2012: Best NEW Art Books - Painting
Painting and Painters: NEW Publications in 2012
Find out about all the new books about painting and painters published in 2012 - in hardback, paperback and ebook editions.
Listings are on a month by month basis - as books are published.
Each book highlights the type of format, nature of the book and the reception and reviews it has had to date.
This site focuses on fine art and art instruction books about painting for adults.
* It covers all media
* It includes academic books about painting and catalogues of painting exhibitions
* It excludes any reference to specialist books about cartooning, manga and commercial art
Please note that Amazon listings tend to carry over the ratings for hardbacks and paperbacks to the Kindle edition. High ratings do NOT equate to an excellent conversion of the printed book to ebook format. We're still waiting for Amazon to come up with a way recording people's assessments of the quality of the conversion.
January 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in January 2012
Some major books about painting the landscapes of North America and the UK plus a major compedium of contemporary portraiture.
Hardcover: 192 pagesPublisher: North Light Books (January 12, 2012)Amazon reviews: 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) | Like (3)#51 in Top 100 Books in Art & Design at the end of JanuaryThis books is a showcase book - it contains 100+ American landscape paintings by 89 top contemporary American master artists and rendered in watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, colored pencil and mixed media. As is the norm with this type of book each painting also has textual narrative by the artist highlighting thoughts, techniques and inspirations for the painting.
Hardcover: 208 pagesPublisher: Philip Wilson Publishers (January 3, 2012)Amazon reviews: NEW BOOKHIGHLY RECOMMENDED - I bought this book after seeing the exhibition and it's excellent - as are the paintings!This is the catalogue for the very impressive exhibition of paintings by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven which is currently touring Europe. See my blog post 'Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven' at Dulwich Picture GalleryThis is the book associated with the exhibition of the same name - it covers the paintings ofTom Thomson (whose paintings of the Canadian landscape are amazing!) and the Group of Seven (painters of the Canadian landscape). Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston, Franklin Carmichael and A.Y. Jackson. They each had individual styles and visualised the Canadian landscape for the rest of the population. The book is arranged according to the geographical areas depicted and has scholarly essays investigating different aspects of the painters' craft.
February 2012 - New Books about Painting and Painters published February 2012
The new book about Urban Sketching plus a new book by ever popular instructor and landscape painter David Curtis
RECOMMENDEDRated 4.7 out of 5 stars by 6 customer reviews on Amazon.com | Like (8)Paperback: 128 pagesPublisher: Batsford (February 7, 2012)New paperback version of one of Curtis's very popular art instruction books. Rankings relate to hardback
HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDAmazon reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews) | Like (202)The Art of Urban Sketching aims to provide in book format what Urban Sketchers (the blog) does every day - showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. It is also a comprehensive guide to urban sketching* The first print run sold out in under a month.* The second print run sold out within six weeks.* It's now into its third print run
March 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in March 2012
Paperback: 144 pagesPublisher: North Light Books (March 16, 2012)Claudia Nice's speciality is teaching people how to use pen and ink. This book also adds in use of watercolour. The focus of this book is on creating textures for different aspects of the landscape using a variety of different techniques.Amazon reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
April 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in April 2012
The book of the major retrospective exhibition of Lucian Freud Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London - the last for some time of the man termed the UK's greatest living painter - until his death in July 2011
Plus another book in the popular colour-mixing series
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by 5 customer reviews on Amazon | Like (27)This is the catalogue of the retrospective exhibition of portraits by Lucian Freud held in 2012 in London and the USA. It surveyed surveys Freud's portraits across the seven decades of his career prior to his death in July 2011.Hardcover: 256 pagesPublisher: Yale University Press (April 17, 2012)
Spiral-bound: 48 pagesPublisher: Walter Foster; Spi edition (April 30, 2012)Publisher's description: In the latest addition to the Color Mixing Recipes family of books, artist William F. Powell provides instruction on color mixing as it relates to landscape painting in oil and acrylic. Following the format of the other books in the series, Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes offers a robust index of landscape subjects that correspond to the featured color mixing swatches. This useful book also discusses how color is influenced by the time of day, the angle of the sun, and changing seasons, making it a must-have in every oil and acrylic artist's reference library.
