Another Review at MyShelf.Com

The Encyclopedia of Coloured Pencil Techniques
Encyclopedia Series/Search Press Classics
Judy Martin

Search Press
27 September 2016 / ISBN 9781782214779
How-To Books/Art

Reviewed byRachel A Hyde

 

With coloring books currently so popular, here is a timely reprint of an old favorite from 1992. Learn how to get the most out of your colored pencils and graduate from coloring into drawing your own artwork.

Firstly, I must stress that this is a book for those who own the artist's quality pencils rather than the cheaper alternatives. You can learn how to blend, shade, use with solvents, try out frottage and sgraffito and more, but only if your pencils are capable of doing all of this. There is certainly room on the market for a book on how to get the best out of all the budget alternatives, but until then, the more serious colorist/artist can settle down with this classic. The book is in two halves, the first dealing with techniques and the second with themes. You can learn what you need to buy and the differences between the various types of pencils, then get down to finding out what they are capable of. They are surprisingly versatile, and when used the right way can conjure up effects that are the equal of paint and have a special quality of their own too. Find out how they look on different types of paper, when used with other media and all the various effects they can do on their own. Brand names are not mentioned, but any good art store or website will stock at least one. The themes section comprises of a gallery of all the many subjects you can choose to depict (from the actual physical world rather than fantasy), and each heading features artwork and descriptive captions explaining method. If you have a mental image of a typical colored pencil drawing think again, as the work here shows they can also resemble paint, ink, pastel or even photographs. This is not a book with staged projects - something else there is room for - but one that shows what you can do and explains how others have done it. I would recommend it for somebody who is either a colorist or an existing artist who wants to explore a new medium.

UK Reviewer: Rachel Hyde's work can be found in Sewing World, Sew Hip, Popular Crafts and other magazines.
Reviewed 2016
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