Acrylic Painting For Dummies

by Colette Pitcher

Create gorgeous paintings with this fun and easy guide to acrylics!

Always wanted to paint with acrylics? This easy-to-follow, full color guide gives you expert instruction and simple exercises in acrylic painting techniques and styles. The step-by-step projects let you practice your skill and stir your imagination — and give you the foundation to create similar projects with your own subjects and surfaces!

Get your feet (and brushes) wet — assemble your materials, prepare your surfaces, and sort out additives and enhancers

Try out basic acrylic techniques — work with brush strokes, control and thin your paint, experiment with textures, and use stencils

Practice design and composition principles — mix and use color, balance elements, make changes, and pull your painting together

Imitate several kinds of styles — use acrylic paint to mimic the effects of watercolor and oil paints

Build your repertoire — explore texture and dimension, work with glass, rocks, bricks, metalwork, and more

Open the book and find:

Clear step-by-step instructions with illustrations

A variety of projects and styles to suit all tastes

Quick tricks and techniques to get started painting right away

Lots of colorful paintings to inspire creativity

Helpful hints for improving your drawing skills

Full-scale projects at the end of most chapters

Exercises to jump-start your artistic passion

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Education

445 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2009

Reviews

[Manoj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one book I'll be referring to again and again, but not for the acrylic part (which is, I'm sure, very good; I just have't used acrylics, so didn't pay much attention to acrylic specific stuff - a complement to a book on acrylic painting). Very good section on understanding and using balance, with plenty of real examples). A good primer on non-representational art. Just those two topics (there's plenty more besides those) are enough to give it 5 stars.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

As insulting as I find the titles for the dummies' books, I did enjoy this particular book. It is a very helpful primer on acrylic painting. I felt empowered as I shopped at my local art store. I am making my way through exercises teaching particular techniques. It is fun to be horribly awful at something and see improvement bit, by bit.

[Natashya KitchenPuppies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little book to use as an accompaniment to the classes I am taking.
She uses water a lot though, which I don't.
But still, you can take what you need from the book - just like with any instruction.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had great ideas on how to paint and what to paint and also tricks on painting. Will def be looking back in this book for great ideas and tricks when I am painting

[Samyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent tool for beginners - covers a lot of ground. However I did find some of the examples a bit complex for a “dummy” like myself. Nonetheless I learned a lot, and look forward to applying some of the neat tricks I’ve learned!

[Andre O. bueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very simple and direct book. Very good for beginners, like me :)

[Crystal Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acrylic painting for Dummies Pitcher, Colette 3 NF Art lists of supplies, color theory, composition, different styles: abstract, thick old masters, WC, Collage & different surfaces 2015 8/28/2015

[Aya Rezk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of the "for dummies" books I've read in different areas really suck, but this one really surprised me!

[Tammie Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't expect much from Dummies books, but was surprised at the amount of information in this book. Contains some terrific tips and hints as well as a few projects to test out what you've learned.

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better basic acrylic painting books.