Cover Image: Oil & Acrylic: Flowers

Oil & Acrylic: Flowers

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Member Reviews

Are you interested to draw Flowers with oils or acrylics?
In her book "Oil & Acrylic: Flowers" the artist Marcia Baldwin states as her goal: "... I hope to demonstrate how the principles and elements of art and design can be explored and experienced when painting flowers in oil and acrylic." She hopes that her paintings portray the joy and excitement of everyday life.
The book is one of the 40-page books from the "Oil ... step by step" series, published by Quarto Publishing Group - Walter Foster. The book is divided into nine chapters: 1) Tools & Materials, 2) Painting Techniques, 3) Color Basics, 4) Working from Photos, 5) Working from Sketches, 6) Applying an Underpainting, 7) Taking Artistic Liberties, 8) Creating Texture, and 9) Enhancing Backgrounds. Baldwin bases her drawings on photos and sketches. The step-by-step approach, tips, information about the used color palette and information how to draw certain details help readers who want to reproduce her drawings or paint similar ones.
The book is presented with great graphics and design. It is helpful and inspirational for beginning (and advanced) artists who want to draw flowers with oils and acrylics. I would recommend it in this case. It would make also a great present for them. Readers need to be aware that it is a basic book, an index and information where the needed materials can be bought are missing. Furthermore, it would have been helpful if the reference photos could be downloaded since the are of small size in the book.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#OilAcrylicFlowers #NetGalley

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This is a fantastic reference book by Walter and Foster on using acrylic and oil paints to create incredibly lifelike floral paintings. As usual this short and sweet volume has incredible artwork and very helpful instructions. This volume is very inspiring. I absolutely love flowers and I was thrilled to read this book and try some of the simpler tutorials. This book is geared towards beginners so I felt right at home the simple techniques give stunning results and I find this to be a must have reference for painting flowers. I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it. I will definitely be buying a copy. I received this book from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for an honest review.

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Oil & Acrylic: Flowers by Marcia Baldwin is a book that's designed for beginners. This book shows you how to draw and paint series of easy to follow flowers in oil paints. Marica introduces you how to use basic tools and materials on how to create by step by step lessons for many projects to make a great masterpiece.

This book was easy to follow throughout however basic which is great for beginners to oil paints.

Big Thank you to Marcia Baldwin, NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for a ARC. in exchange for a honest review.

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AUTHOR

Marcia Baldwin MFA., BFA., is a lettered professional fine artist in Florida. She hosts her own art studio where she practices her skills in oil painting. As well as oil painting she has worked as an advertising designer, an art teacher, an art consultant, and now as an author.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE

Artists who have limited expertise and practical knowledge may find this work helpful. Those just wishing to learn the basics of oil and acrylic painting could benefit from some or all of the tricks, tips or techniques explained within.

SYNOPSIS

Baldwin has produced a useful introduction to oil and acrylic painting for those early in their painting adventure. The book is concise at only 40 pages and colorfully illustrated with botanical subjects. The layout and format is necessarily precise. Contents include the following:

Tools and Materials
Painting Techniques
Color Basics
Working from photos
Working from sketches
Creating Textures
Under painting
Taking artistic liberties
Creating texture and
Enhancing backgrounds
The book is easy to negotiate, and the tips easily aid the comprehensible tuition. Baldwin uses painting in the abstraction method to illustrate her manual. Painting the abstraction begins with the largest shapes of the subject moving to the smallest fine detail in stages.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this book is an attractive yet brief sojourn into oil and acrylic painting for new students of art. The color plates are enhanced by the brief but helpful dialogue and tips. The illustrations were colorful and vividly depicted, although cartoonish.

My only disappointment is the absence of any index or reference section made the book feel as though it ended prematurely. In its favor, it left me wanting more.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My sincere thanks go to Marcia Baldwin, NetGalley, and, Walter Foster Publishing for affording me the opportunity to review Oil & Acrylic: Flowers: Learn to paint step by step (How to Draw & Paint).

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This was a very easy to follow instructional painting book. I enjoyed painting the colorful flowers. Each painting was one or two enlarged flowers. I enjoyed practicing them on 4 X4 and 8X8 canvases.

