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Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: As a beginner I regret having bought this book. Its content is too subjective, and has nothing to do with color mixing formulas
or theories. This book is like a step by step painiting excersise book with about 10 examples or so, nothing more. Very little substance.
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for artists in all mediums!!
Review: I just received this book for Christmas 2002 and I have read it and re-read it! It has a wealth of information and is even a good reminder for those who might not have painted in a while. It helps you attain effects that you want and gives some step-by-step descriptions to help you understand what the author is talking about. I find that the information on casting shadows and the information on focal points most helpful. Helen Van Wyk also helps you to dimensionalize your art. Once you have read this book you will not look at colors in the same way. "The 4 Questions" will have you looking at art completely different. Don't paint without it!
Rating:
Summary: A must have for artists in all mediums!!
Review: I just received this book for Christmas 2002 and I have read it and re-read it! It has a wealth of information and is even a good reminder for those who might not have painted in a while. It helps you attain effects that you want and gives some step-by-step descriptions to help you understand what the author is talking about. I find that the information on casting shadows and the information on focal points most helpful. Helen Van Wyk also helps you to dimensionalize your art. Once you have read this book you will not look at colors in the same way. "The 4 Questions" will have you looking at art completely different. Don't paint without it!
Rating:
Summary: great novice manual!
Review: This is a great manual for beginning and intermediate painters. It is arranged in a rather unusual way: by paint color. Within each chapter there are step-by-step paintings showing the color's usage. While I found the the organization odd at first, I quickly grew to appreciate it. There are colors I never would have thought to put in my palate, but seeing them in action was very valuable. Likewise, having a blended value scale for each paint was wonderful! What I found most valuable as an beginner/ interm. painter was being able to see a variety of paintings in stages. And not just "one, two, three, boom its done" like many books, but really layer by layer. She touches on a couple of different styles, discussing glazing as well as her painterly approach. This book also has valuable reference pages discussing (and displaying) color scales, color temperatures, earth tones, blending tricks, etc. It touches on portraits, backgrounds, and a variety of other related topics. I have read a number of other basic painting books, and this is my favorite. I have also seen (and own) other of Helen van Wyk's books, and while they are nice, this is by far the most valuable (and it includes some paintings and sections repeated in other books, i.e. portrait painting and color mixing bits).
Rating:
Summary: A very practical reference book on oil colors
Review: This is a very practical reference book on oil colors, as I see it. The author covers briefly materials in oil painting, then goes straight to discussing colors on her palette, including (but not limited to) Thalo Yellow Green, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red, Burnt Umber, Sienna, etc... For each color, the author expresses her points using a step-by-step demo of painting subject matter. In addition, the author also throws in discussions on drapery, flesh colors, themes, colors of metals, etc... What a treat! This is how I vision readers can benefit from this book: 1) For those who'd like to get their feet wet with certain colors, step-by-step demos will guide them through important steps to create realist excercise painting in the book. 2) For those who'd like to "break the rules" (if any), this book serves as excellent examples of what colors can be used for what materials (metals, earth, wood, etc...). Knowing all these, breaking the rules is even more fun and unique. 3) For the rest, it is a very practical reference on oil colors in terms of knowing what the "final colors" may look like in the context of a painting, even without getting "down and dirty" to try and mix them. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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