Product Description
Pastel has long been considered an ideal medium for painting portraits. Here, noted pastelist Madlyn-Ann Woolwich calls on a group of outstanding artists to demonstrate the important elements that go into creating successful portraits in pastel. Luminous portraits throughout the book demonstrate an amazing range of styles, techniques, and approaches. 292 full-color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Art of Pastel Portraiture.
I am delighted with my book it's just like new and the delivery was fast to NZ. I'm a 100% satisfied.

Very Comprehensive Guidance
I cannot put this book away.I've been through it probably three times and every time I learn more.This is an incredible guide on pastel portraits -- from palette, to technique, to setting, to composition, every aspect.Written in a wonderful way as it gives me the feeling of hanging out with the best pastel portrait artist and just soaking up everything she is telling me.

More like an overview...
Since this book is very expensive and popular I was expecting a lot from it. I thought that it would teach me something valuable or new but I only found some good pictures. The text is too simple, too short. The different topics are developed too fast. I think that this one is only good for beginners.If you're already a good pastellist you don't need to spend so much money on that one. So, I don't think this is a collector item.
4 stars for the pictures, 2 and a half stars for the text.

Well Thought Out Pastel Overview
A couple of ways to tell if a book on art is good is if the paintings or drawings look like something you'd like to do yourself, and the writers are known for their accomplishments. The rest involves having professionals help with the layout and organization. Seems like all of these qualities exist in this book. The host of contributors is a who's who among successful pastelists as is the main author. The paintings and drawings are superior. The book is well organized into all the major topics you'd want to cover with this as a new medium for an experienced artist.

My only criticism of this book is it does not get into alot of detail for beginners. The section on materials is very good for beginners but the artistic process is not all that well detailed. I think of this book as more an assembly of tips on suggested practices, and a vehicle for pros to pat themselves on the back.

But for a serious pastelist or portrait artist, this is definitely something to read and have in the library.

Beginning Portraiture to Intermediate Portraiture
The book is a great place to start with regards to pastels and portraits.It covers the basic anatomical features of the face as well as layout and design of the portrait. ... Read more

Product Description
Known for his use of luminous color, Albert Handell,whose lush landscapes light up these pages, provides lucidinstructions to help first-time pastelists achieve impressive resultsas soon as they begin working with the medium.

After reviewing pastel supplies, the author discusses landscapecomposition and how to establish large shapes first, abstract certainareas, develop a focal point, work from dark to light, and capture theillusion of reality through color. Stepped demonstrations isolatespecific landscape aspects, showing how the pastelist depicts skies,trees, buildings, water, rocks, woods, snow, and light. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Landscape in Pastel
This is a wonderful book to view and read ,great instructional info and very inspirational. Gets the juices flowing !

Painting the Landscape in Pastel
Beautiful illustrations in pastel techniques.Many samples of pastel artwork in beautiful photographed work.

Wonderful book
I found it very informative, giving me new ideas to use in my art. Great pictures.

Disappointing
I ordered this book because it was supposed to provide "lucid instructions for first time pastelists" but I found this definitely not the case.There are no instructions--just advice and that is so general that it is close to useless.Much better instructions with demonstrations can be found in other books.There are many illustrations in this book, but for my taste, the paintings are crude and unattractive.Certainly nothing I would care to emulate.

Painting in pastel?
Handell"s current work doesn't impress me as much as his former style. Sometimes longtime artists get carried away with their own notoriety, and get just too artsy.This is more a"coffee table " book than something to learn from. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Addition to My Library
I was delighted with this purchase.The book is an excellent addition to my art library.It is very well-written and quite a practical reference for beginners.When I purchase a book to add to my art collection, I try to select volumes that are different from any of those I already own, and this one did notdisappoint.A terrific investment.

IDEAL FOR BEGINNERS!
I received it yesterday,it is full-detailed,great and ideal for beginners.You will love it. ... Read more

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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Quite a good book
This is a quite good book to paint different types of landscapes, even I find it is difficult for a person without experience drawing landscapes. I usually draw other kind of things and I'm not bad at all, but with this book it isn't very easier, even it has a lot of drawings and projects, I think it should have more step by step explanations in some of them.

Alright for beginners
This book was adequate for a beginner learning to paint with pastels.

Realistic Artists Beware
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.

Pretty But I Didn't "Get" The Organization
If you are willing to just float along, Zen-like, with the way thematerial is presented, you'll be just fine. However, there appear to be nothematic groupings or progression of information in this book.There'sworking with white, then using a limited value range, then emphasisingtexture, then monochrome, then a focal point.

