A guide to drawing and painting abstract art. It explains the techniques needed for creative expressionism through to fully abstract paintings. It reveals unusual colour and texture techniques to create with watercolours, acrylics and oil paints. It presents ten projects that highlight the progression from initial inspiration to a finished work. This is an innovative, practical guide to drawing and painting dynamic abstract art. It explains the techniques needed for creative expressionism through to fully abstract paintings. It explores subjects using colour, texture and composition, as well as the moods and emotions they invoke. It reveals unusual colour and texture techniques to create with watercolours, acrylics and oil paints. It presents ten step-by-step projects that highlight the progression from initial inspiration to a finished work.

Create 20 beautiful abstract works of art in acrylic and mixed media using exciting new techniques and materials. Petra Thölken's practical and inspiring book includes 20 beautiful abstract works of art explained step by step, including variations and tips for readers' own designs. For some of the projects, there are links to her popular video instructions, showing readers how she created the individual painting. All the basics for the perfect introduction to painting with acrylic and mixed media are here, with colour theory, techniques and materials presented in an understandable and concise manner. Petra uses exciting new techniques and materials and encourages readers to familiarize themselves with getting to know the paints and the mixing of shades. Get your ideas flowing with Petra's inspirational advice and find out how to approach your paintings in different ways.

Would you love to take your art in a new direction? In Abstract Art Painting, you will enter a realm of tactile, intuitive excitement, combining pastel and acrylic to achieve results as unique as you are. You'll learn how to explore the use of color theory in abstraction and to use underpainting to bring structure and depth to your art. In addition you'll begin to understand how to work in a series and how this can help you develop your own personal style. A sampling of what you'll add to your creative toolbox: • Pastel and acrylic techniques to use to complete your own paintings • The benefits of expressing your ideas abstractly • How to loosen up by using your nondominant hand and drawing to music • Ways to express emotions through mark-making • Using color and symbolism for expression • Working with photos for inspiration • Tips for using color studies Step into your own abstract frame of mind today!

Discover abstract painting with acrylics! "If you approach your art with a playful attitude you will be more apt to keep making art, and the more art you make, the better your art will be." --pg. 10 Like a diving board for creativity, Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting will help you plunge joyfully into artmaking. With the belief that an attitude of playfulness is key to artistic growth, award-winning acrylic artist Jo Toye leads you on an engaging workshop-style adventure filled with innovative techniques, inventive approaches and breakthrough results. • Work Small. Start by discovering how working on a small canvas yields big payoffs. When you don't have anything to lose but a few minutes and a little piece of paper, you'll find that you paint more fearlessly, absorb new concepts faster and enjoy yourself more. • Step-by-Step Instruction. Learn what tools Toye finds most useful in making art, along with 17 step-by-step demonstrations showing how to use them to best effect. • Start-to-Finish Painting Projects. At the heart of the book, 8 start-to-finish painting projects put it all together. Discover fresh takes on stenciling, sponging, making and working with gesso. Use razor blades and applicator bottles to create distinctive linework. Achieve wonderfully original patterns using resist pens, mouth atomizers and India ink. Experiment with Clear Tar Gel, pour paint with pipettes, work over top a "failed" painting...all yielding brilliantly original results. Heavily illustrated and filled with exciting ideas you won't find anywhere else, Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting will inspire you to paint, experiment, play...and come away with some of your best work yet!

Build on the techniques of the great abstract artists to create their own innovative new work. Clear, comprehensible sections let artists focus quickly on their specific areas of interest. The first section, on Traditional Painterly Abstraction, using brush and easel, looks at pictorial space, brushwork, paint quality, and college. The second section, on Post-Painterly Modern Abstraction, considers options ranging from the pour-and-spatter techniques of Jackson Pollock to the staining, scraping, and abrading of modern acrylic artists. Step-by-step recipes for key approaches show artists how to get the best aesthetic results.

