Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist

I was glad to find this older book. Very inspiring work!

in order to use this book comfortably i put it into tupperware with baking soda for a couple of months and still couldn't get all of the mildew odor off of it. just finished reading it and wrapped it in saran wrap to keep it from contaminating any of my other books. too bad this book is no longer in print. it has all the basics of painting presented in a folksy, easy to understand manner, great illustrations, and a sense that harley is really rooting for you to succeed. i would freely recommend this book to anyone learning to paint and also those who already know how. as for the seller. zero quality control or maybe just doesn't care about taking money for damaged goods. (let me clarify - no visible damage to this book, maybe no one there has a sense of smell. this thing literally stunk the place up when i received it) my recommendation is get the book, but don't get anything from this seller - warehouse deals, inc.

I felt the cover was a little beat up for the price. With that being said I love the content and the pages were in good condition.

I never have read a book that tells you not to get cozy and get back in the studio (art room for some of us!) and keep it open. He does pastel but includes all the different mediums. I leave it open like he said and when I get to a point where I want to chuck the painting I read a part of the page I am on and I come back ready to try again. He is so open and honest, with humor in tack. I carry it around the house when I have a (little few)breaks and read more and more. When I get too certain steps, I can go back and re-read some of it and then inspiration hits again!! This is by far the most motivating and helpful book, with artist block, lol! that really makes you think without telling you, you have too. I highly recomend this to anyone who gets stuck or just gets tired of fixing the same spot over and over again! He lifts you up and pulls things out of his work and then you can see where it fits in your own. Thank you for writing this book for us, who sometimes need a little vision!!

Well written and very helpful.

Fantastic look into the thought process of an accomplished artist. Mr. Brown gives you the concepts and ideas you need to create better quality work. And I do think the concepts apply to "abstract" art. The problem is most abstract artists resist anything that might 'hinder' their creativity (Yes, that is an opinion). Things like knowledge or developing a skill through hard work. The truth is even if you're spewing paint at a canvas from 30 feet away with a super-soaker while riding a mechanical bull in your birthday suit, some of your 'art' will look better and feel more complete or finished. Why is that? Because somehow the concepts of design or of dominate value or dominate color, etc.. are satisfied. Maybe it would happen by accident but knowing the concepts will help you separate the good pieces from the unworthy or help you to know when you're done. This is not a How-To Paint Book or How-to draw or whatever, this is a How-To-Think-As-An-Artist book. Awesome book. I wish there were more from Mr. Brown.

I could not find a publication date. Maybe 2001??? Cover price is $29.99, I paid $59.10 (with shipping) and got 144 pages. Alla Prima by Schmid has 317 pages for @100 (with shipping) , is jam packed with lots of useful information ("eternal truths") and is probably more useful. I wonder why Eternal Truths has not been reprinted. There are 12 chapters and everything is well presented. He explains some things in a different way which I think helps me understand it better. The illustrations demonstrate the point he is making.Alla Prima is a 4-year in depth course, and Eternal Truths is a short course. I'm keeping it for my use because it's perfect for my short attention span.

I got this for my sister, who is an artist, so I'm kind of writing the review as someone who bought this book for someone else, because they gushed about it FOREVER (I'm being literal here, as in YEARS)She was very happy when it turned up. She tells me that some artists don't like it, because of the colours used - something about crayons?? IDK. However, she really likes it, not because of the colour choices, but because of the techniques showcased in the book. - She first saw this book when she was at art school, and had been drooling over it ever since. I bought it to stop the drool. :)

Even if Harley Brown's style does not match your own, you will gain so much from this book. I've bought a few art books and been disappointed with some, feeling that I didn't learn anything. But this one is well worth getting, whatever your style or medium.

This book really is full of tips and techniques to help you improve your art, everything from working with edges to building excitement in your paintings. It's also full of useful ideas like Harley's cheap and dirty way of getting started and 30 magic solutions to common problems and much more, all of it good clear and informative, well laid out and beutifully illustrated.But the real joy of this book is that Harley seems to spring to life right in front of you. It's a wonderful book to read, it's so enjoyable and immediate you'll find yourself looking around expecting to see him in the room. He grabbed my attention from contents page of the book and didn't let go! In fact I felt as if he'd grabbed me by the scruff of the neck as he talked and propelled me into the studio to start painting. Fantastic!

An amazing book,mother in law had been looking far and wide for this book raved and was excited about the arrival.Came early and was not disappointed,lovely second hand condition .The new family heirloom as she calls it,her art bible.

My favourite book.Interesting and informative.Great examples of Harley’s work and great tips from years of experience.Worth every penny.

The book was in fair condition , but as it came from deleted library stock many hands must have turned the pages. It was fairly expensive both to me worth every penny.