What an awesome little book on my favorite two subjects
sketching and watercolors. I found many useful tips in this book but I really
enjoyed the history of paint. It was incredible to read about where all of the
beautiful colors came from and where they come from now. I was really surprised
that to make purple in ancient times it was made from “the secretions of a
small sea snail” and to make “3.5 ounces of dye 100,000 snails sacrificed their
lives”. This purple was also the same dye the Romans used to dye their togas.
Even more interesting was the color green. Green used to be made with toxic
“metal oxide such as copper oxide dissolved in arsenic”, which meant that if a
artist happened to lick or chew his paintbrush it would have cost them their
lives. Shocking I know but I guess that is why green is always associated with
poison. My favorite little fact in this whole book was that Napoleon Bonaparte’s
choice of wallpaper killed him in the end because it was green; all of the
wallpaper was “treated with a dye that contained arsenic”. The history of paint
really surprised me I had no clue that there was so much history there and that
in modern times we really take for granted the beautiful selections of paints
that we have available to us today.
5/5 This is a really neat book. It is really pleasing to the
eye with all the unusual ink and watercolor artwork. I liked the art because it
was different and it kind of reminded me of one of my own styles that I like to
use. I also discovered that this book gave me a confidence boost and I realize
now that it is okay to have an unusual style because it is mine and I should
just let go more and let the paint do what it does. I would highly recommend
this book to watercolor artist because it made me want to be my unusual self
because being different has it advantages when it comes to art.
G-rating for all readers alike
FTC-this novel was sent to me by Blogging for Books for review. I
received no compensation for this review.
Amazon ~ Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color by Felix ScheinbergerFor more on this book:
Urban Watercolor Sketching Press Release, More Info, Author Bio~Lizzie~
Even in your small post you've packed a lot of information. Nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mystica it was a neat little book.
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