Radiant Oils: Glazing Techniques for Paintings that Glow

by Arleta Pech

Glazing Techniques for Paintings that Glow Bring new life to your paintings using transparent glazing. Step by step and layer by layer, this book will show you how to use this classic approach to infuse your work with radiant color, exquisite texture and a breathtaking sense of light. Radiant Oils is perfect for oil artists who want to explore the beauty of glazing, watercolor artists who want to try their hand at oils and any painter wishing to achieve stunningly realistic effects using classic, straightforward techniques inspired by the Old Masters.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with gorgeous paintings by Arleta but the content is not what I expected. The whole book is about 1 technique only: glazing. Not as one of the many techniques, but as the only technique used to create a painting from start to finish. Every painter has their own way of painting and I'm not surprised when I read she was originally a watercolor artist... the tutorials have this watercolor-vibe to them. Building layers slowly. No underpainting, not even a sketch (the subjects are copied with transfer paper), no opaques, no alla prima... only glazing. No surprise it can take her months to finish a painting. Honestly I'm not that patient if I knew there was a way to build a painting much faster. (and there is)

However the information is very useful if you are new to glazing. It all comes down to having the patience of a saint, being gentle with your paints and blend them well. I might give it a try for the sake of slow living. She offers several tutorials but basically they are all the same technique. However for those who want to follow step by step with the same paint colors and the same image source, this is a good book to have. The most interesting part is the theory in the first half of the book, this is what I will remember:

- Add a final glaze on top of details/textures on fruit so it all fits together
- Use the white of the canvas instead of white opaques
- You can save paints by putting them in the freezer
- Use a color marker on a tiny brush to know which color you are using
- The medium comparison chart was very useful.
- The transparent collage shows how many colors you can create with 3 main colors.
- Use a full range of values
- Balance your composition with light. The flow of light helps move the eye through the whole painting.
- Create hard and soft edges
- A color wheel (with values) can help you pick the next glaze layer.
- Optical greys are luminous areas of transition from highlight to color.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was too basic for me. The first 29 pages were just one-page overviews of basic topics like cleaning brushes. The majority of the book was demonstrations, which sounds good, but it was basically beginning watercolor technique. Glaze the lightest color first, then gradually deepen colors until you reach the shadows. All of the glazing was done on the white of the canvas, so there wasn't even discussion of underpaintings.

Pages 30-33 are the ones I'd go back to. They covered:
- Opaque white on a colored background vs. leaving the white of the canvas unpainted
- Semi-opaque glazes using white for high values, to avoid the downsides of thinning out paints with too much medium
- Non-staining vs. staining colors for depth of value
- Demo using 7 glazes to create a pale pink sphere
- Optical grays

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's paintings are beautiful. I can't wait until I retire and have more time to try her glazing techniques. I have taken this book out of the library about 5 times and read it in pieces. I will probably take it out again. I was excited to see when I looked this book up that she has another.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The color theory is interesting as well as the specifics of starting the painting process. Most of the rest of the book becomes quite repetitive with strong emphasis on the author's/artist's works.

[Book Nibbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information about glazing techniques and a tool she uses. I would like to purchase this book to have on hand.