Book Review: Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists by Ann Baldwin

I am ambivalent about this book. I really like a lot of the artwork in this book but do not like some others. Only a few though. It is a composition/layout issue. I figure that's how I'm supposed to feel about art - I like it or I don't. I do like the composition and the texture. I also like her color palettes. This is the first book where I have encountered mixed media composition addressed this way. She not only discussed it with examples but talks about what about this and what about that. That is great for collage artists. I think this would be a great book to give my niece who is just starting out in art. It would be a great reference book for her. Oh, she's not getting this copy. I'll have to get her another one!

I did like the section on encaustics. I don't do that much but it was an interesting read. Besides a couple of points that I did not personally agree with in the book, I think this book is a keeper. It is full of good tips and it tries to answer your anticipated questions. It has some good techniques in it. Techniques are brief. Pictures are very large and detailed. What do you think?