As the interest in non-representational art grows and artists become more adventurous, this important book helps the reader make the move towards abstract art through the use of colour – the hallmark of Claire Harrigan's work in mixed media. Fantastically illustrated throughout and with sound technical advice, the book includes stunning finished pieces and step-by-step demonstrations. The book covers: How to Make the move towards abstract art and semi-abstract art; How to use colour to shape your abstract art; Analysis and selection for abstract art with guidance on simplification, distortion and exaggeration; How to emphasize elements such as line and shape as well as colour; The application of abstraction to a range of subject areas, including still life, flowers, buildings, figures and landscape, and how they evolved from the original inspiration; Choosing and working with different media – acrylic, gouache, watercolour, oil, pastel and collage – and how to combine media. Hardback edition 9780713490558.

Celebrate your own nonconformist place in the world of art. Going far beyond standard notions of developing an abstract "style" or particular "look," Creating Abstract Art unleashes the numerous possibilities that abound in your creative subconscious. Familiar obstacles such as "I don't know what to paint" or "How do I know if this is good?" are easily set aside as you explore fun exercises such as connecting dots, automatic drawing, shadow hunting, working with haiku poetry paintings and much more. So turn off the noise in your head, follow your own instincts and delight in what emerges! • 40 exercises exploring original ideas and inventive techniques for making abstract art. • Projects can be done in any order and with nearly any materials--start working right away on any project that grabs your attention! • 50 contemporary artists share diverse work and viewpoints on the process of working abstractly. Write your own artistic license and start Creating Abstract Artyour way, today!

Discover a fresh, fun approach to painting unique flowers! Forgo reference photos and discover a more organic and joyful way of painting! With its friendly step-by-step format, Painting Imaginary Flowers features a simple, three-stage approach to creating flowers only you can make... 1. Drop in color (ink, watercolor or fluid acrylics) to create abstract backgrounds full of beautiful textures and "blooms." 2. Just like spotting shapes in the clouds, search for shapes in your background that suggest blossoms and leaves. Paint around them and watch the flowers emerge! 3. Add patterns in pen to create a lovely, faux collage effect. With plenty of mixed-media techniques throughout for building up luscious texture and color, even beginners can achieve happy results. Ten demonstrations show the versatility of this approach--from large-format pieces, to work in a series, and even Zen doodle landscapes. Never again will you be stuck for ideas or dependent on a photo. Every flower you paint will be unique, personal, and fresh from your imagination! Let your imagination blossom!

Splatter, stamp, scrape, repeat. A quick-start guide to beautifully layered and textured abstracts! While there are many approaches to painting abstract art, Jodi Ohl's philosophy is to simply start. In this book, the successful, self-taught artist helps you "dive in with an open mind and fearless heart." Everything inside is geared toward kick-starting your creativity: • An exciting series of 22 fun-to-follow, step-by-step projects. • A tantalizing variety of approaches and inspirations for applying and manipulating paint, crayons, pencils, ink, paper, photos and more. • Quick and loose exercises for building a library of ideas, color palettes, patterns and designs to use in future paintings. • Loads of practical advice, including how to stock your studio without going broke, the five must-haves mediums, and how to finish and protect your artwork. For beginners eager to get to the "good stuff" and for artists looking to expand their repertoire, it just doesn't get any better. Every action-packed page will have you trying something new and pushing your boundaries! Make marbled acrylic skins * Add a stain * Discover instant gratification with Yupo paper * Achieve the wonderfully aged look of image transfers * Play with graffiti-style art * Experiment with gel mediums * Incorporate non-commercial add-ins like eggshells and netting * Create incredible abstract landscapes and cityscapes * And so much more!

From impossible shapes to three-dimensional sketches and trick art, you won't believe your eyes as you learn to draw optical illusions in graphite and colored pencil. Perfect for beginning artists, The Art of Drawing Optical Illusions begins with a basic introduction to optical illusions and how they work. Jonathan Stephen Harris then guides you step-by-step in creating mind-blowing pencil drawings, starting with basic optical illusions and progressing to more difficult two- and three-dimensional trick art. Perspective and dimension are difficult to capture for both beginning and established artists, but now you can hone those skills in the most unique way possible, while also exercising your mind with these brain-boosting, unbelievable tricks!