Paint Alchemy

I really enjoyed this book! I like the author's approach to making art, her style and the lessons are well put together. Each lesson focuses on a new concept or technique. The lessons are approachable for even a beginner. Beautiful book!

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the lessons, they are well explained and interesting.
I love how she approaches the colors for the paintings and also how well it explained was.
I would love to buy it for sure, the photographs used in this book were a truly inspiration and once i finished i´ve started to paint.

This book takes an innovative approach to painting, focussing on the process rather than the end result. It is interesting and quite abstract but provides a great springboard for new ideas and creativity. The authors passion shows through on all the projects, and the steps are broken down enough for a beginner to follow.. Overall a great inspiring book.

Paint Alchemy touches on the basics with some depth of designing using multi-media supplies. The fun, informative exercises inspired me to play and create my own rich, bold patters and works of art using both conventional and unconventional tools. It offers guidance while encouraging the freedom to break some rules, which I love!

I really enjoyed this well written e-book given to me by Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group to review in exchange for my honest opinion!

Paint Alchemy is a well put together recipe book for the beginning artist. The lessons are useful and organized, and the illustrations are clear.

I really enjoyed using this book to inspire my creations. I am starting my foray into painting and art and this book really helped me get started. Too often we thinking of painting as an intricate painting on canvas with a million colors. This break s art down in expressing your self. It shows you a way to start simple and make beautiful art.
I would recommend this book to people new to the craft.

Loved this book, beautiful imagery, I am extremely new to exploring art mediums. So this was extremely insightful.

Be warned that this is not a complete beginner's how to. It is a how to, but it covers a specific topic and assumes you know a little bit about what you're doing. It's much more of a guide to improved technique than a beginner's guide. For me, a beginners word here and there would have been useful.

For example, the author will mention using a specific brush by name, without explaining what that brush is, and although the illustrations are copious these are more of the finished work and of an assortment of painting tools than they are illustrative of the particular tools mentioned in the text at that point. An image of the brush just mentioned in the text would have been more useful to me, but that said, the book description does make it clear that this is aimed at "Exploring Process-Driven Techniques through Design, Pattern, Color, Abstraction, Acrylic and Mixed Media." It's not aimed at baby-sitting the reader!

From that perspective it does well - talking knowledgeably and from experience about techniques and materials and explaining how to work with them to achieve certain effects. It goes way beyond simple brush technique digressing into unusual topics such as blowing through a straw to move paint on a surface, and spraying the brushed-on paint with liquid to achieve a different effect than what the brush alone can offer. There's also an interesting mention of using thread soaked in bleach to achieve certain effects, so if you're looking for inspiration of a slightly different sort - in moving beyond simple brushwork, then this book is ideal. I commend it as a worthy read for budding artists looking for the next phase in their arsenal.

Every now and then you come across an art guide that is so helpful that it takes your breath away. For me, Paint Alchemy was that book. I loved how detailed each of the pages were, more than that though I really appreciated the high quality photos that were taken for this project. Being able to actually see the textures in the paint made all of the difference.
There are eight chapters in total in this book, so it’s all very neatly organized. I love how everything was categorized into easy to find sections – making it easy to quickly reference a technique as needed.
The chapters are: building a practice (all the basics from workspace to workflow); foundations of design; seeking balance; working with intention; exploring mixed-media tools; space, composition, and form; improvising with acrylics; and finally perspectives on color. Each chapter contains an explanation for the concept being covered as well as at least one related project (most of the chapters have two or more actually).
This was a shockingly comprehensive look at paint in all varieties. I can honestly tell you I’ve never seen a guide go through so many different materials that work well with paint. It was inspiring, to put it lightly.

This is an interesting exploration of different techniques and ways to express subjects. The book does a good job explaining techniques for a beginner or a more experienced painter. This is good work for an experienced artist to help break out of a rut or overcome the occasional period of stagnation.

A selection of innovative techniques that can be used for acrylic or mixed techniques. The tutorials are easy to follow and the results are amazing.

#PaintAlchemy #NetGalley

Really nice for any novice painter.
Information is simple to understand and relevant.
With eight chapters full of content, you're sure to learn something new unless you're already an expert at painting.

I was so excited to read and review Paint Alchemy but I couldn't download it because the acsm file was not compatible on my ancient kindle. Thank you for the opportunity to try.

What a fun guide to teach you how to just let go and play with paint. The photos make the instructions for each lesson very clear. She teaches how to do different techniques and how to use the tools and supplies.

Very nice little book on basics of design, working mainly through abstract modern examples, it covers various aspects of space, composition and form. The book is very colourful and graphically explained, it has a great feel about it - one that makes one want to get straight in.

Paint Alchemy is making abstract art easier for anyone who wants to approach it and the main focus of this book is experiment!

The exercises were a lot of fun and the author always supportive. There are notes on creativity and starting over as well.

This book reminded me a lot of art classes I took in college. Which is why I ended up enjoying it so much. There's no replacement for a great art class, spending time working around other artists builds a sense of confidence and community that is difficult to replicate without it. However, with art being a great outlet for everyone I love when a book can capture the qualities of an educational environment and impart anyone with some of the basic lessons one needs to really expand one's understanding, interest and methodologies. If you're more interested in specific step by step ways to paint or draw this will disappoint but if you have an appreciation for philosophical approaches to art plus some constraints to work within this is a great book!

This is an absolutely gorgeous book, it is very well written and the photography is exceptional. I love that it is a step-by-step and that the projects are very approachable, even for beginners.

Painting outside of your comfort zone may feel uncomfortable, but is the only way to grow.
Look at it as the advantages of continued education and expanded experience.

Each chapter offers a different perspective and inspiration as well as instruction on the artistic process and design attributes.

Each chapter begins with a quote and finishes with exercises to help you digest the concepts.



Artists can approach painting and creation as many ways as writers experience the process of expressing words. The idea is to begin, to give the idea life, and editing happens later.
From simple pencil sketches to mixed media techniques requiring mixing, taking into consideration of space used and space between, of color choices, and textures, where will the eye focus and how will the mind interpret the work? This gorgeous book is an inspiration and a delight.



This book presents well on a digital monitor. I would also love a print copy to share in my own craft room and to page through at my leisure on a day I can`t be actively creating.

A good guide for those wishing to begin abstract painting. It takes the reader through the various steps of preparing the work space, materials to use, colours and paints, and then onto various techniques to 'loosen up' and create abstract works. I love to paint, not abstracts I must confess, but always willing to learn from the examples of others.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

Thank You Quatro - Quarry Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

I love the author’s philosophy of art being a journey not a destination. I do not feel creative or “good at art” in any shape or form, however this book gave permission to just enjoy the process, something I truly appreciated.

I there was also lots of tips, techniques and good information which would suit a range of abilities.

Thank you for this ARC.