It would have been betterif it started with how to handle to materials, then how to compose thework, 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 toflip through. If you feel discouraged because you think "it can't bedone" when you are looking at some complex pattern in nature or aphoto, just look at the illustrations. The artist can handle some prettydicey things like complex foliage.

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

Great reference book, 72 lessons, excellent instruction
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 72different lessons. Each lesson covers a different topic. Some includehandling a detail close up, painting all kinds of water, choosing a focalpoint, describing diverse textures, & underpainting.

Each lessoncontains a color photograph & the artwork in various stages along withwritten step by step instructions. Some of the artwork subjects includeclouds, 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 arecovered as well. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

very informative
I have many books on pastels, but this one by far is one of my favorites already.Very well illustrated.Takes you from basics to more advanced.Not sorry I purchased this one.Will use for many years.

Atrue step by step guide to pastels.
A simple step by step guide workbook that is really easy to follow. The author gives enough break downs of the steps to achieve a pastel painting exampled in the book so the novice can succeed at it with ease. For pure old fashioned pasteling( not mixed media of today) Hardy gives a book that you know the artist enjoyed doing. Only for a beginner who likes landscapes and likes the examples n the book enough to use them for instruction. Creative Painting for the Young Artist ... Read more

Product Description
For more than forty years, world-renowned artist Alan Flattmann has used pastels to capture the world around him in vibrant hues. His works reflect what he refers to as the modern pastel renaissance, an era that deviates from the traditionally perceived seventeenth-century use of pastels. Veering away from the conventional practice of using light tints and delicate touch to produce powdery coiffures, the modern pastel renaissance approaches its subjects with passion and color, attracting new audiences to the craft.

Flattmann's masterpieces now illustrate this detailed manual, which has served as a standard textbook for pastel techniques since its first publication in 1987. New paintings and photographs display methods involving lighting, palette, pigments, grounds, and preservation. With the skill of a master, Flattmann carries the reader from basic concept to advanced practices, all the while capturing the essence of the craft. Beginners and serious students alike find Flattmann's knowledgeable instruction and passionate advice indispensable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The second time around.
Yes, I bought the same book again.I had the older version and some of the products are no longer available.The second one has more awesome pictures by Mr Flattmann.This is truly the complete book of pastels.Anyone who is setting out on a pastel journey needs to digest this information.

Terrrific learning tool
As a student of pastel who practices in spare time, I found this book to be both educational and inspirational.Flattman provides specifics on his "tools", his process for developing a picture and inspires with his beautiful drawings.I recommend this book for someone who has spent some time working in this medium as well as someone comfortable with drawing. I am inspired and excited by his ideas!That alone makes this book worth buying.

The Art of Pastel Painting thus expands expertise and options and remains a standard, highly commended pick
The art and technique of modern pastel is taught in a text which revises an original 1987 version to include the latest details on new technical advancements, plus new demonstrations and new paintings from the artist author, who was indicted into the Pastel society of America hall of Fame in 2006. From surface texture and lighting to basic painting and preservation concepts, The Art of Pastel Painting thus expands expertise and options and remains a standard, highly commended pick for any art library catering to amateur painters who would learn professional techniques.

This Will Be In Every Pastel Artist's Book Case
Alan is a master pastel artist and also a master teacher. No fluff here - just page after of page of real tips from a guy who really knows how to communicate at all levels.This book will teach even the pros a few things yet this book is really easy to understand.It will be THE pastel reference for years to come. The color reproductions could have been better on some pages, but it really doesn't hurt the overall message. Sometimes I like a book that I can pick up, flip through, and learn something without much investment of time -- this books can work like that. But it is also a great book to read cover to cover because of the author's ability to keep you interested in the creation of pastel art. This book should be read by anyone who plans to use pastels. Alan also includes some good "money-saving" tips -- so much so that the book will easily pay for itself if you take his advise.

For the Intermediate Artist Who Likes to Get Dirty
Besides drawing with the things, Flattman shows how to prepare your own papers, and even roll your own pastels!Wonderful for the incurable do it-yourselfer who wants custom ranges of colors, but you'll need a garage or basement space you can devote to the messy business (and you'll need a respirator, too, not just a dust mask).There are lots of finished works, but the how-to step-by-step stuff uses too few steps usually.You need to have a good background in drawing already, and experience with composition.Flattmann comes to pastel from watercolor, and never thinks you might not already be accomplished in another form of painting.Pastels were my *first* media, when I began lessons when I was six, so they are not "inherently advanced."I would recommend you use this in conjunction with Bet Borgeson's _Color Drawing Workshop_. ... Read more

Product Description
Walter Foster's classic How to Draw and Paint series provides aspiring artists with an exceptional array of art instruction books featuring all subject areas and media. Each title includes easy step-by-step exercises as well as finished illustrations or paintings that will inspire artistic talent in anyone.

