One of the most unexpectedly useful things we can do when we're feeling glum or out of sorts is to look at pictures. The best works of art can lift our spirits, remind us of what we love and return perspective to our situation. A few moments in front of the right picture can rescue us. This is a collection of 100 of the world's most consoling and uplifting images, accompanied by small essays that talk about the works in a way that offers us comfort and inspiration. The images in the book range wildly across time and space: from ancient to modern art, east to west, north to south, taking in photography, painting, abstract and figurative art. All the images have been carefully chosen to help us with a particular problem we might face: a broken heart, a difficulty at work, the meanness of others, the challenges of family and friends We're invited to look at art with unusual depth and then find our way towards new hope and courage. This is a portable museum dedicated to beauty and consolation, a unique book about art which is also about psychology and healing: a true piece of art therapy.

The nude has inspired artists for centuries and continues to inspire us today. Alongside a historical study of the nude in painting, this book introduces oil paint and gives advice on techniques when using this challenging and rewarding medium. Capturing the beauty of form and the delicate colours of the figure, it celebrates the powerful images that examine human relationships, personality and psychology. Some of the topics included in this book are instructions on materials, the colour palette and stretching your own canvas; the practicalities of working with a model in the studio; colour-mixing exercises that explore colour relationships and temperature, and finally step-by-step examples that demonstrate the progression of a painting.

Delving into Frederick Sandys's unconventional life, Betty Elzea's research reveals much about his complicated and often scandalous relationships. Born and educated in Norwich with an artisan background, Sandys was bohemian by nature, though from necessity, to the world at large, he appeared genteel and respectable. Unfortunately disorganised, un-businesslike and preferring to live alone as a bachelor in lodgings, he struggled to support two growing families of illegitimate children. From youth, developing skills as a draughtsman and painter, he moved to London, meeting Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelites and their associates, while keeping a foothold in Norwich where he maintained friendships and enjoyed the support of the Norfolk gentry and several notable Norwich industrialists. Norfolk landscape painting and nature studies led to commissioned portraiture which became his main source of income. He is known for depictions of beautiful women in legendary disguises as well as meticulously-detailed portraits of elderly women. He also pioneered a new type of large-scale portrait drawing in chalks.

Take your plein air artwork to the next level through easy-to-understand workshop-style lessons and skill-building exercises. In Plein Air Techniques for Artists, award-winning artist and respected workshop instructor Aimee Erickson demystifies how to capture a variety of light effects and guides you in strengthening your plein air skills through practice. This accessible book covers: Materials and gear. Gain a basic knowledge of the possibilities so you can keep your options open and your plein air process fresh. Composition and value. Explore the impact of proportion, color, value, line, edges, shape, and texture. Color. Consider how knowledge and intention, your color palette, and what you see-your perspective-take turns being in charge of the color game, inventing rules and finding solutions. Light effects. Learn how conditions of the day-how much light there is, and whether it's soft, diffuse, golden, harsh, pale, or dusky-affect everything we see and how we paint. Design and the visual idea. Discover strategies for developing a visual idea, from creating serial studies to working with a camera to improvisation. Featuring exceptional still lifes, figures, and landscapes by other noted artists working in a range of mediums, Plein Air Techniques for Artists gives artists at all levels of experience the guidance they need to grow as a plein air artist. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.

Learn how use oil paints with this clear and simple guide. Accomplished artist and teacher Norman Long explains all the basics and shows you how to master this versatile, vibrant medium so you can produce beautiful paintings full of life and color. Oils has a handy front section covering all the practical stuff, from choosing the right materials to essential techniques. 10 step-by-step tutorials each broken down into key stages range of subject matter from still life to landscapes to figures clear step-by-step photography and instructions includes special features on painting people, painting outdoors and composition tips and practical advice to help make the most of your paints

Create nine lustrous and captivating little works of art with this unique introduction to oil painting. Acclaimed artist Estelle Day demonstrates all you need to know to embark on your oil painting journey from what paints and supplies you'll need to essential oil painting techniques. Beginners will build confidence by working on small-scale, still life painting projects designed for canvases measuring no more than 10cm (4in). Also included are outlines for you to trace so you can get started right away! Easy Oil Painting is the perfect beginner's guide to working with oils and mastering this luminous and exciting medium.

