Mastering the Art of Oils, Acrylics & Gouache

A complete step-by-step course in painting techniques, with 25 projects and 750 photographs

Learning to paint using oils, acrylics and gouache requires training in specific painting skills. This practical guide is an ideal introduction to all three media for beginners, as well as including exercises and projects to challenge more experienced artists. The introduction details the materials and equipment necessary before demonstrating key techniques such as wet into wet with gouache, impasto with acrylics, and glazing with oils. There then follows 25 beautiful painting projects ranging from landscapes and portraits to still lifes and abstract canvases. Step-by-step photographs guide you through every stage, enabling you to paint with confidence.

Discover the pleasures and practicalities of painting with this fully-illustrated artist’s manual. A how-to introduction to all aspects of painting with oils, acrylics and gouache, from beginners to intermediates, with full technical instruction. There is guidance on the most common paint techniques with small-scale practice exercises to try, including wet into wet, drybrush, alla prima, glazing, scumbling, impasto, and removing paint. The 25 original full-scale step-by-step projects cover a range of popular subjects and treatments, from a simple study of a young child and a sun-dappled woodland path to a sweeping beach landscape and a sleeping cat.