Packed with practical information, helpful tips, and fundamental techniques, the How to Draw and Paint series offers a complete library of resources to which artists of all skill levels can refer again and again.

• Discover a variety of beautiful paintings to inspire you to pick up your pastels

• Find out what different pastels and other materials you'll need to get started

• Acheive gorgeous nuances of color by painting over a bse of grays made of charcoal or pastels

• Pick up 6 helpful "tips for success" listed in a chart for handy reference

• Learn the importance of values and the basics of good composition

• Create subtle textures and master simple blending techniques ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

Good on technique but that's only 1/3 of book.
The section on technique is quite good and helpful, but this comprises only about 60 pages of the 190-page book.The bulk of the book is on Themes (e.g. portraits, landscapes, animals, etc.) and this section doesn't offer much more than some pretty pictures and a few comments about each theme.

Too basic
Very basic.Lacks real instruction and certainly not an "Encylopedia of Pastel Techniques". A waste of my money.

pastel art
The book arrived in a timely fashionand in good condition. it is a real encyclopedia of pastel art. I wish I would have known about it a long time ago for it would have saved me money buying a number of books on pastel art which were not nearly as comprehensive. An excellent reference source for using any kind of pastels.

Encyclopedia--yes, but organized? no..
This book is very rich in techniques for all kinds of pastel work, from ink and wash with pastel overlay to oil pastel. Many artists' works are featured, and there are plenty of demos on how the work was done. Plus there is a beginning section on various stroke techniques and the effect of colored stocks on how pastel looks applied.

My beef with this book is that it is not particularly organized. So if you are interested in oil pastel, you have to sift through 20 index entries where oil pastel is just mentioned in passing to where it is demonstrated in full.

Still, there is a huge variety in this book, so there is bound to be something to appeal to any artist, no matter what their technique or style.

This book is a treasure
This is one of the best art books I have found.The author teaches a lot in a few words.(Have you ever opened an art book, and turned to a subject, only to ask "Is that all they are going to say?") Part 1 is Techniques.Part 2 is Themes. Part 2 breaks general subjects like Landscape, Environment, and The Figure, down to teach you about Seasons, Space and Distance, Industrial Settings, Mood and Atmosphere, Standing Figures, Groups of People, Figures in a Setting, Full-length Portraits, Pattern in Still Life, etc.Even though each section is only a few paragraphs, I learned more than I thought I would.Each section also has several artworks with a paragraph explaining what the artist did.
This book shows a wider variety of illustrative styles than most I've seen. I found I could take a new subject, and flip through it until I found the style I thought would best represent it. It is full of color, good teaching, and variety. ... Read more

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Product Description
"Versatility, immediacy, luminosity, brilliance, ease of use--all these are attributes of working in pastel, but probably the most important of all is that it's just a lot of fun!"
--Maggie Price

Come enjoy the art of pastel painting with beloved workshop instructor Maggie Price. In this step-by-step guide, she teaches you everything you need to know to make the most of this accessible art form. From selecting the right materials to learning the fundamentals of composition, Maggie starts with the basics and progresses to 21 complete pastel demonstrations that detail specific painting techniques and effects. You'll learn how to:

• Create depth and movement with color
• Paint using a range of strokes
• Blend colors to create luminous skies, reflections and more
• Underpaint to achieve brilliant light and deep shadows
• Mix pastels with watercolor and gouache to create fluid effects
• Create new compositions from photographs

With its blend of visual instruction, thorough guidance and breathtaking artwork, this is the only guide you need to experience the joy and satisfaction of painting with pastels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Painting with Pastels
I received my book on pastel painting in a timely manner and it was packaged properly, so it arrived in good condition.

As a beginner in creating art, I found this book simple to read and its instructions very clear.The author provides examples which are easy to follow. I think this book will help me greatly in learing how to paint in pastel colors sticks.

I am very pleased with this purchase.

BetterThan I Thought
I gave this as a gift to my sister, who is an accomplished artist, though not with pastels.At first I thought it might be too basic for her, but she said it was really quite helpful and had some excellent tips!

Pastels are fun
Well like the sub title says, " Easy techniques to master the medium" and they are easy. The paintings used in the book are really pretty and make you want to get out there and paint another pastel painting. The paintings chosen are easy to replicate with the instruction. Something you would not expect , but many other pastel books give hard examples to copy. The paintings in the book are all colorful, light, and happy. Something pastel's are suppose to be about. I would definately tell people to get this book if they want to have " fun" painting in pastels. Creative Painting for the Young Artist

Good book on pastels
Of the four books I purchased on pastels, this is the only one worth the money. It included more instructional aspects that the other three did.