I would recommend this book to a beginning painter.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for granting my request to review Oil & Acrylic Flowers by Marcia Baldwin.

I am a beginner in the world of art, unless you count many years of doodling. I have dabbled in drawing, acrylic painting, and coloring for most of my life, but have unleashed my passion for it over the past few months and am soaking up all the information I can on technique.
I found that I enjoyed the easy to follow instruction of this book and the beautiful projects. The projects don't take a lot of time and are easy to learn from and to duplicate later, on your own.

I think this is a great book for beginner to intermediate level artists to help build skill.

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If you want to learn or fine-tune your abilities to paint flowers with both oils and acrylics, this book will be helpful. Florals are so satisfying to paint and the end result is always a welcomed addition to any decor.i received a free copy of this book and am providing my review willingly.

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This is not a big book but it makes up for it by easy to understand information and illustrations. The topics covered are : Working from photos, working from sketching, applying and under paint, taking artist liberties, creating texture and enhancing backgrounds.
I found it instructive and very effective in describing the the way of painting flowers in acrylics.

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If you are a beginning painter and want clear directions and good illustrations, this book's for you. You'll get ideas on materials and mixing colors, how to make a sketch and paint from it. The book also shows how to create textures with 2-D paints, how to choose backgrounds, and ways to highlight your flowers.

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Oil & Acrylic: Flowers: Learn to paint step by step is a tutorial and technique guide for botanicals in the Learn to Paint Step by Step series. Due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 40 pages and will be available in paperback format.

Walter Foster are familiar and loved by readers everywhere for their specialized technique tutorial books and this one follows the same format. The introductory chapter (~12% of the content) includes beginning to intermediate techniques and information about form, composition, brush strokes, preparing surfaces, as well as tools (brushes, media, paper) and supplies and how to use them.

The following chapters provide a really immersive and engaging group of specific subject tutorials including working from photos, sketches, underpainting surfaces, artistic license, textures, and backgrounds.

There are no links or bibliography included and no index. In fact the book ends so abruptly I wasn't sure that I had gotten a full review copy. (I had).
The artist author is adept and certainly talented with the medium she uses and her instructions are clear and easy to follow. I wish there had been more in-depth instruction.

Three stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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I have read and used several of this series now, on painting and drawing, and love them for my own use but I also work with children on art workshops and they are a great reference guide for when we work with something the kids, and myself, might not be that familiar with, eg oils!
This book focuses on flowers, which are an easily accessible subject, for working indoors and outdoors.
However you can also use the techniques and tips and apply them to different subjects as you gain confidence.

The designs shown in the book can be recreated step by step or you can take inspiration and choose subjects of your own. Happy painting!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This book is an art instruction book on painting vivid, somewhat stylized flowers in oil. Acrylic paint was only mentioned when briefly describing how it's different than oil painting. All of the projects were for oil painting. The author started by briefly describing the various tools and materials needed, some oil painting techniques, and color theory. She then provided six step-by-step projects that teach various oil painting skills. She covered painting from a photo, from a sketch, starting with an underpainting, taking artistic liberties, creating certain textures, and creative backgrounds.

Each project had six to nine steps, each with a text description and illustration. The text description included information like what type of brush to use, what step to do next, and what technique to use. At the beginning of each project, she included a list of colors to use, but she didn't tell you specific colors to use during each step. I guess she assumed you could figure it out from the picture. While this book may inspire people to try her style of painting, I think a complete beginner would find this book frustrating. An advanced beginner can probably follow her instructions and pick up some tips on flower painting.

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Another beautiful and useful volume from the Walter-Foster series that introduces to floral painting in oil and acrylic. Tools and techniques, elementary color theory, working from photos or sketches, and some step by step tutorials featuring orchids, sunflowers and more. Gorgeous artwork, simple steps, lovely layout, very inspiring.

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I expected more information on acrylic, but the book was all oil and oil pastels. There is a good breakdown of tools for painting. That was a plus at least.

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Beautiful big bold colourful flower projects aimed at beginners. The effects are stunning yet the projects can be completed in a relatively short space of time. There is enough steps and information for beginner/intermediate artist to have a go at. Different effects and methods are explored in each project and there is plenty of foundation information regarding tools and techniques provided at the beginning of the book. A good starting course in a short step by step book.

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