Portfolio: Beginning Composition: Tips and techniques for creating well-composed works of art in acrylic, watercolor, and oil (Volume 10) (Portfolio, 10)

Kimberly Adams hits it out of the park again! This book goes into the various components of composition from creating movement, contrasting values to positive and negative space and perfecting the background and everything in between. She breaks down paintings by showing the various components at work and how different things affect the outcome. I have all her books and this is clearly another gem!

One of the best books on composition that is colorful, exciting and won't put you to sleep. Easy to read and take in. Highly recommended.

This was particularly useful for helping select a perfect palette for a painting. She uses a lot of Holbein colors, which is what I use, so I found it more helpful than similar books.

Very clear and concise information on composition, useful even to a photographer like me.

This book is not only beautiful, it is designed so that a beginner can follow the step-by-step instructions. It is visually stunning.

After the introduction Kimberly Adams turns her book "Portfolio: Beginning Compositions. Tips and techniques for creating well-composed works of art in acrylic, watercolor, and oil", published by Quarry Publishing Group - Walter, into five main chapters: 1) Getting Started, 2) Composition, 3) Planning a Design, 4) Subjects of a Design, and 5) Turning Photos Into Extraordinary Paintings. She underlines the importance of the right place, the right mood, and the right frame of mind for the artists to create their works of art. She explains what composition is and shows with examples the difference between - good - better - best. Tips and comments that accompany the presented artwork are a valuable help for the readers to understand the author's instructions.The book presents itself with a great design and marvelous photos and illustrations. It really can be an inspirational tool for artist who work with watercolor, acrylics, or oils and makes also a great gift. The step-by-step instructions are also valuable and a help when the artist wants to reproduce the presented pictures. It can be highly recommended although the very complex examples might be too difficult for beginners.The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.#PortfolioBeginningComposition #NetGalley

Portfolio: Beginning Composition is a tutorial and theory handbook by Kimberly Adams. Released 5th Nov 2019 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and available in paperback format.This is a beautifully designed and accessible book with a lot of valuable technical information for artists and draftsmen who work in different media. The introduction (~15% of the page content) covers studio setup and space, working conditions, tips and advice, tools and supplies, and -very- general tips (one page) on techniques of practice, sketching, and thumbnails.The following chapters cover composition, planning a design, choosing subjects, and using reference photos for paintings. Throughout the book, the illustrations utilize several different artists' paintings and compositions to illustrate the lessons. (References to the artists' online presence are contained in a links list at the back of the book for further research).There is a lot of theory and complex composition contained here and the author does a good job of making it accessible to the reader. The composition chapter, for example, contains a good discussion of contrast, value, positive and negative space, and perspective. The lessons are well illustrated without being overly complex or off-putting.This would make a good addition to the artist's personal library or a support text for a classroom unit on art history, composition, and similar studies.Five stars.Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Most painting books start with a list of supplies and explanation for color theory. Kim also had great tips on how to be sure you have the right proportions for your drawing before you start painting. When she discussed value she showed a photo of the value finder she uses. It would be better if she provided a link on where to purchase one.I like the good, better, best technique she used to explain how you choose a composition. Showing three examples of the same subject and explaining why the composition was best, helped me understand what to look for in my own paintings.I enjoyed the instructional painting book and would recommend it for both beginner and advanced painters.I received this galley from NetGalley.

I found this book really useful. I've often followed painting tutorials, and wondered 'why did they tell me to use this particular colour?', or 'how can I make my own pictures hang together as well as this?'This book has all of the answers. It also has the distinction of being the only art instruction book I've read every page of: a real gem.

This book gives me confidence in what I am doing with the different medium (Acrylic paint), I tend to use. 👍xx

This is an excellent book that explains how to overcome problems of composition. Can recommend.