Member Reviews

This is a good beginner's acrylic painting book with many projects, starting with simple paintings and advancing from there. The majority of projects are regular painting but the last chapter has projects on household items such as wooden bowls and canvas shoes. I would recommend this book to an adult beginner who is just trying to figure out how to paint.

Was this review helpful?

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great book for beginner artists and anyone who has wanted to paint but feels intimidated by all the different supplies and mediums there are.

Was this review helpful?

Fun and inspiring Creative Acrylics is a welcome addition for painting beginners. Not quite step by step (a companion read on perspective and simply shapes may be helpful), but still easy to follow.

Was this review helpful?

If you want to paint this book will provide you with some great tips. You will learn about texture, color blending, and more. There are even well-developed instructions that give you the steps to creative skills for a beginner. You will learn about choosing paints and the best techniques when painting with acrylics since it dries quickly. There is more to acrylics than you thought and this book will give you the information. You will get information about painting in different things too. You will even find inspiration in what you paint.

Was this review helpful?

I have always admired those artistic souls that can take a blank canvas and create something out of nothing. I myself found my creative side with writing and card making, but have always wanted to dabble in paints. Something about that blank canvas just speaks to me, but there is so much I don’t know about this medium, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t intimidated. So my hopes were high when I picked up Creative Acrylics.

All in all this isn’t a bad resource, it’s just not what I was expecting. Being a complete beginner, I was hoping for more information. There is quite a bit that is touched on, but I feel like so much could’ve been expounded on more.

I had hoped to follow along with the projects and create some art of my own, and I don’t know if it’s something wrong with me, but I struggled, and ended up feeling so overwhelmed that I gave up, and haven’t picked up a brush since. I think it’s because I didn’t feel too excited about the projects themselves, and let the fear of doing something wrong overtake me. With a title like Creative Acrylics I was expecting more creativity and would’ve liked to have had more clarity as to which type of acrylic paints I should be using, instead of me standing dumbfounded in the art section at Michael’s.

The overall aesthetics of the book are pleasing, and I did enjoy flipping through the pages, but what I appreciated the most is the author’s focus on using painting to care for one’s mental health, as well as a family activity that can bring families together, and spark creativity in minds young and old. It definitely got me thinking and, if anything, it has sparked my imaginative embers, and makes me want to learn even more about painting.

So, though I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for in Creative Acrylics, I do not regret picking up this book one bit, and could see this being a good starting place for many like myself.

Was this review helpful?

A really neat instructional book on painting in acrylics. Many basic concepts and methods are introduced in a well organized way.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

A practical guide for a newbie like me, interesting and informative.

Not only is this a good way to get started in the world of acrylics it's introduction and step by step instructions for beginners only helps further. The book itself is very creative, drawing you in with the cover and following on from this by using bright colours in the illustrations.

The book made me just want to go out and buy a bunch of stuff and get started using different types of surfaces introduced on an entry level basis really opened my eyes to what projects I could undertake, the creative juices are really flowing atm and I plan to refer to this book. The context also flows quite nicely and makes for an easy read, I am pretty impressed, I would like to see a sequel book to this as I feel that the author could cover more for beginners and even intermediate.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for considering me for this FREE ARC in return for my review, and thanks to the author for allowing me to expand my knowledge on an topic I knew nothing about.

Was this review helpful?

I love art books but this wasn't a great fit for me. It's well suited for beginners but also doesn't necessarily give you all you need if you're new to the medium. There are a lot of example paintings to copy but they are all one style. If it's your style, you'll like the book a lot.

Was this review helpful?

This book has really lovely pictures in it and is a great starter guide for someone who wants to get into the world of acrylic painting. If you've ever attended one of those wine and paint nights and thought it was something you could do at home, this book would be a great place to begin. I very much appreciated the opening discussion of the different types of acrylic paints and painting tools. There are some general technique lessons, but there are also step by step instructions for very specific paint projects. I would not recommend this book for people who already have favourite painting tools and who know the basic techniques, unless the projects pictured are ones that you have a very specific desire to paint for yourself. For me personally, I would rather search for tutorials or paint classes on YouTube for projects that interest me. The book would probably make a lovely gift if bundled together with some of the mentioned art supplies and given to someone who you know has enjoyed a few wine and paint nights but doesn't have a set up at home already.

