Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color

by Kevin Macpherson

These pages practically glow with Kevin Macpherson's rich and powerful paintings He shares his techniques for quickly capturing the mood of a scene in bold, direct brushstrokes, with step-by-step instructions that make it easy--simply a matter of painting the colors you see. Follow his lead and you too, can create landscapes and still lives in a vibrant, impressionistic style.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because the author really covers all the basics with landscape painting, and gives plenty of examples to draw from. The subjects are all very similar(but that is typical of course depending on the teacher).
Nice color, good quality photos and steps to check out. His theory is his strongest point, and his layout.
He has his own style for sure, which is more brushwork and less detail, but i like that a lot, the suggestive and not the defined. So check it out if you want a good add to your landscape library.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this book for years before I truly studied it. I finished ingesting it thoroughly only recently. If you are a beginning painter, this information might be new to you. After you have some experience as a painter, you will see this as basic information about how light works in 2D art. Basic, but VERY useful. Take notes. Write in the margin. Do not throw or give this book away. It includes demos to paint along with the author step by step. Do. Them. All. GoodReads says this book is "shelved" but I will continue to refer back to it again and again in the future.

[Robyn Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this book in small chunks when I need a break between drawings. The plain language of painting, seeing, being present, and being inspired is...inspirational. I like the challenges-tasks he sets. There are a lot of bite-sized quotes that help move you through the material. Maybe I'll check back in after I've tried some of the challenges.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information clearly presented. A must-have for any artist. Thank you, Kevin, for another great book.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true classic from a treasured artist....

[Maddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and illustrated, will be revisiting for years to come.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for beginning/intermediate oil painters

[BluMoon Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best techniques I've ever learned about. Helped my hugely with my most recent painting.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book, that covers all the fundamentals of painting. All the most important concepts are covered in a logical, very readable format, with copious step-by-step illustrations and sublime finished paintings, throughout. The writing will take you through all the concepts you need to know to become a good artist. After reading this book you'll find yourself looking at the world differently, studying everything with new eyes, and analyzing it for value, temperature, chroma, etc. Even if you never paint a painting, it will open your eyes to the infinitely changing light on everything around you.

This was the first book I read on oil painting, and I still re-read it periodically, because it's still one of the very best.

[VISHAL B · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all would like to thank Kevin Mc Pherson for writing this wonderful manual. This is one of the best buys of my life and I am so glad that I bought it. This is an amazing book. It's simple, direct, clear and full of beautiful example drawings. An already established artist might not appreciate it much because they might be following a particular process or style, but a beginner has got lots to discover in this book.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

MacPherson really simplifies painting, colors, value, and design. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn to paint.

[Jedkimball]

An excellent book for venturing into landscape painting. Offering both the photo realistic and abstract approaches to students.

[Ingrid Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book years ago, and still refer to it. One of my very favorite books on painting and use of color.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful concepts! I apply these methods of colour to all my art projects, now.
And often long car rides are spent contemplating what colours the surrounding foliage and clouds actually are.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I am not an oil painter, I picked up this book after attending a paint out with Mr. MacPherson. I thought the concepts were presented well and had a lot to offer all mediums.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for any serious Artist's library