Realistic Abstracts: Painting abstracts based on what you see

Bought for inspiration. Fits the bill perfectly. Excellent quality photographs of other artist's works. I look and read the contents often. It would make an excellent coffee table book.

This is a lovely book - interesting and beautifully produced, and I'd want it even if I never painted.But I do paint, and the book contains many ideas and directions for those of us who are fighting to free ourselves of slavishly following 'what is there'. But it is not so abstract that people would struggle to understand what is being depicted. It is a kind of halfway house in that respect. Inspiring.

I have always painted realistic pictures but when I found this volume it really changed my perspective. The work of several well chosen artists is reviewed and appraised very competently by the author. It is a delight to read and the colourful illustrations chosen are a feast for the eyes. This is a truly inspirational book that will intice an artist away from realism, away from the photo references we cling to and into the world of abstractions, seemlessly, and before you know it, you too could be experimenting with colour and form and your imagination.

I have only dipped into this so far

Interesting book which I bought after seeing at a friend's house. Doesn't exactly give you step by step instructions, but does explain the theory of how to do them, plus gives lots of insight into colours and how they work together. Lots of nice pictures as examples, and as a crafter, rather than a painter, many of the techniques mentioned are ones I use already. It's a nice book to have, but for a non-painter it's a little confusing at times, though not being restricted by any structured art training myself, it's maybe easier to produce abstracts than for someone who has been trained in more precise techniques.

The front cover, and a few of the illustrations inside, are very interesting and to my eyes fall under the category of "realistic abstracts". However most of the book consists of water colours that look to me more like preparatory sketches than finished pieces. If they were my attempts I wouldn't be happy to show them, much less publish them in a book.To that degree, they didn't inspire me, and inspiration is the stated aim of the book.That said, I can certainly use and develop some ideas from the book and at a cover price of £12.99 even if I take away only one idea it would be worth the money.

i stumbled upon this book by chance - i was not even looking for a book. but when i flicked through the pages tears started rolling down my eyes, in the middle of the art store. in a word, it is sumptuous. the paintings left me feeling weak-kneed and aching to paint like that. every painting is like a song, inspirational and uplifting. all my life ive wanted to paint like that, but couldnt put my finger on it. the paintings are all there in my head, but i was never able to express them onto the paper. i am hoping that time and this book will help me achieve that.this is probably the only painting book which i have read cover to cover (most books i skim). most abstracts tend to be in oils and acrylics, so it is really refreshing to see so many stunning works of abstract art in watercolour. i know i will be drooling over the pages of this book every day for many many days to come.this is not an instructional manual, and gives away very little about technique and tips. it fairly assumes that the reader will approach it as a source of inspiration, and is not aimed at a total beginner. while i am not looking for volumes of instruction, a little bit more detail than what has been given (at least for one or two paintings) would've earned this book five stars.if u r looking for a book that tells u how, dont buy this. if u r looking for a book that shows u what - what is possible if u persevere - dont think twice.

Bought this on a whim whilst browsing.... It must be fate, I feel like this is the book I've been waiting for! It clarifies and make sense of the confusion in your head when you know in essence how you want your paintings to look and feel but can't quite pull it all together! Read it in one sitting and now feel inspired.If you're a beginner looking for a book on technique, this is not it, and it's not about realism. This is about composition, using marks and colour to create vibrant impressionistic paintings expressing how you feel about what you see or simply putting paint onto paper and seeing what happens. Liberating!!

I hadn't clued in that it was all about watercolor but still quite useful and I was able to use some information for oil painting. A nice book.

As an ex secondary school head of art I have a lot of experience in evaluating art books, and this one is a winner. Definitely worth buying and learning from and some of the illustrations are world class, especially the one featuring chickens .. Semi abstract work is very much more accessible for most people and I believe everyone will be rewarded with new insights. The focus on watercolour and acrylic will encourage those who have limited experience to attempt new techniques and ways of thinking about their work.I found this to be a very honest and practical book, unlike very many others concerning abstract painting out there, some of which I really should offer a critique on!

Für alle Aquarellisten die ein freies Arbeiten schätzen, ein wirklich tolles Buch das zumindest bei mir das Verständnis und den Horizont für die Aquarellmalerei enorm bereichert hat.

Simplesmente maravilhoso, incríveis os trabalhos e as explicações. Vai me ajudar muito em termos de técnica e experiência. Muito obrigada

Fantastic book. I enjoyed reading and learning about abstracts. The writer knows his stuff and has lots of helpful tips..