Pastel Pointers: Top 100 Secrets for Beautiful Paintings

This book is the best book ever on pastels painting!! I teach and paint so I have a lot of books but just book is fantastic I can’t believe they stopped making them

I just got into pastel, had pastel pencils and mainly draw with all mediums. Into graphite, carbon, colour pencils mainly trying to do realism, but once I picked up a pastel pencils really loved the ability to create unusual drawings. Then got a cheap sample box of pastel blocks and wanted to learn how to use them.The pastel art that I do is more of a mixed media or I really like to do semi abstract work. This book was perfect for the style I want to learn for mixed media works and only pastel works. Just bought a set of Derwent pastel stick and waiting to get them, said they were harder than the usual soft pastels which are very powdery and messy, and the Derwents can also be used for fine detail work. I love this book and the style and would recommend it to anyone looking to learn about pastel drawing.

This is another "how to" book on pastel painting organized into chapters with a few additions and variations that make it a worthwhile purchase. For example, most technique books have an obligatory chapter on materials where the author discusses his preferences on pastels and supports. McKinley doesn't go there, but does include a nice piece on making your own supports rather than buying any number of pre made papers or boards. It should be noted this author has a signature selection of landscape pastels available from Great American Pastels but, to his credit, doesn't tout that particular brand. Instead he speaks briefly on the qualities he's looking for in developing his palette and encourages the reader/student to try many different brands to develop preferences. Also included is a rudimentary DVD (27+ min.) showing some basic steps in developing an under painting which will undoubtedly be useful to many who purchase the book. It should be noted that while this is a plus it's also a bit of advertising for other North Light/McKinley products as this author and his publisher have a couple DVD titles that I'm sure they'd be pleased for you to purchase.The bulk of the book covers basic drafting issues (focal point, rule of thirds, value, aerial perspective, etc.) and specific techniques involved with the pastel medium (under painting, strokes, surface texture). Filling the balance are sections on plein air painting, sketching, framing, air travel, and shipping of completed paintings. It should be noted the book covers a lot of ground not mentioned in other pastel guides and is well illustrated with the author's work as well as relevant photos of products or processes discussed in each section. As I understand it all of this material comes from the author's blog/web site and makes the book more a hodgepodge of topics rather than a progressive art instructional. While this allows a lot of random information to be included it doesn't allow for much basic pastel instruction (no step by step demos) which is why, I suppose, it's called "Pastel Pointers" rather than something more specific to pastel painting. I'll leave it for someone else to determine if there's "100 secrets" in the book as I don't know where amazon came up with that title; my copy is just labeled "Pastel Pointers: Top Secrets for Beautiful Pastel Paintings". Regardless, from a purely informational standpoint it's recommended and the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is discussed in the following paragraph.While his paintings have an attractive atmospheric quality to them I feel they also have a generic sameness that becomes a bit predictable page after page. He seems to paint the same light conditions in every scene and has a signature palette incorporating violet highlights in his panels. If you've ever seen a gallery full of Thomas Kinkade prints you'll know what I mean. This is not a comment on artistic merit, rather just my preference in art. If you admire his style and technique which relies upon a significant under painting, then he would be a fine painter to emulate, though I personally prefer the work of Richard McDaniel. McDaniel has several books out, also has a signature selection of Great American Pastels and, like McKinley, comes from a drawing/oil painting background. I might suggest that you get a copy of "Landscape" (first choice) or "On Location" by Richard McDaniel and compare it with McKinley's work to gauge which artist you feel more comfortable with.

I have spent many years painting in watercolor, acrylics and predominantly in oils. I always wanted to try pastels and this book helped me take the plunge. It is filled with basic facts about techniques and equipment but also goes into the “art” of pastels or any painting. Maybe the proof of its value is that I sold 2 pastel paintings before I had even completed the book!

He’s a fabulous artist

The book is clean and in excellent condition. I’m looking forward to watching the DVD that came with the book. What I didn’t like was the price. I could have purchased the book a year or two ago for half the price I paid. It also took a long time to reach me, but not unreasonable.

This is an excellent book for beginners in pastel. It goes into great detail & offers good explanations of the process. It also tells you how to make your own supports & even gives several recipes for doing so. The artist that wrote it has been an artist & teacher for many years & also writes for the Pastel Journal. There are step by step instructions you can follow if you want to attempt one of his paintings. There's also a section that tells you about the different kinds of pastels, supports, & grounds you can use. It would also be a good reference book for any artist, not just beginners. I learned a lot from reading this book & am sure I'll use it as a reference book in years to come.

It's not at all surprising that Richard Mckinley has written such a lovely, thorough yet concise book. This book is not one of those art books you buy, then sits on your shelf; it's a useful reference tool for your art studio. It is well written, well organized and has wonderful examples of Richards' stunning work in it. It is full of practical information; I love the section about traveling with pastels. But this book also speaks to the larger issues of what makes a painting great and what an artist can work on to move in the directions they'd like to go. Richard has such a wealth of information that he's warmly and generously shared in his popular workshops over the years. Although, there's nothing like attending one of his workshops, this book is a close second. If you paint in pastel, you need this book!

McKinley's Pointers Book is readable and expansive. It's the best pastel "how to" book I've found. From the mundane to the explosively invigorating ideas, a must read.

Livro excelente e encantador; faz muito tempo que não pratico a pintura em pastel, mas esse pintor faz a gente ter vontade de se aventurar novamente. É um livro estimulante.

Really good practical advice.

Ich habe hier schon mal vorher ins Buch gucken können, was mich schon überzeugt hatte. Nachdem ich fasziniert war, wie ausführlich RMK den Gebrauch seiner Materialien beschreibt, hatte ich schon etwas Angst, dass das schon das Beste war. Allerdings hat er noch sehr viel mehr zu bieten. Er gibt erstaunliche Neuigkeiten preis und zeigt auf seiner CD noch einige sehr plausible Übungen zum einfachen Verständnis, diese CD hätte natürlich viel länger sein sollen. Er spricht mich an, wenn er sagt, dass man ruhig andere Künstler kopieren soll, um dann seinen eigenen Stil zu entwickeln. Er selbst hat einen ganz anderen Stil als ich, der mich aber sehr inspiriert.Schade ist es, wenn man nicht so sehr gut Englisch kann, dann ist es zu schwierig, das Buch zu verstehen und die Erfahrung hat mir gezeigt, dass Übersetzungen solcher Bücher sehr fehlerhaft und verfälscht sein können.

A recommander comme ouvrage de baseTrès complet et bien structuréCertains conseils sont pertinents: ex: apporter de la lumière avec les couleurs analoguesLe chapitre sur les sous-couches apporte un plus que l'on ne trouve pas dans les ouvrages en françaisDe plus quel peintre de paysage !