This omnibus of a book serves as an all-around reference guide to the techniques and equipment for all painting and drawing media, and I do mean all. Emphasizing a partnership between personal vision and technical ability--the learning hand and the seeing eye--the editor brings together every conceivable step in the painting and drawing process, from support preparation to the final steps of protecting, matting and framing art. Areas of picturemaking often not attended to receive careful attention; for example, in the section on supports, there is in-depth information about the quality of different canvases--how to stretch, prime, size, tone and more. For drawing media (anything that makes a mark) advice is presented for colored pencils, charcoal, cont crayon, pastels, markers, and pen and ink, with an in-depth treatise on what to look for in drawing inks. 523 full-color photographs and 234 color drawings make the book a visual treat. Most pages have three or four color illustrations complemented by clear descriptive text. After dealing with varied aspects of all major media, Editor Gair also introduces pertinent material on color, composition, subjects, and themes. If your resource shelf has room for but one general book on drawing and painting, this inexpensive and informative volume can be recommended for secondary school level and beyond.

Angela Gair is a painter, an art teacher, a regular contributor to art-education magazines, and the author of several art-instruction books. She lives in England.