some of the other reviewers. Gary is just introducing the reader step-by-step to the techniques using cherrys as the example AT FIRST. There are 13 cherry techniques covered over 20 pages, but there are 128 pages in the book. Hmmmm, could there be more? WHY YES! As a matter of fact there is.

He then proceeds to use these techniques on other images that DO NOT repeat themselves. He covers stuff like portraits, animals, landscapes, textures, flowers and a bit of the abstract. There is a large variety. AND WAIT, theres more! He also demonstrates the varying techniques step-by-step with these other various non-repeating works of art! So, don't be fooled by the complaints about cherrys. It's just covered in Chapter 2 and then he goes into more depth in all the other chapters. (Chapter 1 is the usual materials tools and color charts.)

Okay, so it is not for beginners. You should know how to draw well, and be confident in your drawing. You know... be able to create the illusion of 3D on 2D. Or else you'll be one of those reviewers who says "I'm disapointed in this book, I expected more."

If you've been digging around for any tips and techniques on Watercolor (water soluble) pencils, look no further! The market needed a book on this 'hidden treasure' medium and this is it. This book is very thorough, beginning with the different qualities of each watercolor pencil brand, step-by-step directions on 13 different techniques, concluded with demonstrations of these techniques by numerous watercolor pencil artists. Have fun with this medium (and this book)!

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn the nuances of using watercolor pencils. The author's illustrations show the remarkable results that can be attained with this medium.

I especially want to comment on the series of cherries, which other reviewers have referred to. The cherries are the most useful and important part of the book, in my opinion, and the feature that distinguishes this book from others in this field. By repeating the same subject (the cherries) over and over, but as painted by different techniques, the author demonstrates the variety of achievable effects. I was surprised just how different each set of cherries looked when painted in the various techniques. Those demonstrations, along with other instruction in the book, make for valuable instruction. This is a great book for anyone who wants to become skilled in this medium.

I purchased this book expecting challenging and wide ranging examples of this medium. What I got was endless pages of 2 cherries done over and over when these samples exploring technique could have fit on 2 pages and given room for more challenging examples. This book is a bust.

The book was in excellent condition . It was all I thought it would cover and the subject. I was very well please with the book . Thank You

Not quite what I was looking for. As an absolute beginner in this medium, it is not quite inspiring and I am still lost. It says apply derwent deep, madder carmine and geranium lake...how do I apply? It does not say one colour first, then add next colour on top. This happens throughout the book. Maybe when I have gotten real instructions on "how to..." then I will be able to appreciate this book.

I agree with others who have reviewed this book regarding to many cherry demonstrstions But it is a good way to show the various techniques with the same object. I thought that there was not enough direction on

geting started but once you did it contained valuble information.