Best on Pastels but great info for all mediums
This is one of the best books on pastels I've ever read.The information is so well done and so clearly explained that much of the information can be applied to other mediums such as oils, acrylics or watercolor.The information alone on color theory is outstanding - simple yet very clear and in-depth.
Highly recommend this one! ... Read more

Product Description

Create beautiful pastels in just 30 minutes!

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent little pastels book
It's a small book, very concise and well written with a wealth of material for beginners and self taught artists. Part of the difficulty in self teaching is filling in gaps -- this volume covers the basics well and more than that, gives challenging ideas and ways to use less expensive materials and pastels for someone who wants to take up pastel but doesn't really have the cash to go getting a large set of Unison or Sennelier. A pad of Canson mi-Tientes and a 24 color set of pastels or pastel pencils would be enough to work with what she's got for projects.

The sheer amount of information covered is wonderful. Also since it's geared to thirty minute art, the book's very good for encouraging sketching and drawing fast and copious. You could have fun with this with a sketchbook and a set of 12 color Conte or Nupastels too.

Oil pastel techniques are not covered, for that you'd want Bill Creevy's "The Pastel Book" which has a lot of information on using oil pastels. ... Read more

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Product Description
An introduction to the essential techniques of painting with pastels in a full range of media. It provides fully annotated, photographic sequences to guide the reader from the first strokes to the final composition, and full-size reproductions allow closer inspections of great masterworks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Beginnings for very beginners
This book helped me know what I needed to get started.I like his use of classics in pastel to illustrate the beauty and range of the medium.Excellent tips for beginners from what you need, to creating your own paper for pastel work.It also give good information on how to decide what type of pastels to use - by showing different types in action. ... Read more

Product Description
Pastel Pointers is compiled from Richard McKinley?s Pastel Pointers popular blog (http://pastelpointersblog.artistsnetwork.com) as well as Pastel Journal columns and new material. You will enjoy painting with pastel, from getting started to finishing techniques and everything in between. This book is loaded with key insights into the whole process, illustrated by large, beautiful art and gallery pieces throughout. You will also enjoy an informative bonus 30-minute DVD workshop by Richard McKinley on painting landscapes in pastel. ... Read more

Product Description
The latest tips and techniques for working with pastels - in full color

Pastels offer bright colors, a great level of portability, and no drying time - plus they're relatively inexpensive and can be used to draw and paint on almost any surface. Pastels For Dummies covers the many aspects of this exciting medium, from the fundamentals of choosing the right materials to step-by-step projects, including landscapes, abstracts, and portraits. Inside you'll find hands-on, easy-to-follow exercises and attractive full-color artwork.

• Presents drawing, painting, and shading techniques and styles in an easy-to-understand format
• Accessible to artists of all levels

Discover your inner artist with Pastels For Dummies and make your artwork come alive! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Boring
Blah, blah, blah.... I tried to get into this book several times...it is endless with explations with almost no visuals. For example, how to make objects appear closer......"use bright colors" and there is one tiny picture of some flowers. Then on page 35..."Blenders" one is called tortillion it tells you what it's made of and how it looks and you can pick up a set in a variety of different sizes.....blah, blah, blah then you have tothumb though to Chapter 9 about 100 pages away to find a teeny picture of one just sitting there with no explantion of how it actually works...I don't know; maybe that was another 100 pages away. Honesty, 306 pages and it left me feeling nothing.I'm sorry I wasted my money on this.

Full Color
I found this book to be an overabundant resource for, not only Pastels, but also for insights to apply to drawing with any medium.I very much appreciated links to websites, history of materials.Sharing knowledge such as resources for materials is like gold for artists.I appreciate the approach of simplicity, preparedness and then action.Even for myself, having much experience in drawing with pastels, the suggested assignments were extra thoughtful.The assignments cover all the basic elements of design, experimentation with the medium, as well as subtle actions that will have you looking at everything as either something you want to visually represent or use as source material for the next art work.

All in all, I feel deftly informed and no longer aDUMMIES®

Thank you!
Oh boy! Finally a comprehensive manual on pastel drawing. Not only is this book easy to read, but it's practically delicious. The images are luscious with color and marks that are easily read.


Novices, if you want to be inspired and learn about art/drawing/color, check this little yellow book out. Adept artists, if you wonder what a "Dummies" book could have for you, prepare to be delighted.


