Oil & Acrylic: Flowers by Marcia Baldwin

Oil & Acrylic: Flowers by Marcia Baldwin ISBN-13: 9781633228481 Paperback: 40 pages Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing Released: March 3rd 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Award-winning artist Marcia Baldwin teaches aspiring artists how to paint stunning floral scenes in Oil & Acrylic: Flowers. Inside, find information about the painting tools and materials you need to get started. Learn about color theory, working from photographs, beginning with sketches, applying an underpainting, taking artistic liberties, enhancing backgrounds, and creating texture. With each step-by-step project focusing on a specific technique, learn to paint six beautiful flowers.


My Review:
Oil & Acrylic: Flowers is an art instruction book on painting vivid, somewhat stylized flowers in oil. Acrylic paint was only mentioned when briefly describing how it's different than oil painting. All of the projects were for oil painting. The author started by briefly describing the various tools and materials needed, some oil painting techniques, and color theory. She then provided six step-by-step projects that teach various oil painting skills. She covered painting from a photo, from a sketch, starting with an underpainting, taking artistic liberties, creating certain textures, and creative backgrounds.

Each project had six to nine steps, each with a text description and illustration. The text description included information like what type of brush to use, what step to do next, and what technique to use. At the beginning of each project, she included a list of colors to use, but she didn't tell you specific colors to use during each step. I guess she assumed you could figure it out from the picture. While this book may inspire people to try her style of painting, I think a complete beginner would find this book frustrating. An advanced beginner can probably follow her instructions and pick up some tips on flower painting.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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