Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction)

I couldn't put this book down! He talked about the change from everyone being a craftsman to everyone being educated and throwing out opinions and what he thought that did to society. "Homemade thought is going out of fashion like homemade bread." He talked about the thread of Western art of outline and shading coming from a felt sense of things and the Impressionist vision coming more from the Eastern way of recording the way light hits the retina. He suggests bringing the insights of both into a new art form. He stresses the importance of concentrating separately on form, tone and color. He gives great exercises for tone and color leaving you to read his previous book, the Science of Drawing for form exercises. He talks about squinting down to see simplified tone relationships and paying attention to edges on block-ins. His commentary on modern art is mostly not complimentary (although he points out its merits) believing that technique still matters. I enjoyed reading it because I agreed with some of his insights, found others amusing, and was reminded of the importance of a good self check between opinion and arrogance. He promotes loose compositional sketches and working from your own imagination and inspiration alongside rigorous technical training because both are important in creating a piece of art that is not just about peculiarity or technique but a truly timeless piece. I even loved the chapter on materials because the history of art materials fascinates me. He threads through the book the importance of following intuition. I felt like this book was a letter to my soul from someone living in a time in history that intrigues me and I got to hear what he thought of the changes in art education, in the vocation of most people due to industrialization, and in art itself. I agree with another reviewer that Richard Schmidt's book Alla Prima is a great one and I think maybe a little more practical than this one for its broad scale of advice, information and problem-solving, but Harold Speed's goes into the techniques of the old masters that didn't necessarily paint Alla Prima, like using terre verte underneath portraits and how to play the cool and warm against each other through stumbling, glazing, etc. This book is well worth the price and I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this book very much, in spite of the writing style of the day. The author knew his subject and was able to convey it to the reader. I've been painting for forty years and he had pointers and tips I have never seen or read anywhere else. I have put some of those into practice, and feel that my paintings are better for it. Even with the run on sentences and the not so humble opinions interwoven into it, this book is a valuable addition to anyone seriously studying representational painting, and I don't think it any more biased than many books written about painting which favor modern or non representational art.

After years working as a visual development artist for film, I still find the best resource in regards to teaching conventional art are found in the writings of the past. Such greats as Andrew Loomis, John Vanderpoel, George Bridgman and Harold Speed held firm to strong principles not found today in most art teachers. The foundational principles of tone, texture, color and drawing taught in unity---skills that have been forgotten by many art schools across the country. This book is like finding an old Jedi master who teaches the principles which were once so widely taught. Mr. Speed's commentary of several paintings of the old masters inspired me to look for the lost edges and tonal variations often times over looked. I read this work from cover to cover. I knew much of what was in the teaching before hand but was drawn into the presentation of so many foundational disciplines taught as a whole to create beautiful art. Well documented. If you think art is burning a flag(...)this book is not for you. If you think art is a medium to uplift the human soul by the means of expressing tones, edges, drawing and color to the highest level of emotional impact this book is for you. It contains many insightful truths which will help you on your journey. The price of this book is a deal considering the amount of information that's packed inside. I highly recommend this book to serious students and professionals who will enjoy the information contained within these pages. If you are a teacher please read the contents and pass this book on to your serious students.

It takes patience and perseverance to read this book, but it is worth the effort. The writing is verbose, as was common at the time of writing. At first I skimmed the book, thinking it didn't seem very good. But some good points caught my eye, so I went back and read it more carefully. There is a wealth of helpful information in this book for some one like me, who is just starting out with oil painting and who has been struggling to find good instructions. Now I have read the book several times, and each time I get more out of it. I have also completed the painting exercises, carefully following instructions, and have found them to be valuable.

I didn't know what to expect but in previewing several of the pages, I expected to learn something more about another artist's method and I wasn't disappointed. Every artist uses a technique that works for him or her and Speed did a very good job of describing his method very well. I don't necessarily look at when the books are written as I believe all the better artists in any period have something to offer. Speed did very well in this book.

This book is a standard in a number of classical studios or ateliers. Get past his (justifiable) fuming about some of what was praised as modern art, and study the technical instruction. I have been rereading parts of the book for eight years. New understanding of oil painting comes with each reading. If there were but one reference book on painting I could have, this would be it.

not the easiest read, but by far the most enlightening and all encompassing of this genre of books in regard to seeing, composing, growing in your art. Slightly dated in a few passages, completely contemporary in most. Speed makes explicit and validates the self-talk and thinking/questioning processes painters (namely myself!) go through while painting.

