Artist's Library

Photographs are valuable reference tools that most artists use. Complex subjects are generally easier to draw from photos-plus other factors, such as weather, movement, and lighting, can make drawing from life nearly impossible. Children and animals, for example, rarely sit still when you want them to, making it much easier to draw them from photographs. However, many beginning artists aren't confident in their picture-taking skills, or they don't know how to translate their photos into drawings. That's where this innovative book comes in! In no time, beginning artists will be drawing animals, people, landscapes, and still lifes that look real enough to reach out and touch!

Beginners and accomplished artists alike are attracted to the beauty and versatility of acrylic painting. In this comprehensive book, you will find all the instruction and inspiration you need to master the medium or improve your painting skills. Accomplished artist Tom Swimm guides you step by step through 12 stunning acrylic projects, offering easy-to-follow instructions along with his personal artistic insights. Acrylic Painting Step by Step covers dozens of beginning and advanced acrylic techniques, from underpainting and glazing to impasto and texturizing. You will learn to paint a variety of subjects, including a lively floral, a striking still life, an eye-catching street scene, and a gorgeous seascape.

Aspiring oil painters can take a journey with four accomplished oil artists as they follow along with step-by-step demonstrations that feature a variety of techniques and a range of subject matter. Artists of all skill levels will appreciate the appeal of each approach as they learn to paint tropical seascapes, pastoral landscapes, dynamic still lifes, captivating animal portraits, and more. Oil Painting Step by Step walks you through concepts and techniques including underpainting, composition, plein air, and special effects, assuring you a solid foundation in this wonderful art form.

Colored Pencil Step by Step, from the acclaimed Walter Foster Artist's Library Series, is filled with information that will help artists of all levels learn all about drawing with colored pencil. This colorful, comprehensive guidebook explores drawing and layering colors, plus a range of styles and techniques for creating your own works of art in colored pencil. Three renowned colored pencil artists guide you step by step through 11 vibrant lessons, demonstrating a variety of special techniques and tricks along the way. Whether you're a novice or an accomplished artist who has never experimented with a colored pencil, this book will provide the instruction and inspiration you need to master this versatile medium.

Whether you specialize in drawing-even cartooning and animationùor prefer media such as acrylic, oil, pastel, or watercolor, a good knowledge of perspective is invaluable. It is the foundation of all great paintings and drawings, no matter what medium. Perspective shows you everything you need to know to make objects look three dimensional. Practice the methods of measuring and dividing areas proportionately; then learn how we perceive depth and distance, and how to render it correctly on paper or canvas. You will learn the basics and beyond, covering concepts like foreshortening; cast shadows; reflections; and even one-, two-, and three-point perspective. And once you have a good grasp of the basics, it's easy to graduate to more complex and irregular forms. This comprehensive guide will show you how!