After years of appreciating and producing art, I found myself chuckling at the writing style and being amazed how it fits so well into creating a real page turner. Prepare to hit the nearest art supply store if you start reading this book!

Too much padding
This book is all padding, and no meaningful content.I shopped online for pastel books, and figured that I would get more for my money with a bigger book.Boy, was I wrong.This book goes out of its way to repeat the same things endlessly.I lost count of how many times the authors explained what "tooth" means.

The books in the "for Dummies" series are usually written by people who know what they're talking about, and are willing to present information in a very no-nonsense way.But definitely not in this case.Not only is there a lot of meaningless artistic babble, some of the most basic techniques that are used in pastels are not even mentioned in the book.

There is something about the way this book is written that begs you to ignore it.All kinds of silly exercises are suggested, and none of them are the least bit interesting or inspiring. It makes you distrust everything they say, even if it would happen to be right. Especially when the art it contains is the worst I have seen in any art book.

I wish I had seen "The Pastel Book" by Bill Creevy before buying this one.That book is excellent.Well, almost any book would be better.

Not what I'd hoped. ..
I had previewed this using Kindle and then purchased the full version as print based on that preview. The book does have some interesting tips for beginners and deals in some aspects of basic drawing as well as use of pastels, but I found the small page and half section on Oil Pastels to be quite poor in my opinion (puts them down and discourages use). . . I happen to love oil pastels and know some outstanding professional oil pastel artists. So be aware that it mainly only deals with chalk pastels. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Gorgeous book.
Wonderful volume of works rarely if ever seen, with fine writing about the times and the man. I think the most intimate view of an artist is through his drawings. The beautiful pastels also reveal a distinctive aspect of the artist's huge talent.

Bought as a present
I bought this as a gift for a Monet fan and it sits on the coffee table now. Its a well done book, with beautiful large images and interpretations.

Following the genius
As a landscape artist, I have studied over and over the angles of his brushstrokes, the juxtaposition of color that defies description. But here, in this book, we find the sketches we know he had to make, the pastels which he loved. The Unknown Monet shows us the foundations, the skeleton, if you will, of the artist's masterworks. He made his fortune with oils, of course. I contend that you cannot say you really "know" Monet without at least an exploration of this book. Highly recommended.

The discovery of a new Monet
This book, the catalogue for a travelling exhibition held in 2007, enables the reader to discover an often overlooked aspect of Monet's art. The drawings and, above all, the pastels shown and explained here demonstrate the artist's mastery of light and color better than his paintings, because they look fresher to us. Some are studies for actual paintings, and others are finished works in their own right. Also described are his many caricatures of the rich and famous of the time, which, to me, were a complete discovery.

A very informative text and high quality reproductions, all contribute to make this book a valuable addition to the literature on the artist.

The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings (Clark Art Institute)
I received my book on Monet's pastels and drawings in EXCELLENT condition and in addition is a simply gorgeous book. I'm an artist history major and I had no idea that Monet drew with pastels.

Thank you for the good price too!

Deirdre Dunne ... Read more

Product Description
Beginning with an overview of different pastel painting styles, the author covers topics like selecting a palette and combining pastel with charcoal. Four artists with styles ranging from impressionistic to realistic, demonstrate step by step how to interpret landscape and figure subjects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Painting landscapes and figures using Pastels.
I am starting to use pastels and I wanted a book with landscapes and figures.I haven't tried anything yet but i love the book.
Thanks

Not for the Freshman Artist
A superb slim book, that will get you started nicely at low cost (the pastels are expensive enough, without dumping huge amounts on the book when you don't know if you'll really like them yet).Parramon comments on three different artists, showing a painting from each build up in stages, as well as giving a gallery from past and present.However, unlike airbrush books, all pastel books seem to assume you already know how to draw, you just need to expand into pastels.

a good basic book on these two genres
Has good help for a shorter book, but many newer, readily available books have much more info. I recommend getting a specific book on each of the subjects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mastering the art of drawing
A great book that covers all the beginning theory you need to start drawing with pencils, and pens.Then it goes a step farther by covering the more complicated technique of introducing color into your sketch through the use of pastels.Whether your intention is to only sketch in pencil and pen or to someday aspire to paint in acrylics or oil, this is a good book to begin that journey. ... Read more

Product Description
This book covers the necessary materials and equipment needed before the comprehensive technique section which covers such areas as mixing pastels, using charcoal, layering a textured ground, and much more.It shows clearly how to do the basic setting up and preparation, and takes the reader through all the first techniques, with step-by-step practical projects. ... Read more