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Petra Thölken’s practical and inspiring book examines what it means to make an abstract work of art. She encourages the reader to consider the subjects of composition, planes, and subject and expression, while also examining the more practical topics of colour theory and colour mixing, how to work with pigment, canvas and priming, spatula techniques and working with unconventional backgrounds. All these elements build up into a vocabulary of visual pointers from which the reader can begin to explore their own adventurousness and creativity.
Through the 20 beautiful projects that Petra demonstrates, step by step, readers will learn how to create texture, work with unusual tools and create soft transitions or high contrast. Her clarity of thought and inspirational advice will open your eyes to a whole new way of seeing your paintings and achieving the self-expression that leads to visually exciting and technically innovative work. For some of the projects, there are links to Petra's popular YouTube videos, demonstrating how she created the individual paintings.
6 FOREWORD 8 THE BASICS 10 Pigment 12 Acrylic 13 Binding agent 14 Traditional colour theory 16 Mixing in practice 17 Making pigment paste 18 Composition 19 Planes 20 Subject and expression 22 Brushes 24 Unconventional tools 26 Canvas 27 Priming 28 What is glazing? 29 Spatula techniques 30 Spatula: Exercise 1 32 Spatula: Exercise 2 34 Texture in the picture 36 Emphasizing texture: Exercise 1 38 Emphasizing texture: Exercise 2 40 Sponge 42 Drawing implements 43 Gold plating 44 Unconventional backgrounds 45 Your colours
46 PROJECTS 48 My Japanese Water Lilies 52 Golden Skyline 56 Patina Allure 60 The Golden Rectangle 64 Creative Board 68 What Good Can I Do Myself Today? 72 Give Colour Some Room 76 Inspiring Colour Field Painting 80 Days Like This 84 Wandering into the Distance 88 Flower Interplay 92 Summer Courtyard Whispers 96 Garden Art From Long Ago 100 True Colours 104 Silence is Golden 108 Sailing in a Storm 112 Dreamy Green 116 Overland Cornfield 120 Expressive Abstract 124 Abstract Colour Play 128 NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR 128 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Petra Thölken knew, even as a child, that she wanted to be an artist. She learned oil painting from scratch and, in her spare time after school, she produced drawings using chalk pastels and pencils, taking her inspiration mostly from nature. Later, as a freelance designer, she designed individual pieces of furniture and soon, entire room concepts for distinguished private individuals. In 1999, in search of a new, larger space as a design and planning office, she struck lucky in the heart of Hanover, Germany with an old factory that also offered space for her current studio. In 2004, she opened a painting school and, in 2015, she created her internationally popular YouTube channel under the name Künstlerstreich. Her work is exhibited internationally and is part of public and private collections.
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