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Mark David Gottsegen

Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded Paperback – April 1, 2006

by Mark David Gottsegen (Author)

141 ratings

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Much more than just another guide to artists’ materials, The Painter’s Handbook is an amazingly useful resource, with information on everything from the canvas up: the canvas itself, plus paper, sizes and grounds, pigments and binders, solvents and thinners, varnishes and preservatives. Dozens of step-by-step recipes for make-it-yourself paints, pastels, varnishes, gessoes, sizes, supports, and equipment take this indispensable guide way beyond the competition. Authoritatively written by Mark David Gottsegen, chair of the federal government’s ASTM committee on artist’s materials, the revised Painter’s Handbook considers the enormous changes in the art-materials world since the first edition was published in 1993. New materials, new health issues, new information on outmoded and even harmful supplies and practices mean that every painter needs a copy of The Painter’s Handbook.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Watson-Guptill
Publication date

April 1, 2006
Dimensions

7.03 x 0.89 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

0823034968
ISBN-13

978-0823034963
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark David Gottsegen, in his role as chairman of the ASTM subcommittee on artists’ paints and related materials, helps develop ASTM standards for art materials. A professor of art at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he lives in Climax, NC.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Watson-Guptill; First edition (April 1, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0823034968
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0823034963
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.03 x 0.89 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #394,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #111 in Oil Painting
- #236 in Walking (Books)
- #487 in Art Encyclopedias

Customer Reviews:
141 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		16%
3 star		4%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Patricia

Holy cow!

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

What a great reference tool for an artist. I have been looking for something like this for a very long time. I have taken lessons, but they get expensive. Even after the lessons you have so many unanswered questions and you don’t know who to refer to. There is so much info out there and quite a bit is not good. Some books give you a small bit of info with a lot of useless boasting. People experiment all the time and lead you down a hole that can be detrimental to your completed artwork. So, Who do you trust? This book is full of important scientific info behind the creation of ones art. Yes I said the bad word science! Nothing worse than creating a beautiful work of art that you have poured heart and soul into, only to have it fall apart and become worthless because you didn’t do the necessary pre-work to set it up properly to protect it so that it will last. Worth the money and your time to read it. I will be referring back to this book over and over. Quite a bit to absorb in one read.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Zooby Law

Did not answer my ONE biggest question....But a good book.

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great book with lots of updated information. One of the main reasons I purchased this book was to answer my biggest question...."What is the paint stability of clove oil?" There was NO mention of clove oil at all. The use of clove oil in oil painting is a huge controversy right now and I am not sure what to believe. Big let down for me. Some say it is safe and stable and others say it is unstable and bad science to use it. UUUUUGHH!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sharon Knettell

Great art material and methods bible from someone who is ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

We are so ignorant of proper painting materials and mediums. Some artists will be unhappy with this book as it asks them to really step of their technical knowledge, which I find in most artists is sorely lacking. Great art material and methods bible from someone who is really passionate about his subject.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Chuck

Book is VERY DETAILED.

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

Book is VERY DETAILED. Lots of info on mixing your own paints from pigment and binder.

6 people found this helpful

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Cooncat556

This is my née “how to” book

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

I have wanted this for a long time. Years ago I moved criss country snd had to give up many possessions including this book. I am so glad that I bought it and niw can use it as reference.

Helpful

Perpetual Student

Not as complete as I hoped, but fairly informative

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2011

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I bought this to get some guidance on varnishing and storing paintings. The book provides a fair amount of detail, but seems to stop short of giving complete instructions. For example, it provides a list of all of the materials you'll need to build a storage crate, but then doesn't provide a detailed diagram of how the crate is constructed (just a sketch of the final product).
I felt the same way about the information on varnishing. I feel I have 90% of the information I need to make a good decision, but would really appreciate more advice on specific brands of varnish. The book has a lovely chart comparing the different types of varnishes, with their pros and cons, but it list varnishes according to their main ingredient/chemical structure. I've tried searching for products based on this information and have come up empty handed. I wish the author had simply listed some common brands of each type of varnish.

