Pastel Innovations: 60+ Creative Techniques and Exercises for Painting with Pastels

I just received this book and my head is exploding! On first look this book appears to be focused on printmaking. While a major subject of the book, the pure value is in the details. The tips, self critique prompts and the different ways of using your materials is the true core of this book. You will have lots of why did I not think of that moments. I already used one such tidbit and it elevated the piece I was working on. The book is organized with each step building on the next. You can take it as far as YOU want. Even if you are not leaning toward the printmaking aspect there is something to learn apart from that. For a beginner, you will learn some great ideas and how to critique your work to take it to another level. The advanced Artist will find much to stimulate your mind.The writing style is right to the point and includes the whys and the Artists thoughts. You will not find "now use a green pastel" and projects to give as gifts. This is all about techniques.You working as a team with this book. Making your own choices while you have the necessary guidelines to learn.I ran across this Artist last year and have been waiting for this book for months. My expectations have been exceeded greatly as to what I was hoping to find. The book lies open very well and has an easy to read font. A real winner.

With the word "Pastel" written boldly on the cover, I expected the book to be primarily about the medium of pastel. I found the first four chapters explored various printmaking techniques, primarily. The last two chapters go more thoroughly into the pastel medium. I think this would have been better marketed as a "Mixed Media" book. I have been a printmaker and am now a pastel artist. I own one of Dawn Emerson's demonstration DVD's and was looking forward to her book. It does have good insight into the creative process, but I must admit I was disappointed.

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to expand upon their drawing skills and wake up their artistic vision. It is not solely about pastels, but also a great jumping off place for the exploration of printmaking, drawing with charcoal, frottage and other "mixed media" techniques that can be combined with pastel. I have owned the book for a while and have been working through the first few sections, then I got completely sidetracked into the art of print making prompted by the chapter on mono-printing. Emerson is a good teacher, and I highly recommend her DVD CREATIVE ART CLASS: MARK MAKING AND DRAWING, in which she demonstrates some of the concepts in this book. I work in not only pastel, but water color and oil, and I feel the time spent working through this book and the explorations it inspires will be invaluable to improving all of my work.

I have never written a review before but felt I had to write one for this book. The book is not your 'standard' pastel book, I found it to be inspiring full of great info and freeing. Dawn encourages experimentation and uses pastels in ways I had never thought of. I think anyone of any level will enjoy this book and the only bad thing I can say is that Im not getting much sleep----I have got so many ideas swirling around in my head.

First be warned this is not a typical how-to-pastel book. In fact pastels figure into it only as the last stages in a number of really interesting and exciting ways to start a piece, laying down strong foundations with, for example, monotype and other (completely field friendly if you paint outside) printing techniques that have the effect of adding interest and giving compositional solidity to the pastels that follow. She also provides insightful and very usable techniques for analyzing a piece to decide what is and isn't working and how to fix it if necessary. It's a whole art-concepts tutorial. I recommend it highly.

This is much more than a book about pastels. This is a book about how to open your creativity as an artist, how to paint from the heart instead of the mind. I would highly recommend this book even if you aren't a pastel artist. I also wanted to mention that the Kindle version is formatted very nicely. The photos fill the screen so that you can really see them. I also have the hardcover book from the library. If I didn't travel so much I would love to have it as well. Nothing like a beautiful art book in your hand.

I love this artist. Her book makes you think outside the box and outside your comfort zone, which leads to new inspirations and surprises in your artwork.

The author does a great job showing through many examples ways to get out of a rutBut also how to overcome adult artist syndrome and get th e open child backThis is a book to use and cherish and put into daily living, and my paintingAfter 60 years of painting staying fresh is a challenge and this book really helps

When i ordered this book it was on recommends from other buyers i personally never give recommends i believe one mans meat is another's poison call me old fashion but that's the way it is.Most raved about it but after getting it and reading through it bearing in mind its Pastel Innovations i was really looking forward to some great Pastel Innovations pastel work pastel anything ....... but no a few pages at the front had pastel but after that, it was any other medium you care name NOT pastel well maybe a smidgen of it.Sadly just not what i was looking for so i paid the postage and sent it back very disappointed as the money i wasted on postage could have gone to another book.So if you are looking for Mixed Medium Innovations this is the book for you

I have high regard for Dawn Emerson's work and had been really looking forward to this book. Am pleased to have it, although perhaps it's not quite as exciting as hoped for. I think the main reason for this is the design & layout of the book - it seems to be a current fad to have lots of space round the edges of the page, small writing and lots of small illustrations (come on North Light Books, I expect great things from you but this could have been better!) From an editorial point of view, fewer but bigger and better illustrations could have made this a knock-out publication but as it is, there is a lot of interesting material but it feels a bit restrained.Basically, we're lucky Dawn has written us a book and it will certainly help to loosen up any artists who, like myself, can struggle with too much detail at times. Recommended.

I’m very excited by this book. So often art books give instructions for painting boring ‘pretty pretty’ pictures that would suit the local library exhibition. This is the kind of art I’m striving towards and I’ll have fun trying the many techniques that are clearly described. I love the way the book is set out with plenty of illustrations, and it’s also very interesting reading about the artist; her training and experience. I feel like an art student again!

I bought this book because I thought it would lead me in different directions. I didn't like the fact that it was full of mixed media, printing, pixels, ink, oils and hardly any pastels. This was not mentioned in the description of the book when I bought it, therefore I am returning it,[ begrudgingly having to pay postage on a heavy book]

I agree with some of the other reviewers this book should really be called 'Mixed Media and Pastel' but be that as it may it is excellent. Full of ideas and encouragement to just try something different. Recommend it.