Mar 10The Ready to Paint series are a really useful addition for artist wishing to practice painting techniques without worrying about the drawing first. Each book carries several reusable drawings ready for tracing and once this step is done the artist can follow Geoff's easy to understand instructions to complete a beautiful artwork. He gives an overview of all the materials needed for each project including the colours he uses. Through out the book Geoff's enthusiasm for New York and the superb buildings it contains shows through. He tells us he and his wife had discussed coming here many times but this was their first visit and his paintings show that freshness of eye. Geoff is well known as a landscape painter and explains that he has always enjoyed adding buildings into his scenes. However in this book the iconic New York buildings take precedence over the landscapes and accompanied by the typical street furniture seen there along with cars, foliage and figures to create the street scenes seen every day in this busy city. The five inspirational projects included in the book use a variety of different techniques that once practised will be useful for future artworks. They are very easy to follow as Geoff clearly explains and illustrates each step. Each one focusses on a particular element of New York buildings, from the sheer scale and drama of Brooklyn bridge and the Empire State Building to the soft and gentleness of the famous Central Park in winter. Geoff's simple use of watercolours allows the beauty of the constructions to shine through in a subtle and understated manner making for a very pleasing composition. His instructions to use the tracings as a guide and not a bible mean that the artists is encouraged to make their own changes to create a very personal painting. Of course this also bridges the huge gap between following a demonstration and setting out full fledged into creating one's own work and is a valuable step in the art journey. An inspiring book for any artist containing useful information for painting buildings with superb absorbing demonstrations.
