[ebooks] Grain Dust Dreams (Excelsior Editions) by David W. Tarbet in Arts-Photography

Review

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful. Another masterpiece by the pioneer of Colored Pencil!!!By Every Knee Shall BowOnce again; Ann does it again. Having all her books already; this one is a perfect addition after doing all the exercises in the first two... once you have the basics down; then you can start critiquing and really stepping back; making sure the lines are all in the right place; the colors that add a little pizazz; and the way that other artists have used her techniques and made such strides in their work. I love the fact that this book is in a spiral binder form.. its great for laying out to take a better look at each picture; and lays flat so that you dont have to keep it propped open while looking at the critiques. All in all; Ann; you have done it again! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a bit of knowledge already about CP and wants to truly become a more competitive artist in the pursuit of realism. A+!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent bookBy Aspiring Artist and DesignerI loved this book; it is a great book to understand the craft and how to get good at it. I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn. Excellent information on pencils; what they do; how they work and how to use them. A step by step approach building from one chapter to anotherFor any Artist:Color Mixing Bible; by Ian SidawayColour Pencils and Graphite:Ultimate Guide to Colored Pencil; GreeneColored Pencil Secrets for Success; KullbergColoured Pencil Solution Book; Gildow and NewtonMasterful colour; SteinbergColored Pencil Painting Bible; NickelsenPaint Radiant Realism in Watercolour; Ink and colored Pencil; RossDrawing Realistic Textures in Pencil; HillberryThose are just my favorites so far; I have a ton as I believe that you need to keep learning to stay fresh._____________________________Also; if you want to know about Color theory to get even better....COLOR WORKS; the crafter Guide to Color by Deb MenzFOR ANYONE who wants to knwo about Color Theory this test breaks it down so that ANYONE can understand this subject. I learnt more about color theory in this book than all others put together because I now "Understand" the concept.While this book is for the textile artist; ALL artists should get it and is also has cut outs to use when choosing your colour palette whether it be for Fashion Design or Art.25 of 26 people found the following review helpful. Another Great Book from Ann KullbergBy Miss JonesColored Pencil Secrets for Success is Ann Kullbergs latest instruction book for colored pencil artists. If you are a colored pencil afficionado; all of her books are must haves - not only for the wealth of information she provides but also for the beautiful pictures she includes as examples. In the previous books; she used her own work for examples; but in this latest book; the paintings come from a number of different colored pencil artists; and it is inspirational to see the wide variety of styles and techniques that can be used to create art in this medium.This book is primarily a collection of critiques; a teaching method with which Ann Kullberg has a lot of experience. She offered a critique service on her web site for years; and still does a monthly critique for readers of her colored pencil magazine (From My Perspective). After the introduction - which covers the all important basics such as choosing a photo; composition and cropping; CP techniques; and a review of the tools necessary - there are four main sections of critiques: Portraits; Animals; Landscapes Florals; and Still Life. Each critique shows what the artist did right as well as what he or she could improve on. This is very important; because some teachers will assume that if a student did something right; then he or she already understands that point; however; having been the beneficiary of one of Anns critiques myself; I have found that seeing what I did correctly in context with what I need to improve is more beneficial than negative criticism alone.It is very educational to have collection of these critiques in one place for easy reference. It really helps to see the common mistakes; and how to correct them; as well as the techniques used to create these beautiful pieces. (Even though this is a collection of critiques; all the contributions are really excellent and enjoyable to look at.) Also; each section is followed by a selection of CP examples belonging to that category; with a short discussion of what makes their work so powerful.Finally; as a customer of a lot of art instruction books; I have written to previously about their "Look Inside this Book" feature. Its a great idea. However; art instruction books always start with the essentials - tools required; techniques needed; that sort of thing. You couldnt really write one any other way. The problem with buying such a book online and relying on the "Look Inside this Book" feature is that you cant see examples of the artists work until you get the book home. There are some styles that an aspiring artist really doesnt want to emulate - this doesnt mean the style is bad; just not right for the student. I suggested to that instead of always using the first chapter as the sample; with art instruction books; they should grab a random chapter from the middle. Its much more helpful. Since they havent (as far as I know) taken my advice on this; I have limited purchasing art books to those written by artists Im already familiar with (or buying them at a traditional bookstore; where I can really look inside the book.) . I bring this up to make the point - I have never been disappointed with Ann Kullbergs style; and always feel I can buy her next book sight unseen. She creates beautiful art; and shes a talented teacher as well.