The Bottom Line
Pros
- Enables you to learn to get the most from all the types of mediums to use with the paint.
- Not about how to paint a particular type of subject, but how to use acrylic to its full potential.
- Written by an painter who also works in acrylic paint design and production (for Tri-Art).
- Don't need to have read the author's first book.
Cons
- If you're into realism, note that example paintings are abstracts or expressionist.
- Tiny type size used on the index. (I'd enlarge it on a photocopier and stick on the page.)
- Don't expect step-by-step demos, it's about the uses and techniques of acrylic paints and mediums.
Description
- Paperback book. 192 pages. ISBN 9789823099269. Published by Watson-Guptill 2009.
- Author Rhéni Tauchid is part of the product development team at Tri-Art, a Canadian paint company, and practicing artist.
- Chapters 1 & 2 teach you about acrylic paint: how it's made, its properties and characteristics, the terminology.
- Chapter 3 looks at what acrylic mediums are, the types, and outlines their uses.
- Chapters 4 & 5 deal with essential materials and supplies, and shopping for these.
- Chapter 6 is all about basic techniques with acrylic mediums, and chapter 7 is "beyond the basics".
- Chapter 8 looks at conservation and environmental issues surrounding the use of acrylic paints.
- Then there's a glossary, bibliography, list of materials resources, short author bio, and index.
Guide Review - New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook by Rhéni Tauchid
If, like me, you know that all sorts of things can be done with the all sorts of acrylic mediums that exist but haven't explored their potential much but would like to, then Rhéni Tauchid's New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook is a great resource for seeing what can be done. You could treat it like a recipe book, dipping in to try something new for today. Or you could work through it from start to finish to learn basic and advanced techniques that acrylic mediums offer.
It's not a book with step-by-step photos showing how to paint particular images, but rather there are photos showing what particular mediums and particular techniques produce as well as photos of finished artworks. It's a book packed with technical information on how the mediums work and what you might do with them.
Don't be put off by the T-word; it's written in an accessible style that you'll be able to understand. It's by learning about the properties and characteristics of what you're using that you are better able to understand the potential for creating art with the stuff. To paraphrase a sentence from the introduction: it's rooted in science and tradition, but fun.
I think it's a book to read if you truly want to master your medium as an acrylic painter. For instance, it explains why you should use a high quality medium if you're wanting a gloss finish with a glaze, not just how to get a gloss finish. (It's got to do with the micro-pores water leaves behind.)
If this all reads like I'm raving enthusiastically about the New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook, well I am. While a lot of the information isn't entirely new to me, it's presented in way that's enjoyable to read. It reinforces and reminds me of stuff, throws out new info, provides technical know-how, and makes my fingers itch to experiment more with mediums.
