Pastel Workbook: A Complete Course in Ten Lessons (Art workbook series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "One of the joys of working with pastels is the breathtaking variety of colour ranges to choose from - but this can also be rather..." (more)
Key Phrases: Van Gogh

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Simmonds, a popular English pastelist, has stunningly produced exactly what she set out to: a complete, well-written pastel course, covering everything from simple marks to sophisticated paintings. Her lesson on water and skies, for example, contains dozens of mini-lessons on the transitory moods and colors of the sea, the clouds, and reflections in ponds. Whether dealing with portraits, landscapes, or creative interpretations of the styles of C?zanne or Van Gogh, Simmonds never fails to inspire. Recommended for most collections, this is a good companion to other pastel books, like Exploring Pastel with Barry Watkin (LJ 3/15/97).
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'... continues Daved & Charles' successful series of well-designed landscape-format study guides... lively, user-friendly, packed with gorgeous reproductgions... a real pleasure to use.' - Leisure Painter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: David & Charles (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715308432
• ISBN-13: 978-0715308431
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,451,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Private tutor with half a price, June 27, 2000

By	Hawa Nazreen Sahib (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

I am new to this medium and therefore eager to find a good book which would not only teach me the basics of pastels, but also how to improve my skills even further. So when I came upon Jackie Simmonds' Pastel Workbook, it was exactly the kind of book I was looking for. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. Compared to the books on pastels out there in the market I think this is by far the best for beginners and even for those in the intermediate level. This book "baby sits" you. It goes through every step in great detail. You really cannot go wrong, but if you do she teaches you how to make corrections. The book has full color illustrations and the pictures are taken at a close shot so you do not have to wonder if it's a sidestroke or a thin line. The book has ten lessons and every lesson in this book begins with an aim and ends with a tip. Lesson one introduces you to the materials and equipment while lesson two shows you how to use your pastel to create the different strokes, followed by how to form shapes, the use of colors to create the different effects and so forth. Once you are comfortable with the terms and use of pastels she gradually teaches you to compose pictures, paint beautiful landscapes, paint skies and winter scenes. This book does not frustrate you is all I can say as you get to see instant results in your artwork. Having this book is truly like having my good old art instructor Mr. Albert beside me but even better because I can use the book as a reference whenever I need to. I have noticed great improvement in my pastel skills in just a few days of acquiring this book. My friends could hardly believe that I did not take a class in pastel drawing. I give five stars to Jackie Simmond's book. It's worth every cent I paid for.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK FOR BEGINNERS!!, July 12, 2003

By	Earl Burdick (Pocatello, ID United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pastel Workbook: A Complete Course in Ten Lessons (Paperback)

I am an absolute beginner and have bought many pastel books and this is one of the 2 best i have.It assumes you know nothing, which for me, was true.It begins with basic marks and techniques and progresses into making pictures. I gained much confidence by going through this well organized book. If you are an absolute beginner, buy it!!!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous book for interested beginner!, July 8, 2005

By	Chanel No. 5 "Fashion Fan" (Tristate) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pastel Workbook: A Complete Course in Ten Lessons (Paperback)

I have made here and there some trials to get into pastel but due to the kind of instruction books that I used my results were less than thrilling. So I started wondering whether maybe I have just zero talent (I am only talking about 'fun amateur talent') to use this medium - until I bought this book. Suddenly my results turn out to be beautiful thanks to this excellent instructional book which really leads you step by step to the next level. Even the simple exercises turn out as fun little pieces worthwhile keeping. Jackie Simmonds somehow manages to come up with an explanation for every mistake you can make and how to fix it - in my opinion she really knows how to teach others and her style to put it into writing is very pleasant - even just reading the book will be half the fun. Also broad spectrum of examples is covered.
In my opinion more than worthwhile the money I paid for it and I will buy more books from Jackie Simmons. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!