Wendy’s Top Tips For Acrylic Artists
Wendy Jelbert

Search Press
January 2011/ ISBN 1844484858
How-To Books/Painting
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

If you enjoy painting in acrylics and want to get the most out of your chosen medium, then a book of tips is a useful purchase. Learn how to exploit the unique qualities of this most modern of art media by exploring all its aspects.

I always enjoy practical books that contain plenty of short practical lessons to try out, as well as whole paintings. There are quite a few of these mini-tutorials in here, and no actual paintings to work through as these are amply covered elsewhere. Instead, there are answers to many questions in a series of chapters with helpful titles such as what to buy, painting various different subjects, and how to use the paints as watercolors, oils or themselves.

This is not a book that encourages the budding artist to break the bank, and Ms Jelbert comes up with some budget ideas such as using plastic palette knives and mixing paint on paper plates. Discover how to maximize the paints as they mimic other types of paint and also how to achieve different effects using some surprising items as well as the more usual art store additives. Paint different surfaces, from land and seascapes to buildings, skies, water and animal textures. Ms Jelbert loves farm animals and there are some lovely mini lessons on how to paint them and make them look furry, feathery or woolly.

There is so much in here that it would take me many weeks to work through it all, by which time I would be a far more proficient painter. Recommended to anybody who wants to try acrylics or learn more about them.

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