May 2012 - painters - New Books about Painting & Painters published in May 2012
Lots of books about painters and periods of painting this month
Valentin Serov (1865 - 1911) was the finest Russian portrait painter of his generation. His paintings and graphic works in this book portray him as being somewhat akin to John Singer SargentHardcover: 200 pagesPublisher: Parkstone Press (May 31, 2012)
May 2012 - techniques - New Books about Painting & Painters published in MAY 2012
This module focuses on the books about the techniques of painting - which were published in May
This book has received good reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 stars by 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com | Like (61)Sue is a Signature Artist member of the Kentucky Watercolor Society, and is affiliated with the Louisiana Watercolor Society, the Missouri Watercolor Society and the International Society Of Experimental Artists.Hardcover: 192 pagesPublisher: North Light Books (May 22, 2012)
Amazon reviews: 4.1 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews) | Like (113)Paperback: 128 pagesPublisher: Quarry Books (May 1, 2012)This inspiring and encouraging book for both novice and experienced painters teaches how to create colorful, exciting, expressive paintings through a variety of techniques, combining basic, practical painting principles with innovative personal self-expression
June 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in June 2012
Some rather more challenging books are published this month - including a book about how to portray light and colour in watercolour
Publisher's description: Many art books offer advice on how to perform the techniques used by creative watercolorists, but this one goes farther by also explaining the "why" and "when" aspects of using these critical skills. Artful Watercolor exhaustively covers the best uses of light and shadow, color values, mixing custom colors, applying washes, and understanding shape, as well as exploring expressions of harmony and conflict, order and chaos within the composition. Numerous exercises and tips help guide readers through expressive detail work, wet/dry painting, and fixing mistakes.
July 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in July 2012
An unusual new book challenges you in terms of how you paint
Amazon reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars (53 customer reviews)Paperback: 128 pagesPublisher: Quarry Books (July 1, 2012)A book that explores inspirational paint and mixed-media techniques. Written by the well-loved artist/illustrator/blogger Mati Rose McDonoughThis book seems to me to be rather more craft and creativity-oriented than conventional painting. As per usual the publisher does not provide enough coverage of the pages that matter to make an assessment. You could try reviewing the author's blog instead http://craftside.typepad.com/
August 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in August 2012
Lots of books about painting with watercolours and acrylics in August. Powell's book is the #1 best seller in the Still Life category
Those with previous editions within the Splash series will know what to expect from #13
American Fans of Shirley Trevena will be pleased to see her new book
Spiral-bound: 176 pagesPublisher: Walter Foster; Spi edition (August 1, 2012)Outlines 4 simple steps for creating more than 1,500 color combinations
Hardcover: 128 pagesPublisher: Batsford (August 7, 2012)The American publication date for the latest book by Shirley Trevena - I'd already bought it as it was published first in the UK.Shirley Trevena's third book shows how she achieves her stunning results by pushing the medium to its limits. Shirley takes the reader through 10 paintings in great detail and shares all her professional tips and painting secrets. In addition, each painting has large close-up details so the reader can really see all the brushstrokes.
Hardcover: 144 pagesPublisher: North Light Books (August 16, 2012)Publisher's description: "The Splash" series showcases the finest watercolour paintings being created today. Readers gain insight into methods of the best contemporary watercolour artists in the 13th edition of this top-selling series. This title features approximately 132 paintings by more than 100 artists selected from more than 1,600 submissions from watercolour and water-media painters across the world. Each painting is accompanied by a caption that offers instructive information on the theme of "artistic vision" as interpreted by the contributing artists, revealing loads of instructional and inspirational tips on the watercolour medium.
September 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in September 2012
Jeane Haines first book was very popular and it's reasonable to assume this one will be too.
Hardcover: 144 pagesPublisher: Batsford (September 4, 2012)Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan run the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project. This book covers how to paint exotic flowers, plants and fruit
Hardcover: 176 pagesPublisher: Search Press (September 1, 2012)Jean Haines is a watercolor artist who is the author of How to Paint: Colour & Light.
October 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in October 2012
A new book about the Spanish artist Sorolla
Amazon ratings: 4.8 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) | Like (39)The Valencian artist Joaqun Sorolla (1863-1923) was a master draftsman and painter. This book is a new survey of the best works by this Spanish impressionist painter
Amazon ratings: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)Classic and highly rated text about painting - Now available as a KINDLE editionFile Size: 20883 KB | Print Length: 368 pagesPublisher: Dover Publications (October 1, 2012)
November 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in November 2012
An interesting book about looking at the work of different artists by John Updike
A collection of 14 essays by John Updike on the topic of paintings and art - out together posthumously. Most were written for The New York Review of Books and focus on highlights in Western art of the last two hundred years.It follows on from previous volumes - Just Looking (1989) and Still Looking (2005)Hardcover: 224 pagesPublisher: Knopf (November 27, 2012)
December 2012 - New Books about Painting & Painters published in December 2012
Yet more emphasis in the run up to Christmas on instruction books about watercolour painting - ideal gifts!
due to publish: December 4, 2012.Target Audience: People interested in art historyThis is the paperback edition of the New York Times Best Seller - and will doubtless be a stocking filler in quite a few places this Christmas!
due to publish: December 11, 2012A Watson-Guptill publicationTarget Audience: serious beginner or a seasoned practitionerA complete guide to understanding the relationships between color, value, wetness, and composition unravels the mysteries of watercolor to help your practice evolve. Includes thorough explanations and step-by-step demonstrations. References watercolour paintings by more than thirty-five past and present masters, including John Singer Sargent, Ogden Pleissner, George Post, Emil Kosa, Jr., Mary Whyte, Trevor Chamberlain, Lars Lerin, Torgeir Schjlberg, Piet Lap, Leslie Frontz, and Alvaro Castagnet.
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