Customer Reviews

Radiant Oils: Glazing Techniques for Paintings that Glow

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hands down, I consider this the best book on explaining glazing techniques. There are not many books out there that are completely devoted to this special technique. This is great for beginners because she explains each step in such clear detail. Everything from color combination, sequence of layering and basic composition is very easy to understand for someone new at this. If you want to learn the basics of Venetian /classical painting, this is the one for you.

My only wish is that portraits would be explored in the book, not just still life.

I have a large library of art books written on technique, and this will be on my top 5 list of most helpful books. This is an important book that is not just for still life painters. Anyone wishing to paint realism will find it helpful. Although I am not a still life painter, I was interested in learning more about glazing. There is so much useful information in this book, and the presentation is very organized. I especially found helpful the details of the physical properties of the different paint colors and how each behaves as transparent and opaque glazes. The authoress has inspired me to attempt to reproduce some of her paintings in the step-by-step chapter just so that I can better understand her techniques. I wish someone would write a similar book for glazing as applied to portrait and landscape paintings! Great book.

I agree mostly with the other reviews concerning the thorough explanations and well-written instructions, as well as beautiful work produced by the author. My problem with the book is that the author/artist glazes absolutely EVERYTHING in every painting. Her style of painting in oils is virtually identical to using watercolors, and quite the opposite of using glazing in a 'classical' oil painting style, which is what I was looking for. Most of the classical masters used glazing of color only after a full umber underpainting and a dead layer (black and white), then proceeding to glaze color and finally ending with more opaque paint in the final layer(s). This is the kind of instruction I was looking for, and as good as the book is at displaying the author's technique it is virtually a textbook on using oils in the style of watercolors. Example: anything 'white' in the painting is simply the canvas showing through, as in watercolor, and each layer is painted from the lighter areas to eventually the darker areas in very thin transparent layers. To sum up, this is a good book and artists can learn from it, but I was expecting the glazing process to be a smaller part of the whole procedure, not the whole procedure itself.

Arleta Pech has been my favorite artist since I discovered her over ten years ago by buying her first book, PAINTING FRESH FLORALS IN WATERCOLOR. The lessons were fantastic, and my skills improved greatly. I decided I wanted to try oil painting, and was so excited when I found out she was going to do a book on oils. I had to wait quite a while before it was available, but I was not disappointed when my book arrived from Amazon. The paintings in the book are beautiful. It is worth the price of the book just to be able to look at her recent art work in oils. The lessons are so well thought out and explained so thoroughly. Arleta Pech is an inspiration for all would be artists. Her new book is fantastic.

Excellent book on oil glazing technique. Perfect for an artist looking to transition from watercolor to oils. Very inspiring. Very easy to understand her technique and apply on your own.

Arleta is the best. She is a very good teacher! If you want to learn how to paint oils this book wil help you on your way. Very good and clear exercises. Arleta has beautiful light in here paintings. I haved both of here books and they are lovely and very helpfull.
So are here DVD's.She uses the glazing method to create a wonderfull glow in your paintings.

A great oil painting instruction book! If you like realism & flowers, you'll love Arleta Pech's new book. Pictures & step-by-step instruction are easy to read & understand. Can't wait to get started on my own painting with her guidence & glazing techniques! Her advice on photography & drawing from photos were also very helpful

Extremely well-done and practical book, many examples, a good selection of exercises, many finished works, all beautifully photographed in full color; well written, clear, concise. Would like to have seen some photos of the artist at work, what her paint palette looks like when she is in the middle of painting, and so forth. (Her color palette is shown in detail with swatches.)

RADIANT OILS: GLAZING TECHNIQUES FOR PAINTINGS THAT GLOW tells painters how to create eye-popping still lifes by using transparent color in oil painting. Her focus on layering over mixing colors offers insights into increasing luminosity and texture and offers step-by-step instruction packed with color photos of every step.

I agree with Alan Polidori this is a good book and artists can learn from it, but it is a book using oils in the style of watercolours. I was looking for a book more like classical masters used glazing.