This book was written at the historical turn from Impressionism to Expressionism. Speed's opinions about the transition are often indignant, yet poignant, and are a very interesting and informative example of the shock and opposition to the birth of pure abstraction. Once past that, he launches into a primer on oil painting as it was taught in his time. Even though I have been painting for years, I found in his writing a fresh take on what some would consider to be outdated instruction. A major drawback to this edition is the horrible reproduction of the images from the original text. Speed relies heavily on them and they are impossible to look at. Since they are mostly instructional demonstrations created by Speed, they cannot be accessed online as one can do with the classic works he references. His writing will be the only thing you will take away from this text, but is is still worth a studied read.

Fun little book with lots of text. So if you're a visual thinker like me, this book will be a challenge since there are no visual images in it to help explain.

Still after more than 1 year I read and reread important passages and use the examples for my own exercises. The book is a treasure for everyone who wants to dig deep into painting techniques, e.g. light and shadow, forms and values and oil-painting techniques. When I first got the book I ploughed through it like a madman, intrigued by the author's knowledge. Then I reread it more slowly, marking pages and exercises, which I then executed (some repeatedly). I really can recommend this book - although the images are indeed quite bad (the author also is aware of this and apologizes throughout the book ;)). But as the exercises and examples are just meant to give the reader an idea for her own studies it is a lot more appropriate to set up real life models, statuettes, sculptures etc. An example of how the book reverberates in me might be the following: Harold Speed explains how to paint light and dark with a small statuette of a horse head (of which there is a picture in quite poor resolution). His intention is to use something more or less simple, where the painter doesn't loose herself in the forms. So the exercise can even be done without a real model. But: I know that painting from photographs can help a lot, but in order to get a feeling for the values a model in 3d is a much better solution! So, last weekend (more than a year after buying the book) I found a wonderful little statuette of a horse head on the flea market. And thus I now got the perfect model to do this exercise. To me this book is a long term companion and I'm grateful I found it. The quality of the pictures doesn't diminish this in the least. I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

Firstly, who was the author?... Harold Speed studied painting at the Royal Academy Schools between 1891 and 1896. In 1896, he was elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1893 and throughout his life. He died in 1957, but remained to this day an important reference for scores of artist oil painters. This book, of which I just bought a second copy - the first was lost accidentally - is an excellent reference, which deserves place of pride and honour in any artist oil painter's bookshelf. Harold Speed delivers great teaching in the book, and his text is both a reflection, a lecture on a variety of subjects within the Oil Painting media technique. The reader is not obliged to agree with everything Harold Speed says - I beg to differ too, on a number of views - but that is besides the point. The point remains though, that his observations are valuable and he gives excellent clues, in particular, on the Technique of Painting, Tonal Values, Colour Theory, Tone and Colour Design and Painting from Life. Additionally, he adds priceless notes on the techniques of Velasquez, Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough, Franz Halls and Rembrandt; and I cannot even begin to tell you how INVALUABLE these observations truly are. Harold Speed also included a chapter in his book, entirely dedicated to Oil Painting Materials and their appropriate use, a very useful addition to any oil painters of all abilities. I note some of the less favourable comments here on Amazon... Perhaps these reviewers had a different set of expectations. The book is not intended to provide a tutorial, but rather elaborate at length on all the different aspects of oil painting as a fine art medium, which will resonate better with oil painters who already have some experience and now seek a more in-depth book. I recommend it. I lost my first copy accidentally and decided to buy a second copy as a replacement, because to me, Harold Speed's text is valuable and offers sound advice on multiple points of oil painting technique.

期待通りの商品だったので なにも不満は感じていません。 汚れやしみはほとんど無くアンダ－ラインや書き込みも有りませんでしたので、気持ちよく使用しています。

This book is a joke!!! Over a photo caption that says ‘A beautiful example of the primitive manner of colouring’…. There is a photo in Black & White (See attached image). In a book that, at least, 3 of 12 chapters are dedicated to colour… ALL images are in black & white. Disappointing!!!