The Oil Painting Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Watson-Guptill Materials and Techniques) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The myriad brands of oil paint available to today's artist form an impressively long and diversified list..." (more)
Key Phrases: oil stick color, traditional oil colors, mixing knives, Daniel Smith, David Davis, Lapis Arts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Offering information on the full scope of oil painting materials and how to use them to derive the best results from the medium, this indispensable encyclopedia compares leading brands of paints; describes mediums, solvents, and varnishes; and discusses brushes, palettes, and other tools. 335 color illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823032744
• ISBN-13: 978-0823032747
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for self-taught artists- beginning >intermediate, October 4, 2001

By	The Artist "The Artist" (USA) - See all my reviews

OK, so the format of this page only allows you to give one rating, indiscriminating of what kind of readers the book is aiming towards. I'd like more details, as the following:

1) 5-star for self-taught and beginning oil painters.
2) About 3.5 -> 4-star for intermediate oil painters.
3) Nice to own as a reference book for advanced and accomplished. No rating necessary.

So, there you had it. If you are new to oil painting, this book is a nice and PRACTICAL guideline on presently commercially available materials (including oil paints of different brands, oil sticks, oil mediums, solvents, varnishes, supports, brushes, tools, etc.. - you know, "oil materials").

This book is also a good coverage of "basic" oil techniques. These include the process of going from drawing to painting using charcoal, pastel, conte' crayon; as well as "basic" oil painting techniques such as sketching, alla prima, wet-on-wet, etc... Perhaps the most talked-about feature of the book is the chapter about glazing and scumbling. Yep, those "Old Master's techniques". To be fair, this is not the only book that covers the Old Master's techniques. However, it does provide the readers with detailed demonstrations on creating paintings using glazing techniques. In addition, a discussion on presently available TRANSPARENT oil paints (necessary for glazing) is about the most charming thing in the book.

Finally, a chapter about alkyds, oil sticks, and water-miscible oils sums up this book for readers who enjoy alternative media; along with a list of suppliers for practical purposes.

For advanced painters who enjoy more thorough discussions on oil materials and painting techniques, I suggest that they go for a more thorough (and less pictorial) title, such as "The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques" by Ralph Mayer, from which some information in this book is derived.

As for the comments about "poor" drawings and paintings in the book, I hate to admit that there is some truth to them. In my opinion, the author mainly focussed on the technique (rather than presentation) side of the issue. As a result, some of the final paintings look like "child's play". Ironically, readers sometimes see "how great the book is" just by "how great the paintings in the book are".

In terms of "the bottom line", you may "go no wrong" owning this book. If this is the first oil technique book you consider owning, then go for it. For others, it serves well as an additional title to your art library, although some may live just fine without it.

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are interested in oil painting, start with this book., October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This book makes most others seem thirty years out of date. Creevy offers up-to-date information on oil paints, solvents, supports, brushes, etc. He also discusses compatible materials for mixed media work. This is NOT a step by step guide to painting specific subjects. Rather, it is an excellent tool for beginning or experienced oil painters who want to understand how their chosen medium really works.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference for the oil painter, January 26, 2004

By	R. Street (The South United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have quite a few oil paintings books, and I consider Bill Creevy's 'The Oil Painting Book' to be one of the best reference books in my collection. It is also an interesting and informative book on oil painting techniques, such as glazing and scumbling (truly excellent on these topics), alla prima, wiping out method, and many more.

However, I have found it to be the most useful as a reference book for oil painting materials. Its section on oil paint brands is outstanding - not only are the major brands evaluated, but also the specialty small company brands. Particularly strong is the section on oil painting mediums. To me this is such a challenging area for someone beginning oil painting. This book thoroughly defines and discusses over 18 different mediums, which provides an excellent starting point for someone learning about oil painting. Nothing beats actually experimenting with the mediums yourself, but it helps to read about them beforehand to see what kind of effects they achieve.

I highly recommend this book.