Overall, I'm glad I got the book and feel better equipped to make decisions regarding my paintings... but I'll still need to supplement it with information on the Internet (at least now I have a better idea of what to search for).

14 people found this helpful

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E. Kleven

Great Reference Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Full of useful info every artist can use. Highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Creek

Go-to reference

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

Art is deep and wide. Everybody has gaps in their knowledge. This book can fill a great many of those gaps. It represents decades of experience and attending knowledge, neatly packaged between two covers. A valuable reference.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Worst than Mayer for 99% of people

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I must disagree with the previous reviewers so I need to explain why.

Ralph Mayer's book used to be really expensive but is now available at Amazon for just £4 more than this Gottsegen book so price should no longer be the issue.
See: The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques

Gottsegen produces a precise of Mayer (360 pp vs 760 pp) but with much of the valuable information removed. For example: Gottsegen gives a recipe for Rabbit Skin Glue size but ignores the fact that the strength varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. You need to be able to test the glue and understand the strength to use; for this see Mayer pg 310.

Gottsegen produces some easy to read summary tables for binders and pigments but the data is nonsense in places and misleading in others. E.g. For binders the acidity is listed as slightly acid, neutral, relatively neutral or quite neutral... which is nonsense! If a binder is neutral the pH is 7 not neutral, relatively neutral or quite neutral. If it is more acid the pH number drops to 1, if it is more alkaline the pH increases up to 14. To be able to do anything the acidity you need to know the pH to at least the nearest whole number. Also, for pigments, the refractive index is classed as low medium or high which is useless. Linseed oil can change it's refractive index from say 1.48 to 1.51 in a decade with dramatic effects on some pictures. If you talk refractive index you need to know the value to 1 or 2 decimal places. You also need to know the refactive index of the medium when dry to know how transparent a given pigment will appear. And, crucially, the pigments' spectral curves are absent so you can't develop a sense of how the pigment will look or behave in tints.

The book is written for Americans so there are a few issues for the UK reader e.g. The safety information is extensive (which is good) but often less than helpful. If in doubt everything which has some danger is daemonised so Formaldehyde is banned (I quote Gottsegen "Do not use this material") This will come as a great shock to aquarium keepers who regularly use it!
Also MDF is not covered, only hardboard and chipboard. MDF is arguably the most stable support available to the artist but precautions must be taken when sawing the material and it should be sealed with gesso but not totally ignored.

So to say Gottsegen is technically weak would be an understatement but the book is not without merits. If you want an introduction to terminology of artists materials and there uses this may be the book for you but if you want to make your own paints and prime your own supports you need to bite the bullet and be prepared to read Mayer's extra technical information. Mayer has written the book for the non-technical artist but you may still need to read some chapters a few times but at least the data is there.

Finally there is a halfway house between the technically explicit Mayer and the technically baron Gottsegen and that is Max Doerner The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting This is now more expensive than Mayer (it used to be a lot cheaper) it contains the details you need but in a less technical format.

15 people found this helpful

Nic

The painter's Bible

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

I can't praise this book enough. Not only has it provided me with a wealth of information in a clear, easily read style. It has also made me poorer. It has enthused me to experiment with making my own paint, varnishes and gessoes. My local suppliers of artist's materials should pay Mr Gottsegen a commission.

So, on a practical basis this book is an invaluable source of reference. Not only that, but it was a pleasure to read up on techniques that it is very unlikely I'll ever try.

If you want a solid reference to help you in your artistic endeavours, or just want to learn what artists do and how and why, this book is for you.

SteJazz

Very good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

A must have for every painter

M@Ni@

Excellen5

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great book

J. D. Robinson

Practical DIY guide for painters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

This handbook for painters covers all the technical details of making and using materials for painting. It tends to be a bit dry apart from the odd illustration but covers everything in precise detail. Having said that it refers to traditional materials and will not help those looking to use unusual mediums and find out about their durability and capacity.