The technical secrets of a professional painter for the best results and more room for creativity.

Painting in Acrylics: The Indispensable Guide provides comprehensive guidance for painters of all experience. Realist painter Lorena Kloosterboer, known for her exceptional technical skill, starts with the basics and progresses to advanced techniques and professional practice.

The topics include:

• About Acrylic Paint -- Types of acrylics, comparative advantages, how to read a paint label, using mediums and additives, gesso and varnish
• Materials and Equipment -- Art supply shopping, palettes, masking, special effects tools, brushes, knives and shapers, airbrush, supports, surface preparation, the studio
• The Foundation -- Color theory, mixing colors, size and dimensions, order of work, using references, transferring images, painting whites, grays and blacks
• Techniques -- Underpainting, washes, wet in wet, adding salt and alcohol, blending, dry brush and scumbling, pouring, masking and stenciling, grisaille, glazing, impasto, sgraffito, spattering, sponging, stamping, decalcomania, airbrushing
• Surface and Form -- Still life, wood, glass, metals, fabric, paper, flowers and leaves, portrait, skin, hair, animals, feathers, landscape, water, clouds, shrubs and trees, stone and brick
• Be a Pro -- Ethical behavior, competitions/exhibits, art community, consistency, painting titles, keeping records, recording your work, framing, shipping, reproductions, social media, tuition.

A navigator sidebar refers readers to related sections for more information or problem solving. Appendices include a list of recommended brands and where to buy them, a glossary of art terms, how to fix common problems, and health and safety.

Beyond its outstanding content, this book's size makes it an exceptional value. Other titles on this topic rarely exceed 200 pages, even the so-called "big" books. An affordable volume by a world-renowned, widely exhibited artist, Painting in Acrylics: The Indispensable Guide is a superb value that will provide years of expert guidance and inspiration. It is an essential choice for retailers and libraries.

Kloosterboer, Lorena

Lorena Kloosterboer is an internationally acclaimed Dutch-Argentine artist with a career of more than 25 years. Her award-winning artwork, mostly in the photorealist style, has been exhibited in galleries and museums in 10 countries, including the United States, and published in leading international art magazines, museum catalogs, and art books. Her paintings, drawings and sculptures reside in numerous collections around the world. She lives in Antwerp, Belgium.