Search  for anything...
Watson-Guptill

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

  • Based on 316 reviews
Condition: Used - Good
Checking for the best price...
$11.00 Why this price?
Save $18.99 was $29.99

Buy Now, Pay Later

As low as $2 / mo
  • – 4-month term
  • – No impact on credit to apply
  • – Instant approval decision
  • – Secure and straightforward checkout

Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.

Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Free shipping on this product

This item is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt

To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

Availability: Only 1 left in stock, order soon!
Fulfilled by Dream Books Co.
Arrives Oct 26 – Oct 28
Order within 12 hours and 52 minutes
Available payment plans shown during checkout
Protection Plan Protect Your Purchase
Checking for protection plans...

Recently Viewed

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 ‏ : ‎ 8.31 x 0.39 x 10.98 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #559,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #103 in Oil Painting


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Oct 26 – Oct 28

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

  • Klarna Financing
  • Affirm Pay in 4
  • Affirm Financing
  • Afterpay Financing
  • Zip Pay in 4
  • Financing through Apple Pay
  • Financing through Google Pay
Leasing options through Acima may also be available during checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • 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
    • Very insightful and practical...
Format: Paperback
...this book makes you think about where a painting starts, what idea drives it and how to achieve it with our chosen medium of oils. The insightfulness of the author's comments almost sounds philosophical at times, while, in fact, being extremely practical. An excellent resource for getting more quality into your painting. The author is obviously very experienced at painting with a gift for teaching, as well. There are many excellent example paintings, both positive and negative, well-reproduced on glossy paper. The book is a joy to look at (I like the author's style of painting) and very educational. This book has survived several reductions/turnovers in my home library and will no doubt survive them all. It's a keeper! Buy it now. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2004 by John Robinson
    • Solving Problems For Oil Painters
Format: Paperback
A genius artist has shared his best advice, observations, and problem solving for pencil drawing compositions, preparations for oil painting, and painting a picture. There are gems of learning from this 1997 book. However, this book is out of date. First, since 2001, oil paint pigments are now light fast. Bright colors, special colors, which were once avoided due to non light fastness, potential for fading with exposure to light & time. That was then, this is now a time to add bright colors, other colors you've avoided, into your oil painting. Former art teachers followed the great art masters by painting in dark, earth tones, and held off the use of bright colors, colors straight from the tube. Yet, colors can be mixed from tubes and add a spectrum of colors, both light and shade to a painting. I dropped a star from this book because it is "dated" and lacks a few lessons that would help beginning artists. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2010 by Kathryn Smith
    • 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
    • A little weak on cause and effect
Format: Paperback
I read somewhere once that a painter is responsible for every inch of real estate in his or her painting. For that reason, I'm always second guessing any decision I make in hopes of improving my work. Since I'm employed full time and paint in the evenings I don't have a lot of time to dialog with my artist friends. I was hoping for a book that would provide that kind of thought provoking questioning and maybe provide some answers every once in a while. What this book offers is kind of a checklist on techniques and painting elements. It was an enjoyable read for the money but when I tried to self-evaluate one of my paintings against the author's suggestions I really didn't get any "problems" solved. I guess it helped me identify specifics, but knowing something is amiss does not always translate into the best way to rectify or improve. Another small downside of the book is that all of the illustrations are of the author's paintings. He seems like a competent fellow, but if you are writing a book to instruct, you want to find the best, most thoughtful examples to reinforce your point(s). I'll keep on my bookshelf for future reference, but it didn't rock my world. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2012 by Armak
    • 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
    • Great insights for oil painting!
Format: Hardcover
I have read through and used this book to address my weaknesses in my quest to become a better oil painter and become comfortable referring to myself as an artist. It is clearly written in understandable language and proper illustration to support the topics. I am very pleased with this purchase and feel like I have turned into a corner because of it! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2021 by Edward Howland

Can't find a product?

Find it on Amazon first, then paste the link below.
Checking for best price...