The New Acrylics: Complete Guide to the New Generation of Acrylic Paints

The book as a whole was just okay. It gives lots of good technical information on a beginner level. That was not my gripe with the book at all. Here are my main complaints:1) The project ideas. The steps and pictures are lacking. The ideas are good, but need more step by step pictures and instructions. This is supposed to be a beginners book and I think the projects would lose most beginners. They also seem to use more materials/colours than the first time painter would have on hand.2) The information on acrylic transfers is absolutely laughable. There's not one mention of the fact you NEED to print the image mirror of how you want it to appear on the canvas for a direct transfer. There's also no mention of what type of printer you would want to use (inkjet is typically not recommended for most types of transfer - the exception is a printer using DuraBrite inks, but that's a little more advanced than the scope of the book). Quality of paper is not mentioned once either. I could see people spending large amounts of time on the project that accompanies the chapter with absolutely no success due to these simple oversights.A better beginners book is  The Acrylics Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist . While it doesn't deal with a lot of "whimsical" or "abstract" things, it is a great book with information and techniques that will be invaluable for your journey into acrylic.

Just wanted to write a review because the title doesn't give you much info as to what's in the book- I bought it just because I love acrylics and there aren't many books on the subject compared with other mediums. Much of the book is about textural acrylics- acrylics made thick with mediums. They really get into showing you many photos of obscure working methods like cutting up sheets of tinted (dry) acrylic gel into squares to make a mosaic or how to make a stained glass panel with transparent acrylics. This is a very good book for learning about the paint itself, what it's made of, what effects can be achieved by manipulating it, how to do silkscreening, monoprinting, and acrylic transfers. You won't find any paintings of flowers in this book! If you love acrylics this is the book to broaden your horizons. :)

Not what I expected. I am 1\2 way through the book and all it does is give considerable detail to the acrylic paints. I don't care what it is consisted of. I just wanted a book to tell me what acrylic mediums and texture products to use and what they were good for. The author is very detailed and knowlegeable of the product. But the title of the book and even looking inside led me to believe it was a good book for instruction on how and what to use it for. Not that kind of book.

First of all, I really liked this book. It has loads of information on media, color, use and technique presented in a clear and conversational manner. It is the perfect stepping stone between the cutesy intro books to acrylics that can't serve as a reference and a purely academic tome on the chemistry and development of the acrylic media. There are lots of art books that go for cheap in the used arena ( I bought a few as I just jumped into acrylics) but this one is a keeper.

This is the best "Anything Goes" book ever! There are lots of beautiful - and sometimes strange - illustrations using various objects, layering and thick mediums. It is great for someone who wants to go into the dreamish realms of escape! It is not just flat artistry. It has the bumps of creativity with all of the wild colors! No one could make a mistake with this type of creativity. It would be great for beginner's who are first experiencing acrylic mediums because it goes into detail about how to mix and layer. This book is spectacular!

At first I didn't really think I needed another book on painting, but since I have been using acrylics more lately, I then realized it just might come in handy. This author has an extensive technical knowledge of her products that is very refreshing, and which gave me insights into how and how long the acrylic dries and how it mixes with other mediums. She also points out that using the cheaper big-box store brands may not be as cost effective as I thought. Also, knowing that the substrate is extremely important is going to guide what I paint on from now on...

I am still re-reading parts of this book - perhaps for the 4th or 5th time. It has given me so many new ideas about how I can use acrylics for whatever I want to create. It may take me a lifetime to try them all out. I think I will be keeping this book handy for many many years to come. I am so glad I read the reviews - as that is what convinced me to buy it - not the technical information about what the book contained. If you are looking for inspiration - this book has it!!

This book is just amazing! Full of information and detail on the different techniques you can use with acrylic paints. This book will really open your mind to this medium and show you how to get some really amazing effects. I first saw this book over my friends house and he let me borrow it. Within a few hours of reading it, I ended up ordering a copy for myself as it is a definite must have. It goes over mediums, gels, textures, etc.. Too much to list. If are you serious about acrylics I would get this book!

This book is very informative about the new generation of acrylics a must for any serious artist using this media. It is not so instructional but more technical showing how acrylics can be used both as a painting medium and as a material for other artistic endeavors. A really useful addition to any artists library.

Excellent reference book

this book is what you need

This is a one-stop book that tells you all about acrylic paints and how to use those mediums that look like so much fun to play with. It's a great reference book.

Love the book - Being an oil painter for years - it de-mystifies working with Acrylic paints. It explains the different paints, mediums and techniques in a understandable manner. I am excited to try working with acrylics. I recommend the book.