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Watson-Guptill

Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make it Right

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Description

Finally - a book to help you solve all your painting problems! Inside you'll learn how to study a painting and correct problematic areas. Study topics include: Ideas - Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture? - What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition? - Does the painting have a focus? - Are the unessential parts subbordinated? - Does the painting "read"? - Could you finish any part of the painting? Shapes - Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible? - Are the shapes too similiar? Value - Could the value range be increased? - Could the number of values be reduced? Light - Is the subject effectively lit? - Is the light area big enough? - Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout? - Do the lights have a continuous flow? - Is the light gradiated? Shadows - Do the shadow shapes describe the form? - Are the shadows warm enough? Depth - Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space? - Does the background recede far enough? - Are the halftones properly related to the background? Solidity - Is the underlying form being communicated? - Is the symmetry in perspective? Color - Is there a color strategy? - Could a purer color be used? - Do the whites have enough color in them? - Are the colors overbended on the canvas? - would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area? Paint - Is your palette efficiently organized? - Is the painting surface too absorbent? - Are you using the palette knife as much as you could? - Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses? - Are the edges dynamic enough? - Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint? Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Watson-Guptill


Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 1997


Edition ‏ : ‎ New


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 144 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0823040976


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 71


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.29 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.3 x 0.41 x 11 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #291,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #48 in Oil Painting


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Useful guide to oil painting, title is a little gimicky
Format: Paperback
Review Image by Reasonable Reviewer Reasonable Reviewer
Review Image by Reasonable Reviewer Reasonable Reviewer
Review Image by Reasonable Reviewer Reasonable Reviewer
Review Image by Reasonable Reviewer Reasonable Reviewer
I liked this book a lot. It is a general guide to oil painting and covers everything from composition to color pallet choice to light and shadow (and everything in-between). It is not a long book, comes in at 144 pages, but it is very helpful. One note, while the book does talk about mistakes and how to fix them, the main focus on the book is how to oil paint in general. (The title was a clever move by the editor and author to make the book standout.) I recommend it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2025 by Reasonable Reviewer Reasonable Reviewer
    • An exceptionally useful, serious-minded guide.
Format: Paperback
This book is different from other art instruction manuals. It-- every page-- is exceptionally useful and informative. It is not aimed at encouraging the rank beginner artist in a grandfatherly way, but aimed rather at the artist who has got some basic skills in place and likely understands the most fundamental tasks of art. Unlike many art manuals, Mr. Kreutz is an exceptionally gifted, accomplished, skilled painter; no dizzily wishful, amateurish daubs here. He knows what he's doing-- to a not-unintimidating degree. His works, which inform every page, are excellent-- world-class--- by any serious criterion of Realism/Figurative limning. In fact, few indeed are his readers who will ever reach his degree of mastery, it must be soberly said. Even the sample "bad" images that he paints instructively for you... are still exceptionally good indeed. THAT SAID: Useful indeed is any how-to book in which the author is both exceptionally gifted.... and also knows how to impart what he knows in readable, precise, exact, unequivocal language. This book does not deal so much in the literal craft angle of painting-- mixology, perspective, canvas prep, paint handling, brushwork, impasto, etc.---- as it does in the psychology or "inner game" of art-- The Art Of Looking. What, the author, in effect, asks, makes a good, memorable picture? Mr. Kreutz gets you to start thinking in a variety of ways in order to improve your taste, skill and judgment while you paint. Thus this book may be said to be "a thinking person's painting manual". Early in the book, the author bluntly disabuses the reader that this is not a book for the softheaded dippy/trippy novice who democratically imagines that "all paintings are equally good and beautiful in their own way". No, there are some real formal criteria, derived from the history of world Realistic painting, that the author is laying down here for you... that will separate the freethinking wannabe from the rigorously correct practitioner. Good painting is learnable, he points out, and he's got the specific criteria you will need to push your paintings into undeniable excellence. Because this book does NOT deal with the nitty-gritty craft of paint-handling, it is a useful book to *people limning 2D art in any medium*: Watercolorists, acrylic users, sketchers, pastel users will still find this book *eminently* useful and informative. In fact, 3D/CGI artists like myself will find every page of this book exceptionally informative and helpful. Highly recommended. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2011 by david lincoln brooks
    • Author focuses on painting concept, and how to start a piece.
Format: Paperback
There are no color mixing fixes or magic formulas in this book. The author explains that getting good painting comes from the understanding of value(dark and light) and where color fits into value. Good value and the appropriate saturation of a color is the first key to consistent painting. The author gives insight about his decision making process when laying out a painting through its completion. He gives some good advice and states his opinions about what painting is and backs it up with painting examples. All of the examples in the book are of the authors own work. The reprodustions in the book are excellent. The book is a fast read and is to the point. This is not a book for "how to Beginners". Overall a good book with concrete statements and examples of concepts he uses to paint. The autor also prefers dimensional painting with depth a light. He is painterly but not abstract. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2012 by FloydPaul111
    • ... extremely helpful to me in many areas and very useful in understanding what works
Format: Hardcover
Not exactly what I expected - nothing on specific techniques BUT extremely helpful to me in many areas and very useful in understanding what works, what doesn't work and what would work better and why. Uses comparative images to reinforce the points - a very good way to communicate. Glad I bought it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016 by Leonard J.
    • Excellent
Format: Paperback
This book describes each and every method for improving your art better than any art book I've ever read before.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2025 by Shawn Buzzell
    • Artist problem solving
Format: Paperback
Mixed feelings about this book. As an artist, I find the work of the artist too somber and some of the color choices stiffling. He is an accomplished and well known artist but I don't want to paint like him. The problem solving techniques he lists and explains are very valid, he has obviously done his training well. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2012 by Daniela Andersen
    • Great help to improve you painting skills!!
Format: Paperback
This book is a great help in practical painting in oils! You will find many advices how to think about your painting, what you can do it to improve your picture, what can work for you. This is one of books that you can read it and after few chapters you will imediatly improve your painting skills! But this book is only for people that interesting in impresionistic kind of realism, not for glazing or academic drawing. It could also help if you doing acrylics and watercolor but its more for oil painters. It has many examples and pictures, its for begginers and intermediate students, maybe not to much for advanced painters (but they will also find something for them). One of the best book I read it to expand your posibilities and painting skills! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2018 by Denis
    • Not just for oil painters....
Format: Paperback
Kreutz has compiled a superb collection of problems and their corrections. Many of which can carry over to watercolour, acrylic, pastels etc. On the back cover is a list of topics which is very useful when you become familiar with the book. I find myself looking at the painting, not quite sure where the fix is, work my way down the list mentally assessing which corrections might work. If you like art in the style of Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Chardin then you'll find plenty in here of interest. I read of a complaint about the photos not being in focus. For the most part I would say they are in focus - look at the signature and how crisp it is. Kreutz might be painting in a looser style than what some folks are used to. There are 2 or 3 pictures which could be considered out of focus but they get the subject matter across. 100% Recommended and well worth the money. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2006 by Brian Asquith

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