The Big Book of Painting Nature in Pastel (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

~ S. Schaeffer (Author), (Author) "Happily, painting in pastel doesn't require a lot of equipment-basically all you need are the pastels themselves, papers or other supports, and a few additional..." (more)
Key Phrases: Canson Mi-Teintes

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Created in the same format as the highly successful The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor, this new book focuses on pastel, a vibrant medium that is particularly suited to landscape painting. Covers the entire range of techniques in 72 easy-to-follow lessons. 235 full-color illus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823005046
• ISBN-13: 978-0823005048
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #41 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pastel
  #41 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design > Commercial > Science Illustration
  #49 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To > Pastel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book, 72 lessons, excellent instruction, May 1, 2000

By	Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is a great reference book for anyone interested in pastel painting. It has really helped me improve my pastel skills. It covers materials, color and techniques for every kind of nature subject.

Included are 72 different lessons. Each lesson covers a different topic. Some include handling a detail close up, painting all kinds of water, choosing a focal point, describing diverse textures, & underpainting.

Each lesson contains a color photograph & the artwork in various stages along with written step by step instructions. Some of the artwork subjects include clouds, sunsets, frozen landscapes, desert vistas, & autumn scenes.

Many animals covered include an elk, a swan, a monarch butterfly, & a robin's nest. Moreover, some plants studied include sunflowers, junipers, many trees, & cactus. Mountains, fields, rocks, & a cabin are covered as well.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty But I Didn't "Get" The Organization, August 9, 2000

By	E. Richards "Herself" (Alone with my thoughts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are willing to just float along, Zen-like, with the way the material is presented, you'll be just fine. However, there appear to be no thematic groupings or progression of information in this book. There's working with white, then using a limited value range, then emphasising texture, then monochrome, then a focal point.

It would have been better if it started with how to handle to materials, then how to compose the work, then how to edit the image (simplifying the composition), then form, then color.

If you already know what you are doing, it's a nice book to flip through. If you feel discouraged because you think "it can't be done" when you are looking at some complex pattern in nature or a photo, just look at the illustrations. The artist can handle some pretty dicey things like complex foliage.

The desert scenes, I'd like to say, are yummy. Wonderful. I think that desert scenes are the illustrator's forte. If he or she did a book just on desert painting, I'd get it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Artists Beware, October 25, 2004

A Kid's Review

This book was obviously meant for Impressionists. Being a realistic artist, I realized this mistake too late. The pictures and demonstrations had little to no detail, and colors seemed to be often used incorrectly. It was not quite abstract, but it definentaly did not look real. On the other hand, I must admit this is a great book for Impressionists. There are a ton of demonstrations and examples, and it really is, like the title says, a "big book." It covered materials and other basics relatively well. Overall, I am not saying that this is a bad book, this review is simply a warning to realistic artists.