Includes index.

Chapter 1Supports 13 -- Canvas 14 -- Stretching canvas 16 -- Boards and panels 18 -- Papers for oils and acrylics 21 -- Sizing for oils 22 -- Priming 24 -- Making primers 26 -- Toned grounds 27 -- Watercolor papers 28 -- Stretching paper 33 -- Supports for pastels 34 -- Chapter 2 Drawing media 37 -- Drawing papers 38 -- Pencils 40 -- Colored pencils 42 -- Water-soluble colored pencils 44 -- Charcoal 46 -- Pastels 48 -- Oil pastels 50 -- Conte crayons 52 -- Pen and ink 54 -- Drawing inks 56 -- Markers and fiber-tip pens 60 -- Accessories 61 -- Chapter 3 Painting media 63 -- Oil paints 64 -- Mixing oil colors 67 -- Making oil paints 68 -- Oil-paint sticks 70 -- Basic palettes for oils 72 -- Binders for oils 74 -- Diluents for oils 75 -- Mediums for oils 76 -- Making mediums 77 -- Brushes for oils 78 -- Brush shapes 80 -- Palettes 84 -- Accessories for oils 86 -- Watercolor paints 87 -- Pigment and color 92 -- Basic watercolor palettes 94 -- Watercolor brushes 96 -- Brush shapes and sizes 98 -- Watercolor palettes 100 -- Watercolor accessories 102 -- Gouache 104 -- Basic gouache palette 106 -- Egg tempera 108 -- Acrylic paints 110 -- Basic acrylics palette 114 -- Specialty colors 115 -- Chroma color 116 -- Mediums for acrylics 118 -- Brushes and knives 120 -- Palettes for acrylics 121 -- Chapter 4 Where do I start? 123 -- Starting to paint 124 -- Choosing your medium 128 -- Organizing your studio 132 -- Painting outdoors 134 -- Chapter 5 Drawing and sketching 137 -- Drawing and observation 138 -- Figure drawing 140 -- Action and pose 141 -- Life class 144 -- Using drawing aids 150 -- Keeping a sketchbook 152 -- Sketching 154 -- Chapter 6 Painting techniques 161 -- Oil techniques 163 -- Underpainting 164 -- Fat-over-lean 166 -- Alla prima 168 -- Glazing 170 -- Impasto 172 -- Knife painting 174 -- Scumbling, dry brush, blending 176 -- Watercolor techniques 181 -- Wash techniques 182 -- Flat and graded washes 184 -- Wet-in-wet 188 -- Wet-on-dry 189 -- Creating highlights 190 -- Textures and effects 194 -- Gouache techniques 200 -- Acrylic techniques 203 -- Wash techniques 204 -- Textural effects 208 -- Chapter 7 Color and composition 211 -- Permanence of pigments 212 -- Language of color 214 -- Tonal values 219 -- Mixing colors 220 -- Color expression 224 -- Color harmony 225 -- Color contrast 226 -- Composition 228 -- Creating a focal point 230 -- Breaking the rules 233 -- Chapter 8 What should I paint? 235 -- Painting three dimensions 236 -- Experimenting with paint 238 -- Interpreting color and pattern 240 -- Interpreting surface textures 242 -- Fish on a plate 246 -- Painting a bowl of fruit 250 -- Painting a vase of flowers 254 -- Painting a still-life group 258 -- Painting your room 262 -- Painting against the light 266 -- Painting a garden 270 -- Painting a landscape 274 -- Landscape on location 282 -- Painting skies and weather 286 -- Changing landscape 290 -- Capturing water 296 -- Painting a townscape 298 -- Space, depth, and distance 302 -- Putting life into a painting 304 -- Painting a face 306 -- Working on the features 312 -- Painting a friend 314 -- Painting a person 318 -- Experimental poses 322 -- Figure painting in the studio 324 -- Painting hands and feet 330 -- Painting animals and birds 332 -- Getting your ideas down 336 -- Composing from imagination 338 -- Chapter 9 Studio 343 -- Studio organization 344 -- Easels 346 -- Protecting artwork 348 -- Varnishing paintings 350 -- Mats and frames 352 -- Chapter 10 Gallery of art 357 -- Choosing a subject 358 -- Painting still lifes 360 -- Painting interiors 362 -- Buildings and townscapes 364 -- Painting landscapes 366 -- Painting water 370 -- Expressing color 372 -- Painting figures 374 -- Painting figures and animals 378 -- Painting from imagination 380 -- Expressing light 382 -- Health and safety 386 -- Reading a paint tube 387 -- Art-materials suppliers 392.