Venice in Acrylics (Ready to Paint)

March 09

The Ready to Paint series are a really useful addition for artist wishing to practice painting techniques without worrying about the drawing first. Each book carries several drawings ready for tracing and once this step is done the artist can follow Wendys' easy to understand instructions to complete a beautiful artwork.

She gives an overview of all the materials needed for each project including the colours she uses. Many people are confused by acrylics seeing them as between watercolour and oils but they are a very useful addition in their own right for any artist being so versatile. Wendy shows us in this book how to use them in loose light washes and how to overlay them letting colour from beneath show through. In this way she creates some sensitive and atmospheric scenes.

The five inspirational projects included in the book use a variety of different techniques that once practised will be useful for future artworks. They are very easy to follow as Wendy clearly explains and illustrates each step. Each one focusses on a particular element of Venice such as the canals and reflections and the gondolas. These illustrations truly embody the spirit of Venice as we think of it, and the student will create a painting to be proud of. Having completed the book the student will have a good grounding in how to use acrylics in a soft and loose way.

An inspiring book for any artist, containing useful information for painting in acrylics in a subtle way with some excellent demonstration outlines.

April 09

OK, now I'm beginning to get scared. This series has turned out much better than I'd expected and has gone down very well with painters in general. Much of its appeal lies in the excellent execution - done badly it would have been barely more than a glorified painting-by-numbers game, but the idea of being freed from the tyranny of the initial drawing has worked and that's good. But tracings of a real place? Isn't that cheating? Well, maybe, but Venice is the Mecca for the artist and not everyone can get there, so the idea of an armchair guide does make sense. How you explain the resulting artwork on your wall is up to you; Wendy's keeping schtum on that one. The five demonstrations will give you a good selection of the classic Venice scenes, including the Rialto bridge, the Grand Canal and the inevitable gondola. If you want to paint Venice and your travelling is all done firmly from your armchair, look no further, the world is coming to you.

June 09

Ready To Paint are a series of unique books designed for beginning artists who want to paint, but whose lack of drawing ability is holding them back. Each book concentrates on a different popular subject for paintings, and contains six reusable tracings plus full instructions on how to paint the pictures. This title shows you how to paint views of Venice using acrylics.

What news on the Rialto? Along with the famous view at night, you can also paint pictures of reflections in the water, gondolas and a view of the Grand Canal. It is easy to see the appeal of these lovely scenes and their vibrant, sketchy quality adds to their vigor and interest. You don't need many supplies to take up acrylic painting and the basic range of colors is quite small- encouraging for a beginner not wishing to spend too much. This series has covered many subjects for watercolour painting, and now it is the turn of acrylics, the most versatile and modern of paints. Unlike Charles Evans' Landscapes in Acrylics (also reviewed on this site), these projects do not each outline a different aspect of working with the medium but just show how to paint the picture. Both methods are useful, and if I were a beginner I think I would want to have a go at each to see which I learned the most from. Each of the five projects (you are on your own for the sixth as always) is explained in at least twenty stages, starting very simply and adding a bit more each step with a brief explanation of what is going on. This is a grand way of mastering painting a picture, and it is nice to see a more unusual topic for one of these basic primers.

Wendy Jelbert is a teacher and professional artist who works in pastels, oils, acrylics, inks and watercolours. She enjoys experimenting with different ways of using mixed media and texture and her sometimes unconventional methods often produce surprising and original results.
Wendy is a tutor at West Dean College, West Sussex. Follow this link to view her tutor page https://www.westdean.org.uk/CollegeChannel/Tutors/TutorProfilesandWork/WendyJelbert.aspx
Wendy lives in Andover, Hampshire.