The New Oil Painting: Your Essential Guide to Materials and Safe Practices

This is definitely a book for oil beginners but that said it's a pretty compact and concise overview of materials.. NOTE this is not a book for PAINTING techniques. It's an overview of paint colors and makeups, mediums etc.She gives recommendations about colors, color palettes, mixing, transparencies. There are general brand recommendations split by price for a lot of the materials.Essentially I would say this is a concise takeaway version of the oil materials mini lecture I got from the guy at the arts supply store.The nice thing is this is also a small volume that is about paperback size and fits in your hand so it's good to put in an easel box or a tote if you're a beginner and want some basic guidance to refer to about materials and don't want to haul around a coffee table sized art techniques book.. would prob be good for someone who wants to do plein air or portable painting setups outside of a studio. I thought it was worth the $12 bucks for those reasonsThe "safety" part of it is a little on the nebulous side (most modern materials are pretty safe as long as you aren't snorting or eating them) and this is definitely not a book on actual painting techniques but as a materials resource guide for beginners I would say it's a good buy

The New Oil Painting by Kimberly Brooks is a refreshing new look at an historic art form. It is not written by a novice who did some research on the internet or took a painting class in college, but rather a dedicated die-hard with over 25 years experience.Although experienced, don't let that scare you as this book is for both veteran and newbies alike. It begins with the basics of what paint even is, and discusses aspects like it's composition - "pigments," "binders," and "additives." Kimberly provides important history, fundamentals, and even how to read a paint tube, so you know how to buy the right paint and use it correctly. Told you she breaks it down!From there she introduces other topics like mediums, which alter the consistency, drying time, and finish. She provides best practices for using mediums, including how to create your own complex mediums. Told you it's also for experienced painters.The book debunks important misconceptions about oil paining like it requires the use of solvents, which are not good for us. Also, oil paints are generally safe (as long as not ingested) because they don't release harmful fumes or chemicals when drying.Kimberly brings years of research from experts and chemists, investigation of different painters' methods through out history, as well as years of her own experimenting. As you will learn, she has been on a journey of discovery, history, and chemistry and you will gain tremendous insights from that journey.It goes without saying, anytime you're dealing with paint, your dealing with chemicals. Not all chemicals are bad, but they can be, specially in paint. The author provides experienced insight backed by research of the chemicals to avoid like resins and solvents, and healthier and environmentally safer alternatives.All this just skims the surface of what the book covers. You'll also learn about brushes, canvas, other tools, and thinking 3 dimensionally. Suffice to say, this is a great little book on the materials and safe practices of oil painting and definitely a must read for anyone interested in oil painting.

I appreciate that the author is raising awareness around solvent free oil painting, however, everything I read in this book is easily found on the Internet on artist's blogs and artist's forums. The tone is friendly and the information is digestible, yet, it was also lacking. For example, in the section on varnishing, the author lists some varnishing dos and don'ts, but doesn't explain some very important instances where an artist should not varnish a painting, such as when a layer of oil paint is very thin and so the varnish could not safely be removed in the future. Waiting to varnish a painting for six months is also a very arbitrary suggestion. Some paintings don't take that long to dry, others take longer. Manufacturers such as Gamblin, the maker of Gamvar varnish, explain this well on their website. The author also lists varnish brands that she has personally tried, but offers no notes or comparisons between them. Good for you, I guess? Not trying to be mean, it's just not helpful. Many of the sections are like this.

It is not clear who the author is writing this book for. . There is a lot of the standard basic introduction to painting equipment that you find in any beginning painting book, and has relatively little to do with "new oil painting per se. There is a section that talks about solvents, mediums, etcetera that requires that a reasonable amount of prior knowledge about oil painting that is not explained very clearly to someone less knowledgeaable.So I either knew everything she was talking about or couldn't learn it from the information provided in the book because it wasn't explained.. And there is some very disappointing omissions. She barely covers water mixable oil paints. But this is one of the main forms of new oil painting! She simply says she didn't like it, maybe you will. We are not even told why. Disappointing.

I started painting with oils about 2 months ago. To understand the medium I have read a fair bit online and in the books/magazines. I bought this book to learn what's new in oil painting, 'new' I haven't come across yet, especially how to not use any solvents, odourless or not. Sadly, out of about 200 pages there is very little information about this, in fact perhaps less than 10 pages and even that I had to look up online to understand further and was surprised to find much more information there. The rest is your usual - paints, brushes, set up, support...I so wish the author would expand much more on the way she uses solvent alternatives but all what's offered is few recipes and then recommendation to experiment. Also, adding pictures to illustrate various ways of solvent alternatives would greatly enhance the book.I have found very little new in this book and am returning it.

This isn't a "how to" book on painting. If we use driving a car as a metaphor, this book is more about how the engine and brakes work. As such, it fills an important information deficit we find in most general painting books. You learn about paints, mediums, surfaces and how each is formulated and why they work the way they do.The author's principle theme is that oil painting doesn't have to use toxic chemicals and she succeeds in that. I think the one weakness of the book is that she mostly dismisses modern water-mixable oils, which may be a better alternative to her own approach. Unto itself this isn't a problem but to not even discuss them beyond an acknowledgement that they exist stands out as a deficiency in my view.

This is Avery good book, especially if new to oil painting. I paint in the basement of our house so safe practice is very importantTo me. I have left acrylics behind and am now into the new generation of safer oils.

This book has saved me years of trial-and-error experimentation in working with oil paint. As an acrylic artist I was long in awe of the grand tradition of oil painting but felt overwhelmed by all the equipment and put off by the dangerous solvents I believed were necessary for the practice.Kimberly Brooks has allayed all my concerns in this engaging and accessible guide that revives the non-toxic techniques of pre-nineteenth century painters. I now enjoy the freedom of working with oil in almost any setting and experience a greater creative freedom without the guesswork.Kimberly Brooks’ knowledge, whilst steeped in history is imparted with the practical know-how of a practising, contemporary artist who is literally in conversation with today’s art world.

Arrived quickly in good condition. But not much help to me personally