Reviewed by annieb123 on
Create Beautiful is a pretty tutorial and inspiration guide by Lola Sanchez Herrero & Ana Sanchez-Gal. Due out 24th Aug 2021 from Quarto on their Rock Point imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a tutorial book full of whimsy which includes projects in a broad range of different media with which readers can experiment and learn techniques such as ink pouring, collage, painting, drawing, and coloring. Many of the projects are quite simple and are suited to beginners as well as more experienced students. Some of them would make good warming up exercises to get the paint and creativity flowing.
The introduction covers basics: tools, paints, papers, and other media. The authors have also included a short primer on setting up workspace and some process tips.
The tutorials themselves range from ultra simple to slightly more involved. Each tutorial includes an introduction, bullet list of tools and supplies, and step-by-step instructions. All of the tutorials include several process photos and a finished/framed photo of the project. The second part of the book contains a number of coloring pages with suggested color palettes. The book is stylish with a modern decor aesthetic. There's a lot of emphasis on bright colors which *pop* alongside the metallic/sheen inks and paints.
Three and a half stars. This might be a good choice for folks decorating on a budget or for creativity inspiration workshops, maker's groups, beginning artists looking for prompts to get ink flowing, and similar activities.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 7 August, 2021: Finished reading
- 7 August, 2021: Reviewed