Was this review helpful?

This is a gorgeously illustrated guide to acrylic crafting and I really enjoyed it. I haven't tried my hand at any of the crafts yet, but not for lack of wanting to. Thanks for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

Creative Acrylics is an accessible, beginner friendly acrylic technique and tutorial guide by Carla Co Chua as part of the Art for Modern Makers series. Released 1st Feb 2022 by Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 144 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a very good basic introduction to acrylics and is a part of the Art For Modern Makers series. The book is written in friendly understandable language and the lessons are easy to follow and do-able. The introduction includes a general overview over tools and supplies. The supplies pictured are carefully figleafed to avoid suggesting particular specific brands. It's a neutral overview and the author is careful to give tips on general preferences without "naming names".

The following chapters are grouped thematically and follow a step-by-step progression: getting started, still life, flowers, landscapes, and animals. The last chapter is a collection of specific projects which utilize the techniques in the previous chapters. Specific tips and tricks are scattered throughout the book in highlighted text boxes and are relevant and interesting to the acrylic medium. Step by step tutorial photos are clear and easy to understand and follow. The whole book is exuberantly colorful and unrestrained and the style is primitive/naive and very pretty (see cover art).

Four stars. This is a very basic book aimed at beginning artists and would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, makers groups, classroom type instruction, and the home library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Was this review helpful?

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A book of acrylic painting instructions for new painters. Nothing new from what I have read in other books though.

Was this review helpful?

This book has very clear and concise information that was well visualized and presented. This is a great book on acrylic painting and I really enjoyed it.

Was this review helpful?

A book about Acrylic Painting for Beginners
Teacher and self-taught artist Carla Co Chua presents her book "Creative Acrylics. A Step-by-Step Beginner's Guide to Creating with Paint & Mediums - Create with Color, Texture, Unique Effects & More!". This book is published by Quarto Publishing Group - Quarry in the "Art for Modern Makers series" and contains seven parts: 1) Materials, 2) Getting Started, 3) Still Life, 4) Flowers, 5) Landscapes and Skies, 6) Adorable Animals, and 7) Projects (e.g., a cupcake apron or floral sneakers). Carla hopes that "the lessons in this book will inspire you to experiment further with acrylics. This is something you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. My wish is that this book will be a stepping-stone for you as you begin your creative journey" (p. 8).
Tips and instructions (e.g., "Prepping Paper and Canvas" or "Using a Palette Knife to Paint") are a help for the beginning artists. Templates for some of the projects, resources, and an index are also included in the book, but it would be helpful if the templates could be downloadable, especially if one buys the digital version of the book. Sadly acrylic gouache, acrylic inks, and acrylic markers are mentioned in the list of materials but the paintings presented in the book are all done with acrylic paints for which brushes and palette knives are used. As it says in the sub-title, the book is for beginners and for this group I recommend the book.
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.
#CreativeAcrylics #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

There are a lot of acrylic books out there, but this one stands out because of how clear and simple the instructions are. The layout is clean and organized and the artwork is beautiful. I recommend this to anyone starting their journey with acrylics!

Was this review helpful?

This book was more of a beginner's book than I was expecting or hoping for. I was also expecting more discussion of acrylic mediums, from the title and description, and there was hardly any except one brief mention.
I was already familiar with all the basic lessons presented here, but if I were completely new to painting then I can see how they might be helpful.
Unfortunately, nothing really appealed to me to actually paint or start as a project and I got bored quite quickly

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful book with many instructions and photos. Categorized by different types of projects, such as animals or flowers, the book is very detailed and great for anyone looking for projects in acrylic painting.

Was this review helpful?

A very nice step-by-step guide to painting with acrylics. It has a lot of samples and instructions that make it easy to follow along. This would be an excellent book for beginners.

Was this review helpful?

This book delivers what it promises. Unlike most painting books this one has easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of different paintings. And these are actually projects that you want to do. The flowers a detailed and the scenic sense are not overwhelming. This book is perfect for beginners or people who want to add a skill to the crafting resume

Was this review helpful?