Skip to main content

Review: Lessons in Classical Painting: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier by Juliette Aristides



Review: Lessons in Classical Painting: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier
Juliette Aristides
Watson-Guptill
2016

Good basic instruction here in increments that if followed will help just about anyone improve their skills.  For the more advanced that have hit a snag this would be a good review to work through just to check your technique for the “little” things that matter.  

Each chapter talks the reader through the lesson and gives progressive pictures to show what the words cannot convey.  Talk about lighting and shadows all you want, but a picture gives me that aha moment where all the words come to make more sense.  Each lesson builds on the previous one which for the impatient sorts will chafe considerably.  But that’s way forward in art it seems.  

Planning and more planning to get the right light, colors, and form will become part of the routine.  Value strips abound.  Tedious stuff, but trial and error uses more time and product.  (Of course, I have never done that, but have heard from others who have.)  

Follow this book to its conclusion you will improve.  Yes, this sort of instruction is available in other places and formats. The other versions might work better for your particular learning style.  For those of us that prefer a less hurried method (I’m thinking of video) I would recommend this book.  There is one thing before you start this one, though.  Drawing.  Learn to draw first.  At least well enough to follow along with these instructions.  Besides drawing helps identify more thoroughly just what you are seeing.  Maybe it is the beginning of seeing?  

I do recommend this book.  Lay flat binding, full color prints on nearly every page, clear font.  The only thing better than that would be to work in the atelier itself.

I received this book from the publishers in return for a review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Little French Bistro by Nina George

Review: The Little French Bistro Nina George Crown 2017 I have to admit that I'm not a fan of romance novels, but I think this one goes beyond the boy meets girl idea.   By a bunch.   If adults had coming of age stories this one would fit there.   Marianne travels a road many people I know would love to, but fear taking the steps needed. And that is the basis of this book.   Taking the steps.   Joy, sorrow, whatever comes and keep on taking the steps.    I agree with many of the comments already made about George's ability to build wonderful characters, paint scenes that vibrate with energy, and tell a story too.   Her writing touches the heart and not in some sappy, maudlin way.   A place of real emotions and desire.   Speaking of desire---her intimate scenes are just that, intimate.   In body and mind.   And not for just spicing things up a bit.   She captures the true nature of intimacy...

Review: Anatomy of the Soul

Anatomy of the Soul Curt Thompson. M.D. Salt River, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2010 This is the most helpful,insightful book I’ve read in a long time. There’s advice, guidance, explanations and examples to illustrate discussion offered by the author. Best of all, for me anyway, it explains some of what I had suspected about how things work all along. Dr. Thompson links human anatomy and physiology to the spiritual part of our being throughout the text. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. And God uses His creation of the physical body in amazing ways. The author does a great job showing God’s wisdom found in research and the discoveries that science has made recently in neuroscience. Whether science wants to or not, it is describing the wonders of creation. Read this book. The text will require thought, evaluation, and time to go through. The author’s writing style is quite readable and he covers the material well. While this isn’t a how to or self help boo...

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense by Dr. Larry Crabb

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense Dr. Larry Crabb Baker Books 2018 I chose this book because the title intrigued me.   When God’s Ways Make No Sense.    There have been plenty of times when that seemed truer than I’d like to admit.   Are we even allowed to say something like that?   Even if we think it.   So, an author willing to take on that topic had my attention. And mostly because I wanted his take on what to do about it? As it turns out Crabb pretty much gave away his case very early on in his book with a single scripture quote.   The basic idea is God is GOD and we are not.   His motives and actions are incomprehensible to mankind and He owes no explanation for them either.   Crabb admits near the end of his book that he is not a theologian which I knew going into this book, but his arguments are theology.   Or at least I think so.   I found his repeated circling the topic a bit frustrating. ...