The premise of this book is exciting -- using bold strokes to paint. And the detailed instructions have lots of detail about color mixing. Beyond that, this was not the book for me -- the projects mostly seemed unfinished rather than bold and there was little on how to step out of micromanaging the paint strokes and move into using bold strokes instead.

I chose this book because I like that it is a medium that is diluted in water, I am allergic to solvents. In addition, the artist is very prolific, she has a page with many of her works. I have practiced with watercolors, but wanted to experiment with more vibrant colors, such as acrylic. It seems to me that it is a very versatile medium and as it is opaque it is easier to learn than watercolor, and when using the thick medium you can create textures similar to oil.

This book focuses on practical content, with 11 projects explained step by step to paint expressively, playfully, fluidly and obtain results quickly. The variety of subjects is good, from an abstract painting, landscape, birds, flowers, a cat portrait and stack of bowls.
I am happy with the results I obtained when I started in this medium with this book, I really liked the choice of the author's color palettes.

Beautifully illustrated and choked full of information and step-by-step projects to help you on your way to painting in acrylics.

Thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for free with no strings attached! The artwork is beautiful however the instructions are not for a beginner like me 3/5 would recommend to the experienced.

Absolute Beginners can paint with acrylics
Angela Marie Moulton, an artist who specializes in oil and acrylic painting presents her book "Brushstrokes: Acrylic. Effortless painting with minimal tools and materials which was published by Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster. The book an be divided into two parts. The first part contains four chapters: 1) Introduction, 2) Getting Started, 3) Choosing Colors, and 4) Painting Techniques. The second part contains eleven step-by-step projects. Moulton uses thick brushstrokes for bold art which is an appropriate approach for beginners since they might not have the skills yet for fine and detailed work. Instead of a color wheel which is often found in books about painting Moulton uses a color chart examples approach which might be more helpful for the beginning artists.
"Brushstrokes: Acrylic" is a book that is geared toward those artists who are absolute beginners in using acrylics and it accomplishes it's goals. I highly recommend this book for this group of artists, but even an intermediate artist can still learn from it. The book contains great graphic and art. Moulton also listed tools and palettes for the various projects which is additionally helpful.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#BrushstrokesAcrylic #NetGalley

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Brushstrokes: Acrylic is a wonderful resource for artists of all ages and skills. Beautifully photography and concise instructions make the book extremely helpful.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended

A lovely book for expressive acrylic painters. Ms. Angela's work is fresh and unique. While I would've preferred a few more demos, there is quite enough in this book to get you started on your acrylic adventures.

I received a review copy of #BrushstrokesAcrylic from #NetGalley

This is a good book for ultra-beginners, but if you already know a bit about painting this might not be the book for you. I'd say the overall quality of the finished projects from the tutorials is about on par with the "wine and paint" events at bars/restaurants or even a little less advanced, definitely not quite on the level of an actual beginner art class. Aside from tutorials on specific paintings, the book also includes educational information about all of the supplies that go into painting, working with colors, painting techniques, etc. The author uses language that's easy to understand, and there are corresponding illustrations for each instruction so that readers don't end up lost or confused.

While I've been painting for years, I have recently tried to change to a 'looser' style, which is hard to do, but this book really helped. The step by step tutorials helped to to let go and start moving toward a bolder, looser style!
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

Brushstrokes: Acrylic is a tutorial and technique guide by Angela Moulton aimed at beginning artists. Due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.
Walter Foster are familiar and loved by readers everywhere for their specialized technique tutorial books and this one follows the same format. The introductory chapters (~15% of the content) include tools, supplies, brush anatomy, a little color theory, some technique basics, palettes and choosing colors. The rest of the book contains 11 step by step tutorials for specific subjects. These really are projects which almost anyone can complete. The author has a calm and positive teaching 'voice' and the projects are simple but appealing (see cover).

There are no links or bibliography included and no index. In fact the book ends so abruptly I wasn't sure that I had gotten a full review copy. (I had). The artist author is adept and certainly talented with the medium she uses and her instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Four stars.

A great introduction to painting with Acrylics. Simple designs with easy to follow instructions will give the most novice painter the confidence to tackle each project with ease.

I have two sisters who are gifted in painting, and I relish witnessing their work. At times, I have been walked through painting projects, but my creativity is more often found through knitting. 

This book appealed to me, though, because I still like to dabble in other crafts, and I found it to be an excellent resource for those wanting to explore acrylic paints. It begins with helpful background details such as what type of brushes are helpful and shares the differences in acrylic paints, then it moves onto how to prep the canvas. The projects offered build on each other; while you could begin with a later project, you would benefit by skimming the earlier ones so as not to miss out on the offered guidance along the way.

My skill level is best classified as motivated beginner, but I find creating to be a restful, rejuvenating time. These projects all felt accessible to me, and the broad strokes and colorful images had me wishing I wasn't reading the book late at night so that I could dive into my craft room for supplies. 

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

The instructions in this really are easy enough for a beginner to follow. My favorite part, though, is that each of the paintings in this are bold and blocky and while there is a little bit of intricate detail in each one, overall they are meant to be slightly abstract in a way that a beginner can avoid getting too hung up on details.

I'd never really learned painting techniques in spite of taking art classes in high school. Since I given a set of paints as a gift, I was looking for some guidance. And this book fit the bill. The opening pages provide a basic introduction to brush types, brushstrokes, color theory, and image construction. While the rest of the book is instructions on painting specific images the concepts are easily applied to your own ideas.

This is very well done. Good instructions and techniques, beautifully laid out. Nicely cover a lot basics, including use of color. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for allowing me to give an honest review of Brushstrokes: Acrylic by Angela Marie Moulton with a gift eBook copy of this book.
I'm fairly new to acrylic painting and thought this book would be full of helpful tips and instruction to improve my skills. I believe this book is a useful tool for the absolute beginner. I learned a lot about technique and have been able to adapt what I learned to create pieces in my own style.
Overall, I found this book helpful and will keep it in my art instruction collection for reference.

This vibrant addition to the arts and crafts bookshelf shows you how you, with bold strokes of colour, can paint chubby birds and juicy lemons. There’s lots of useful information on tools, techniques and colour mixing too.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I liked this book a lot!! It has something to offer for those starting out with painting, acrylics or otherwise, as well as experienced painters looking for new inspiration. You can choose to create each art work in the book, using the clear step by step instructions, or use it as a guide and make your own changes and experiment with colour and technique.
I used it for physical painting but the children I work with also tried out the techniques on a drawing and painting program on a digital tablet, with digital paint, with lovely results.

I absolutely love this book the tutorials are very well done and the artwork is inspiring. I highly recommend this as a beginner it is a great resource to learn basic techniques and skills. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

I was pleased to receive this advanced copy from Quarto Publishing thru netgalley.. I have just received the latest copy of International Artist (Feb/March 2020 edition) and recognised this artist from the cover of this book. So my interest in the artist was doubled.
This is a brilliant introduction to Painting in Acrylic, more than that it is a brilliant introduction to colour theory and abstract images. The examples given are easily followed and replicated. The subjects themselves are quirky and full of character. I believe that art is in making and not in the critical review. Simple abstract representations are of equal value to photorealism. If you wish you could paint but believe you can’t then this book will change your view of your abilities. Because you can paint and this book will help to make those first tentative marks. Enjoy by doing!