Beryl Appleby -Artist - Designer - Demonstrator

Here is a list of some of my favourite books and books for inspiration!

If you wish to purchase any of these please click on the title or the picture of the book below. This purchase will be made in Association with Amazon.co.uk

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The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain By Betty Edwards ISBN: 0007116454 HarperCollins 2000 Buy this book	The phrase 'But I can't draw' is said so often when students take up painting. This book gives an understanding as to why students can't draw and how to take steps to improve. The exercises are impressive and the results are fantastic. Anyone who reads this book should be able to produce a drawing of which they can be reasonably satisfied. A book which delves into the psychology of drawing creatively. An excellent read / draw and read again.
Blue and Yellow don't make Green Michael Wilcox ISBN 0967962870 Collins 1990 Buy this book	When starting to paint, colour mixing is akin to some kind of coded recipe which needs a key to unlock the code! Frustration soon mounts up when a particular colour is difficult to mix. This book shows why a certain colour will not mix successfully and how to obtain the colour that you need. A very useful book to learn the techniques of colour mixing. Every student needs to read this book at least once.
Painting Spectacular Light effects in watercolor Paul Jackson ISBN 0 89134 916 2 North Light Books 2000 Buy this book	Portraying light is difficult especially where glass is used.This book shows step by step approaches. Reflections on glass, musical instruments, water can be daunting at the best of times but this book is inspirational for artists with some experience. A wonderful book to have and to constantly look through.
The Art of Illusion - A Trompe L'oeil Painting Course Janet Shearer ISBN 1 58180097 5 New Holland 2000 Buy this book	Having confidence to tackle larger works take a fair amount of determination and perseverance. For many this artists this can be daunting to say the least. This book takes you through the design ideas, to scaling up and finally to painting.Techniques of painting stone, clouds, waves etc and gives confidence, especially when a list of the required colours needed along with the painting equipment. A book full of ideas.
Painting Wild Life Textures. Rod Lawrence ISBN 0 89134669 4 North Light Books 1997 Buy this book	When painting wildlife reference material is absolutely essential. With reference material there are many times when a certain angle or pose is needed and to have it to hand does make life easier for the artist. To read a book which gives methods in painting fur, eyes, scales, feathers, claws and in various mediums is different and challenging. An extremely useful reference book.
Fill Your Watercolours with Nature's Light. Roland Roycraft ISBN 1 58180039 8 North Light 2001 Buy this book	This is mainly a landscape painting book although flowers are covered. The use of light in paintings together with the shadows makes paintings stand out from the crowd, providing that the shadows are really dark and the lights are light. By pouring on colour for the first time it does take courage but by persevering with this technique unusual effects can be obtained. It is certainly a book that requires the artist to experiment if the pouring technique has not been tried before.
Water how to see how to paint it. Patricia Seligman ISBN 071347934 5 Batsford 1996 Buy this book	This book is a superb book in dealing with all aspects of water from flowing streams to white water. It also shows demonstrations in various media by various artists and how to capture the effects. Reflection and shadows are dealt with and to a certain extent are simplified which makes for an enjoyable read. I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in painting water even for the experienced painter there are still many aspects to learn.
Painting crystal and flowers in water-colour Susanna Spann ISBN 158180031 2 NorthLight 2001 Buy this book	I received this book a few days ago and could not put it down. It is thought provoking, inspiring and full of beautiful images that makes you want to get out your paints and try a few of the effects. I have always thought of crystal as a challenge but this book takes each element and makes it appear simple ! My marbles will come out of the cupboard again !! My glasses will be polished and flowers picked.
Exploring flowers in water-colour. Siriol Sherlock ISBN 0713480246 Batsford 1998 Buy this book	For anyone who loves painting flowers this book is must have. There is an accompanying video which when I first saw it , left me stunned. Key areas covered are wet in wet, wet on dry, softening, mixing colours and using masking fluid. Useful tips are given together with various ways of showing texture. A must have for the library.
Paint the sea and shoreline in Watercolour Using Special Effects e. John Robinson ISBN 1929834 11X International Art Publishing 2001 Buy this book	There is nothing that E.J. doesn't know about painting the sea. This is a super book on how to paint water successfully.As with all art, the key to success is observation and E.J. shows how skilled he is when understanding waves. Colour too, is keenly observed and although water is generally observed to be mainly blues and greens there are some surprises in store !! Atmosphere, sunlight and composition are covered in depth. A wonderful book for those people who do not live near the coast and for those who do, this is a book which will enhance your observation skills.
Two in One Watercolour Joe Francis Dowden David & Charles 2000 ISBN 0715310836 Buy this book	A very unusual book as it is divided into two sections-techniques and projects. In the projects a list is given showing the various techniques used to complete the painting. A great help when you are undecided which technique is best. The techniques section covers all the various methods of achieving different effects from using salt to soap and to gum arabic. Painting water is difficult at the best of times but Joe makes it look easy with his step by step projects. I thoroughly recommend this book for the studio.
Keys to Painting Trees & Foliage edited by Rachel Rubin Wolf David & Charles 2001 ISBN 0 7153 1246 4 Buy this book	The use of many different artists with many styles of painting trees and foliage makes for a very interesting book. The demonstrations are clear and many techniques are covered. Even the fun techniques leave one wondering dare I try!
The Art of Nature Photography Niall Benvie Watson-Guptill Publications 2002 ISBN: 0817433112 buy this Book	This is one of a few books that I would consider truly inspirational. The photographs are taken by a professional photographer and the pictures are stunning. Sometimes artists do need to look at inspiring pictures to enable them to have ideas for painting, this book did that for me. The range of subjects covered is from flowers in close up to birds, animals and fabulous landscapes. The artist cannot fail to be moved when viewing these pictures. There are also hints and tips for taking good photographs yourself, if you are so inclined and even to "doctoring" some shots with a computer! When I first had this book out from our library I had to go and buy it! All credit must be given to Niall Benvie for all his hard work in taking such stunning photographs.
Painting the effects of Weather Patricia Seligman North Light Books 1992 ISBN 0 89134 486 1 Buy this book	Mist ,wind, fog, rain, all are subjects which tax the artist. This book shows how many different artists tackle such demanding subjects. Step by step demonstrations are a great help to understanding as well as the various media employed. A wonderful book to browse while waiting for the paint to dry!!!
The Quick and Easy Guide to Photographing Your Artwork Roger Saddington ISBN 1581802838 Buy this Book	Any artist owning a camera should be able to take good quality photographs . With Roger Saddington's book, he leads you through buying a camera, choosing film, lighting and setting up a studio, to photographing your artwork. Having taken the photographs Roger also takes you through getting the film processed, assessing the results, and also presenting the final photographs. All in all a very good book for any artist who wants or needs to photograph their artwork . There is something to learn for all photographers from the beginner to the experienced photographer
Painting Animals on Stones Lin Wellford ISBN 0855328843 Buy this Book	The transformation of something ordinary to something special has to be seen to be believed. Lin not only shows the various steps in painting images on stones but also useful hints and tips in using some flawed stones. A fascinating book and has made me look at stones in a different light !

Beryl Appleby

Artist - Designer - Demonstrator - Teacher

Books