Patti Brady's "Rethinking Acrylics" has proved to be even better than my (previously reviewed) favourite, Nancy Reyner's "Acrylic Revolution, and that's saying a lot. As an artist, I have changed from pastel work to painting abstracts in acrylics, and I could not have developed the unique textural and reflective effects I wanted without the help of Patti Brady's book.
One comment claims that most artists use only acrylic pigments and water. Maybe hobby artists do, but to create finishes that professionally replicate the beautiful effects of traditional mediums like oils and encaustics, it is necessary to go further than pigment and water alone. For example, there are artists like myself who do not have the correct ventilation for using encaustics. Patty Brady demonstrates an exciting "faux encaustic" using acrylic pigments and mediums that solves the problem and looks very like the real thing.
Another challenge is in creating vibrancy and light. It is not possible to use ten to twenty glazes to achieve light refraction and depth without using the unique effects of acrylic mediums. And if you want to "float" objects in successive transparent layers, the use of an acrylic medium is essential. Brady covers all these techniques and more.
Regardless of whether you like Patti Brady's style of art or not, she has the use of acrylic mediums down to a fine art. If you want to learn to exploit acrylics to the full, this is definitely the book. And it does show work in progress from other artists who demonstrate creative uses of acrylic pigments and mediums in very different styles.
While the book does focus exclusively on Golden Artists Colours, it is possible to adapt the techniques to other quality brands. The emphasis is on quality. It is impossible to achieve the same effects (as Brady does) by using cheap substitutes. I have also found Golden Paints much more user friendly than other brands in regard to toxicity. Despite initial price, they are economical because they have a high chroma and so go a long way. No, it does not cost $50 dollars to complete a painting with Golden Paints" as one commenter claims. My most recent work was 39 inches x 45 inches and the Golden Products I used would have cost me less than $15 (and some were specialty products.)
There are no "cheap gimmicks" in this book as one critic has claimed. It is the ability to achieve the visual statement you want that determines choice of paint medium. "Rethinking Acrylics" has helped me achieve results well beyond what I had initially hoped.
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Reviews with images
Exciting and Informative
I bought this book 5 years ago. Painted off and on since then. It has traveled far & wide with me, nose in France. When I first bought it it didn’t mean so much to me but I loved playing with mediums and heavy body paints. This year I picked up the book and understand it. This painting I did in the attached photo includes using acrylic skin done using the laser printer. All the doors Patti is opening for me with this book.... joyous and challenging!!! Thank you for writing this Patti!!
Top reviews from other countries
ACE
Another useful book on acrylics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2016
Celynne
An Amazing Book of Acrylic Techniques for Every Artist
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2011Mrs. R. B. Evans
Exciting Acrylics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2010