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 | | 7 Keys to Great Paintings by Jane Hofstetter ISBN-10: 9781581804799 ISBN-10: 1-58180-479-2 ISBN-13: 9781581804799 ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-479-9 Hardcover 2004-12-22 North Light Books Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Seven Keys to Great Paintings puts the fun back into painting with lighthearted, down-to-earth instruction that also reveals the core elements of painting design. * Each of the seven chapters begins with a poem verse to help readers remember the message behind the concepts * The emphasis on watercolor will appeal to painting's largest audience, as well as general painters * Creative, game-like instruction echoes bestsellers like Watercolorist's Essential Notebook * Full-page charts and 8 well-illustrated step-by-step demos make the concepts easy to understand and apply The author's friendly, personal tone and extensive workshop experience are sure to charm and encourage painters of all levels. | ||
Reviews | ||
Stands Above the Rest --yes, 10 stars This book really stands out in teaching you about achieving good design, but Jane R. Hoffstetter does it in a way that I have not seen in other books. She also has an excellent way of conveying a complex idea into something very basic and understandable and also enjoyable. I agree with a previous review that this author gives a very "fresh perspective" to learning design, and this book is filled with outstanding artwork that presents a variety of styles. The 7 keys that are taught in this absolutely wonderful book are: (taken from Table of Contents): PATTERN-- pattern of value shapes-learn how the sizes and arrangement of light and dark shapes can set up your painting for success, PASSAGE--how the viewer's eye will travel.."how to use a number of passage devices to make connections and transitions among parts to make a stronger whole". FOCAL AREA--"how to make your focal area an eye catcher" and how to quiet the surroundings of it, COLOR--how colors "create relationships, harmony, and emotion--what the options are and how to manipulate color, DESIGN--how to "organize the keys leaned so far and how to combine them", THE GOLDEN MEAN-"division of space that pleases the eye--age-old ratios of breaking up space", but presented in a captivating way. EMOTIONAL DEPTH--"learn how to interpret your subject and how to channel your feelings to create better more meaningful paintings". Hofstetter begins each chapter with a little verse such as: " As you start your work These words you'll recall, Make a PATTERN of shapes Big, medium, and small." The paintings throughout this book are incredible, but they are not done in such a way as to "show off", but to illustrate the keys that make the painting "great". I love this book for it's simplicity in teaching complex ideas and they talented way in which Hofstetter holds you captivated --it is definitely a keeper. | ||
Outstanding Book I have read a lot of art books - most of them are not worth bothering with. My time could be better used painting, sketching, or going to a gallery. But this book is exceptional. After reading it, my work immediately improved and I suddenly had a framework for diagnosing deficiencies in my paintings. As art books go, this one does seem to be in a class of its own. | ||
In a Class By Itself! A Must Read. I Want To Give It 7 Stars!!! At 1st glance this book looks like all the others, but it's truly in a class of its own. After you read enough art books, they all seem to be saying the same thing just with different pictures. This book is unique in that it expounds on topics that others gloss over and does so with fully commented, detailed, step-by-step photos. Take for example, the topic of value pattern. Many books mention it. Some even show a few examples. This author goes the extra mile to explain how to develop and use strong value patterns. Detailed and well documented demonstrations include the development of 2 entirely different paintings both starting from the same abstract value pattern. Conversely, working in the opposite direction, she shows how to start with your average (nothing spectacular) photograph, "message" its existing value pattern to create a strong design, and end with a gorgeous painting. Bottom line, by page 42 I had learned more from this book than from dozens of other books, many with similar titles. I recommend this book highly. It's exceptionally informative. The demonstrations are excellent. The artwork is beautiful. The book is an inspiration. | ||
Intelligent and useful If you are getting bored with the typical watercolour lessons book, I strongly suggest that you consider this one. This evidently written by a talented designer and a top quality artist. The book goes far beyond the easy technique and digs into the core of composition and arrangement of subjects. I have found a wealth of information about the usual mistakes an amateur will fall into but also a well structured approach at correcting them. I have been able to apply easily many of the lessons and achieved significantly better results with my watercolour. It is filled with interesting and stimulating examples. I think this one will turn out to be one of my reference books for some time. | ||
I wish I could give it 10 stars I've bought dozens of watercolor books and very few I read from cover to cover (there's only so many red boats in harbors I can stomach). This is one of those books that I've been reading slowly, as it's such a gem I don't want it to end... I wasn't familiar with the author, but her paintings are absolutely beautiful. From landscapes to flowers to abstract, her strong sense of design really shines. And good design is what this book is really about, not the nuts and bolts of painting in watercolor. However, Hofstetter manages to come up with a fresh perspective on the good ol' "elements" and "principles" of design. More importantly, she shares examples that you feel you can actually put to good use to improve your own work. I found the "value shape plans" a great approach to creating an underpainting, as it forces you to save some whites (click on the "Excerpt" link above and read pages 15-17). I also loved her approach to using "line extension" (pages 36-38), as it's more subtle than other examples I'd seen (which tend much more towards cubism). Perhaps another reason I instantly liked this book is that her color palette is from this century; most of her preferred paints come from Daniel Smith, such as their Quinacridone line of transparent watercolors. (Be aware though, that she likes her white goauche for waterfalls and so on!) By the way, the layout, typography, and proofreading are also a notch better than some other North Light books I own. More books like this please. | ||