Abstract Art Painting: Expressions in Mixed Media

good book for painting/color

I just recently bought this book and it has been somewhere around me since. I find I learn so much and get such inspiration when I read even a small section.I was suprised to see how much pastel is mentioned. The author uses acrylics and pastels to make her demonstrations.Abstract Art Painting is a bit flimsy of a book. All the pages have a matt finish as oppossed to glossy. However, the book is well made but not expensively made.Lastly, where this book lacks in pysical charater it makes up for in quality and quantity of information.I'm learning so much about art in the easiest, clearest ways.The excersises are very doable and fill me with inspiration.I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of or starting out in abstract art.

Awesome book - loved everything - instruction, pictures, motivation. Do not hesitate to purchase no matter what medium you prefer.

This was a nice art book to read and I rarely read art books, I just buy them for inspirational pictures of art. Debora Stewart's words were helpful. I have been painting abstractly for years but it has always felt more stressful than I think it should. Her ideas and suggestions have been helpful in making my painting practice less stressful and more intuitive and honest. I bought the kindle version. My complaint with that version is that while I can change the size of the print I can not change the size of the artwork and so all of Debora Stewart's lovely work is shown in a small thumbnail size on my tablet. She does beautiful work and I would have liked to seen the examples larger and in more detail. My one suggestion to Ms. Stewart is that she expands her own color palette, she does love her oranges and purples and they are in every one of her examples. Her work is very distinctive due to her palette so I recognize it anywhere. If you want to see larger examples of her work you will have to go to her website and Pinterest. I do think this book would be useful for anyone starting out with abstract work or for artists who want to gain more enjoyment and freedom with their abstract work. This book does not do example projects in a step by step fashion so that you end up creating a piece just like the artist's which I think is not the point of abstract art, instead you learn steps toward making your own artwork. Thank you Ms. Stewart

for my desired way to approach abstract ways of trying to work… (I am not a fan of the bright colors, but one can do their own colors), to the doodle like approach to the compositions, from finding their own mark and carrying them further. It includes techniques with different materials, combining them, underpaintings, loosening up, etc. It is well illustrated and takes you through the various steps to the finished works.

This is a very good book for anyone interested in creating abstract art. The color photos are beautiful and the text by the artist is very informative. I received this book as a gift and was immediately impressed.

A good guide to get you started painting expressively.

Nice book, simple, easy to understand

When I decided to purchase this book, I had no idea what to expect or if I would even be capable of actually enjoying it.All I wanted, was a book that could help me understand the concepts behind abstract artwork and to gain an insight into how to create abstract art.Having now read the book, I would thoroughly recommend it without hesitation, especially if like myself, you have little knowledge of abstract art and how to go about creating your own abstract artwork. It is a well written book and discusses some really useful processes designed to inspire your own abstract creations using mixed media.I also loved the variety of artwork by Debora Stewart, which was used throughout the book, to demonstrate clear examples of the different approaches that were being described.It is certainly a book I am so pleased to have purchased!

For years I've shied away from painting abstracts because I've not found the guidance I need. This book provides both guidance and inspiration. A joy to read and admire!

Fabulous, best abstract painting instruction/ideas book I have come across yet. The author/artist does concentrate more on pastels but covers other media too as the title states. Inspiring ideas. A few 'lost in translation' issues, as I find with many American writers, (why do they claim to speak English?) for example, what does she mean by 'newsprint'? Is that American for cartridge paper? But all in all, a great book.

Just what I wanted to encourage me to be more adventurous with different materials. Really useful instructions and tips, helpfully illustrated, and nothing frightening.

Just what I have been looking for! A beautifully illustrated book on abstract painting. Informative text, ample explanations and informative. Photographs are large and the abstracts depicted are stunning. The tutorials are well laid out and easy to follow. Very inspiring!