I accidentally found this book while browsing through Amazon's instructional oil painting books and thought it might be worth a try. Boy was I right. This is exactly what I was searching for. If you're looking for a real step-by-step art instruction book, look no further. This book delivers on its promise, teaching you how to create an underpainting like the old masters. The book includes a step-by-step demonstration with photos and explanations of everything.

This book is one of the most impressive painting books you will ever find! if you want to learn how to paint realistic still lifes or portraits then [caption id="attachment_698" align="alignright" width="205"] How To Create an Underpainting Like The Old Masters: A Step-by-Step Guide[/caption] buy this book!!! it really does help.

[caption id="attachment_698" align="alignright" width="205"] How To Create an Underpainting Like The Old Masters: A Step-by-Step Guide[/caption] I really enjoyed this book. However, I appreciate very direct information without much fluff. Prior to purchasing the book, I found comments where one owner felt it was too short. The author, however, made a good point that you're getting very focused information that would cost a great deal more face to face. While the book is relatively short, it does exactly what the title indicates and does it well. Very informative and detailed instructions. Succinct and clear. But, it's worth understanding you're not going to be getting a lengthy document with this purchase. If you're after a demonstration on an underpainting then you won't be disappointed. I am a beginner myself and we did a similar underpainting in a college course I took. It was one of the alternate methods the author describes in the introduction. I especially liked the method used in this book. The process is very much like doing a charcoal (vine) value drawing with a chamois, resulting in a beautiful value study.

[caption id="attachment_487" align="alignright" width="250"] Underpainting Secrets for Artists[/caption] "Eric's video fundamentally changed how I approach underpainting.  In reality, underpainting is more about removing paint than it is about adding it.  Using the techniques that Eric teaches in his video allowed me to create paintings that have genuine depth to them.  The technique he teaches for laying out the basic shapes of a composition with the back of a pencil allowed me to stop using charcoal, which previously was muddying up my paints.  He has lots of other tips and tricks in there, which are all really helpful."