Book recommendations

[jenbray]

Can anyone recommend any really useful instructional books that will help me get into the swing of painting? I am particularly interested in painting with oils, watercolors and acrylics. There seem so many out there and the few I have bought before I left england were a bit disapointing. Looking for books that will help me get hands on practical experience

[Singular]

Hi Jen,
I honestly prefer online tutorials over books. But that is just my opinion. I am sure others will tell you that a good book is very useful. I recommend just doing specific searches for online tutorials for painting. Most results will take you to forums and some will take you to books that you can purchase online. If you check out the forum links, they will usually take you to even more links and so on. Good tutorials usually find their way around. Don't just search "Painting tutorials" or "Painting tips". They may return some good results. But you would be better off being specific, like "Painting faces" or "Painting tips on the figure" etc. There are many sites out there with artists that spend lots of time putting together great tips for new artists such as you.

best of luck,
Joe

[BAReam]

Hi Jen

I tend to agree with Joe for the most part. I've not explored online tutorials, so I'm not qualified to speak to that... however, when I work on site for landscapes or studio studies I find books a good resource.
As for the medium; I suggest {transparent) watercolor as a starting point. They are easily portable, direct and spontaneous, relatively inexpensive and are great for color studies. If you can control watercolor it is a simple matter to transfer your skills to both oils and acrylic.
Also, I recommend Windsor Newton watercolors for their permanence and pigment content. The small additional cost is well worth it; believe me when I say you WILL see the difference. Never, never and never rely on the cheapy
ushes... buy the best you can possibly afford. I have watercolor
ushes that I've used for 20 years, and they only get better when you take proper care of them.
Hope my two cents worth is helpful.. all the best.
BAReam