Each year between 1819 and 1825, John Constable (1776-1837) submitted a monumental canvas to the Royal Academy of Arts in London for display in the annual Exhibition. These so-called six-footers vividly captured the life of the River Stour in Suffolk, where Constable grew up and where he returned to paint each year. The Leaping Horse, the last of these, now a major work in the Academy's collection, is the subject of this fascinating new book. Humphreys explores Constable's often avant-garde working methods, as well as his struggle to gain full acceptance within the art establishment of the early nineteenth century. With reproductions of his full-scale preliminary sketches as well as brand new photography of the painting itself, this book is the ideal companion for art lovers who seek a deeper appreciation of Constable's iconic depictions of the English countryside.

Learn to capture the beauty and drama of the sky. A good sky is the essence of successful landscape and seascape paintings. This practical book covers everything you will need to know to paint a sky that captures the mood and atmosphere of a scene. With over 200 paintings, it explains techniques, demonstrates the painting process including step-by-step instruction on painting in oils with the alla prima technique. Advice is given on using alternative colours and creative interpretations and gives ideas to inspire and develop skills and a personal style. There is also detailed instruction on equipment, tone, composition and perspective and finally, practical advice on painting en plein air and travelling light.

The book is a study on Dutch painting, drawing and printmaking of the 17th century, focused on interlocking its descriptive realism with the visual strategy of illusion. The author analyzes this relationship as a conjunction rather than an opposition. Illusionistic compositional devices were current not only in mythological, biblical and allegorical images but also in proper realistic representations of the world. At the same time, many visual inventions, which included illusionistic concepts, were presented with persuasive realism of the forms. Thus, different seventeenth-century Dutch artists - such as Hendrick Goltzius, Hendrick Vroom, Rembrandt, Vermeer - attempted to produce "open images" and to conduct a visual game with their beholders.

Water-mixable oil paints offer all the qualities of traditional oils – rich pigments, buttery consistency, long drying times – but with one remarkable difference, there is no need for solvents! This book will encourage and inspire beginners and provide them with all the skills and knowledge they need to produce successful oil paintings. It starts with an introduction to the medium, and explains what water-mixable oils are. This introduction is followed by several sections on materials, preparation (how to care for your brushes, storing your paints, and so on), colour (selecting your basic, or capsule, palette), mixing the paints and preparing your surfaces. The first project explains how to explore colour in order to paint in the style of Vincent van Gogh. There are then five longer projects that touch upon the themes of abstraction, still life, landscapes, buildings, and working from a photograph, all of which capitalize on the rich qualities of the paints.  Each project is accompanied by a clear list of materials needed as well as top tips and skills practised; Sarah also interjects with useful anecdotes and words of wisdom garnered from her experience working in this vibrant and exciting medium. At the end of the book, the reader discovers how best to store and transport finished paintings, especially if the paint is still tacky to the touch, and how to frame a painting for impact.

Artists who wish to explore the world of painting with oils en plein air will love the freshness and vibrancy of the work in this book - as well as the expert, down-to-earth advice of its author. Award-winning artist Haidee-Jo explores the appeal of working outside with oils and the enormous benefits it can bring in terms of personal well-being. She also shares her techniques to allow the reader to invest their oil artwork with light, motion and life. With dozens of Haidee-Jo's artworks to provide inspiration to the reader, and clear, step-by-step demonstrations throughout, this book provides both an expert guide to the challenges, opportunities and fun of painting outdoors; and provides an insight into the working methods of this dynamic artist.

Over the centuries, landscape painting has attracted countless artists. Its diversity, enhanced by the weather, special lighting conditions and seasonal change, offers the painter an infinite variety of subject matter. Oils are an extremely versatile and immediate medium, enabling artists to express themselves in a variety of creative ways. They are relatively easy to use, suitable for both the beginner and the more experienced painter.

Oils give a rich, majestic quality to a painting but may often be deemed too tricky or ambitious to try. This practical book puts the joy of painting with oils within reach of all who want to develop their skills. Examples of landscape, marine, nude and equestrian paintings will inspire and show the rich diversity, texture and depth that oil painting can achieve. Written by a professional painter, it encourages artists of all levels to experiment with the medium and to develop their art.