What a fantastic book! I absolutely loved it! 'How to Draw Cool Stuff ~ Pencil Palette, The Masters Edition' is the perfect step-by-step guide to help children learn about and practice drawing from some of the greatest artists. The artists featured in this book include Vincent Van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer, Georgia O'Keefe, Katsushika Hokusia, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Cecilia Beaux, and Gwendolen Mary John.
Two pages are dedicated to each piece of artwork. On the first page, the title of the piece of art is accompanied by the name of the artist. It specifies when the artist created the artwork. An artist's biography follows. It then gives an interesting fact about the artist. After that, it describes something that makes the artist famous. At the end, it asks you a question about the art. This page also includes a picture of the artwork. Children are given step-by-step instructions on how to recreate the artist's work next to the artwork. The second page will contain a reproduction of the artist's work, in some form. The page will never be blank. It always gives outlines, partially completed works, dots-to-dots, and color-by-number outlines.
The painting 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' by Johannes Vermeer from 1665 is an example. During his lifetime, he painted around 36 paintings. Vermeer is known for purity of light and form.
Match colors with the color palette provided with paint, crayons, or colored pencils. Where there are softer edges, such as the cheek, blend the colors softly together so there are no hard lines. The white of the paper can represent her pearl and collar, and the white of her eyes. There is a color-by-number component to the artwork. This gives children the ability to recreate 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' without drawing it.
Another example is Edgar Degas' 'Dancers Practicing at the Barre', circa 1877. Degas was a French Impressionist.
As the children study Degas' figures, they are instructed to notice how he uses perspective to create the basis for the figures. On the recreation picture, the dancers are colored and the background has a very faint coloring. Children are asked to draw the barre, the floor board, and the floor. It highlights gaps in lines and vanishing points. After that, children are to finish the painting using yellows and browns. A fascinating fact about this painting that I was unaware of. On the floor, bottom left, there is a watering can. When the ballerinas danced, they sprinkled water on the floor to keep dust down.
It is most definitely not just a book for children. Anyone who enjoys learning about artists and recreating art will enjoy this book. This would be equally enjoyable for adults. The book is targeted at children ages 8-12. I would recommend this book for middle school and above.
Disclaimer - I received this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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