Series:

Art for the Absolute Beginner

6 total works

Cover of Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner with Mark Willenbrink
Start painting today - it's easier than you think.

If you've ever dreamed of painting in watercolor, this is the book for you. It's designed to help you start experiencing the joy of watercolor immediately - even if you've never picked up a brush.

Mark and Mary Willenbrink provide all the guidance and encouragement you need. Their painting techniques, tips and tricks help make every step you take a success, from selecting colors to designing a composition. It's like having two private art instructors right there at your side.

In no time at all you'll be hanging original works of art - pieces you'll be proud to show to family and friends. The Willenbrinks' easy-to-follow instruction ensures it.

Cover of Drawing for the Absolute Beginner

This inspiring book makes drawing in a realistic style easier than you may think and more fun than you ever imagined!

Authors Mark and Mary Willenbrink (Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner) cover it all—from choosing materials and the correct way to hold your pencil, to expert advice on the tricky stuff, like getting proportions and perspective right, drawing reflections, and designing strong compositions. (It's not as scary as it sounds…not with Mark and Mary as your guide!)

At the heart of this book, a series of fun, hands-on exercises help you practice and perfect your strokes—24 mini-demos lead up to 9 full step-by-step demos. Each exercise builds on the previous one as you develop your skills, build your confidence, and enjoy yourself along the way. The lessons you learn by drawing simple subjects such as coffee mugs, clouds and trees will help you take on progressively more challenging matter like animals, still lifes, landscapes and portraits…the kinds of subjects and scenes you've always dreamt of drawing.

This book is just the ticket for budding artists of any age. It's never too early and never too late to discover the pure joy of drawing!

Cover of Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner
The quick-start guide to great results!

Oil painting doesn't have to be rocket science, although some books on the subject make it seem that way. Filled with encouraging, easy-to-follow instruction, Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner is a no-fear, no-experience-required guide to enjoyable painting and happy results. Focusing on the needs of the first-time painter, this book covers everything from selecting brushes and setting up your palette to key principles of color and composition, presented in a way that moves you confidently from first strokes to finished paintings.

  • Mini demonstrations break down fundamental painting techniques in a clear, common sense way
  • 12 step-by-step painting projects progress from simple landscapes, still life and flower paintings to more challenging subjects, such as animals, seascapes and portraits
  • The bonus DVD-workshop features the author creating two paintings from start to finish
You'll learn tricks for keeping the greens in your landscapes looking fresh, advantages to working with water-soluble oil paints, simple tips for dynamic compositions and other expert advice to make your introduction to oil painting the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Cover of Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner

Cover of Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner
Have you ever experienced the peace of walking through the woods or the excitement of a storm gathering on a beach? Artwork provides the ability for us to capture those moments and share them with others.

Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner offers a great beginner's course on drawing nature. In their fun and friendly teaching style, Mark and Mary Willenbrink show you how to realistically capture the world around you.

All you need to get started are some simple supplies, basic techniques, and inspiration. From field to forest, beach or mountain, begin with a structural sketch, apply values and textures, and, before you know it, you'll be drawing everything you see. You'll even learn how to render favorite wildlife such as chipmunks, deer and eagles!

   • Follow along with easy step-by-step demonstrations to draw rocks, seashells, butterflies and even more developed nature scenes.
   • Gain a working understanding of key concepts such as perspective, value and composition.
   • Discover simple tools and tips you can use right away to improve your art.
Your artistic journey can be as pleasant as your final destination with drawing instruction meant for everyone.

Cover of Drawing Portraits for the Absolute Beginner
Open this book as an absolute beginner, and come away as a proud portrait artist!

Mark and Mary Willenbrink's Absolute Beginner books have helped thousands of novices tap into their inner artists. In this book, Mark and Mary help the beginning artist take on portraits, showing that absolutely anyone can draw faces. Their encouraging, easy-to-follow instruction style makes learning fun—you'll be amazed by how quickly you achieve impressive results.

You may be a beginner now, but not for long! Drawing Portraits for the Absolute Beginner covers everything from warming up with sketches, and capturing facial expressions, to framing your finished work. Page by page, you'll build the skills and confidence you need to draw lifelike portraits of your friends and family.

What's Inside:

   • A simple two-stage approach to drawing portraits: sketch a likeness, then build up values to bring it to life
   • Step-by-step instruction for drawing eyes, noses, mouths, hairstyles, hands, glasses and other tricky elements
   • 13 complete demonstrations featuring a range of ages and ethnicities
   • Tips for evoking more personality in your portraits by using props, costumes and accessories