Artist's Materials: All the Materials You Will Ever Need to Make Art - Hardcover

Harrison, Lorrainne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552979954 ISBN 13: 9781552979952

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2005

Synopsis

A comprehensive and useful handbook for all artists.

Artist's Materials is a detailed, accessible and comprehensive reference to all the materials available for drawing and painting. The book provides a brief history of the materials focusing on those that have been used for generations -- such as oil paint and ink -- and art surfaces such as paper, canvas, wood and others. Each material is discussed in terms of cost, suitability, and drying times.

The book covers every medium in detail along with illustrated techniques and tools:

Brushes of every size, shape and bristle type

Pencils, graphite sticks and powders, charcoal and felt pens

Pens and inks for drawing and calligraphy

Pastels: soft, hard, oil, pencil and conté sticks

Watercolor effects, papers and media

Gouache, tempera and powder paints

Acrylics; Liquitex acrylics and modeling media

Oils, additives, glazing and more

Mixed media combinations that work.

Detailed descriptions explain how to get the best results and avoid problems.

Tips and hints from professional artists are featured along with illustrations showing the materials being used. Examples of masterpieces by Goya, Pollock, and others accompany each section.

Artist's Materials is a must-have technical manual and creative reference for artists at any level of experience.

About this title

About the Author

Lorraine Harrison is an author and illustrator.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction to "Basics"

There has never been a more exciting time for artists to explore the range of materials and media available to them. Until recently, the choice was not very wide, but in the past few years we have seen the introduction of many new materials and innovations that have been made possible by technological advances. Whether we are aspiring artists or experienced professionals, we can all learn something from trying a different way of working. Picking up a new medium and exploring its possibilities can often send an artist's work off in fresh and quite unexpected directions.

A new material can sometimes make us see and observe differently, and can help stretch and flex our expressive boundaries. Similarly, a close study of how other artists, both traditional and contemporary, have used a particular medium can greatly enhance our own understanding of its use and possibilities, so research as much as you can.

This book aims to show the vast range of media that is available, both for professional and amateur artists. It deals with all the equipment and materials that the artist can deploy to create original and innovative pieces. However, the techniques and processes, such as printmaking, which are used to produce multiple copies of the same image, do not fall within the scope of this book, nor do sculpture, artists' books or other three-dimensional artworks. It is hoped that the following pages, which are packed with images of intriguing materials, beautiful works of art and informative and helpful advice, will excite and inspire the reader to experiment with and enjoy a whole new area of creative mark-making.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1552979954
• ISBN 13: 9781552979952
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288