Click Here To Purchase From Amazon The Beginner’s Guide to Acrylics: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Techniques and Materials

Author: Angela Gair

Publishers: New Holland Publishers and distributed by Sterling Publishing

ISBN: 1 85368 3191

Although painting with quick-drying acrylic paints may at first seem to be a relatively simple process, one glance through Angela Gair’s “Beginner’s Guide to Acrylics” makes the reader realize the myriad of unique possibilities found within this versatile medium. 

As with her other books in the “Beginner’s Guide” series, Gair introduces “Acrylics” with a very knowledgeable history.  Acrylics were first used prominently by artist Diego Rivera who needed a sturdy medium with which to paint some commissioned outdoor murals.  Gair also relates that more artists, most notably Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol similarly found acrylic painting perfectly suited to their artistic needs.

How was one type of paint equally able to suit three such diverse artists as Rivera, Pollock and Warhol?  The answer to this question is discovered as the book progresses.  While reading through the beautiful and clearly illustrated “Materials and Equipment” section, one realizes that, depending on how it is applied and combined with other elements, there are many ways to utilize acrylic paint. 

And if that section is not enough to convince the reader of the versatility of this medium,  the 10 “Techniques” chapters – each filled with Gair’s elegant, thorough instructions and clear step-by-step accompanying photographs – will indeed do so.  These 10 techniques are not, of course, the final word on acrylic painting, but they are so very different from one another (“Painting ‘Alla Prima’” and “Antiquing” are just two) that they are sure to not only point the novice in the right direction but will certainly be a useful reference and inspiration for those more experienced with acrylics..

The above review was contributed by: Kathryn Atwood: Click Here To View More Of Kathryn's   Reviews:

Kathryn Atwood's poetry, reviews and essays have appeared in numerous online and print journals, including "The Aurora Review,", "Afterimage," "Void Magazine," "Wild Violet," and "PopMatters."  When she's not writing or driving her three kids around somewhere, she's usually teaching at a local music studio or givng vocal performances with her husband on the  subject of American song.

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon The Beginner’s Guide to Acrylics: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Techniques and Materials