Customer Reviews
Great beginner book that doesn't hold your hand 
2008-07-21
This is a great book that doesn't insult the artist.
The author takes you through the thought process, the planning and the execution.
It's not for someone who never picked up a paint brush before- for those people I suggest taking a class.
It doesn't spoon feed you step-by-step of every brush stroke. Other wise it would be just a "here's how you can copy me exactly and not really learn anything" type of book.
I loved the book and I am inspired to paint "plein air".
The author's paintings are beautiful ( and yes some of the fall exterior paintings have a golden-yellow feel, but that's what the artist wanted to use).
It is worth every penny.
Must-have muse for SERIOUS beginners to advanced ... 2008-06-15
IF you are serious about painting, this book is worth 100 times its weight in gold. If you're just dabbling in it as a hobby, then go ahead and buy one of those generic "how to" books. I am relatively new to painting, but took to it like a duck to water at 42 (my father is a well-known landscape artist and I've always had a natural bent). I luckily happened upon Steve Allrich's book at my local Blick's store and, at first, hesitated to purchase it, questioning whether or not it would be worth the hard-earned $20.00 that COULD have gone toward a couple of tubes of cad lemon. I wonder no more!
I own a slew of painting books and make it a habit to study almost as much as to actually paint. I study A LOT. Yet, on any given day in my basement studio it is rare that you will find me without Steve's book by my side, frequently propped open to a "demo" page for constant reference. This book has dramatically affected my painting style (in a re-e-ally good way) and has simplified considerably my palette. I LOVE this book! And I love this man's honest, humorous, inspiring and intelligent take on the profession of painting with oils. He clearly writes from the heart and makes no apologies for his unique, but very effective, techniques which even the seasoned artist will find valuable (as some of my artist friends can attest).
This is not a book for hobbyists, however. It is much too inspired to be reduced to a "how to" book. But it will encourage, teach and guide you if you desire to truly embark on this often misunderstood profession of artist.
Oil Painting for the Beginner 
2008-01-07
This book is not for the true beginner. It may be good for someone with a lot of experience but not me. I wanted a book with the basics of painting, a how-to book.Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter
Great for a beginner painter 2007-06-02
I found this book to be very easy to read and helpful with basic concepts needed for a strong foundation in painting with oils. I especially like the info about shading, color for impact and components to make your work more polished.
a bit disappointed 
2007-04-09
I should have listened to the other reviews. The images are yellow toned and it makes it very difficult for a beginner to learn how to mix paint and get the right colors. The book also doesn't guide you on this matter which makes all the difference. I haven't used this book once.
so so book 2007-01-06
I read this and found only some info helpful. For a beginner this wasn't what I was looking for.
many good tips 2007-01-06
This book is written by an artist that has a lot of obvious talent and ability which is always a good start for how-to-paint books! His approach to colour particularly sticks in the mind. There are no complete step-by-step demonstations (beginning to end mapped out)- but many snapshots of some of the processes and some of the stages he arrived at before the finished product. Particularly useful for artists interested in landscapes and alla prima. I would recommend this as a book which complements an artist's personal tuition program - but not a book for complete beginners I wouldn't think.
Good beginner instructions 
2007-01-06
I used this book when I first started oil painting, and have referred back to it since. It has good basic instructions - my only critisism is that every painting shown seems to be in the same colors! Everything isn't yellow, after all. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the photos - or else the artist just likes sticking to one color scheme. It did make me look at my own palette more critically. Now I consciously try different color schemes on paintings, just for variety - so maybe it was a good thing...
Short, sweet, complete--a book for someone who really wants to learn 2006-10-22
I've never done oils--40 years of water media leave you little prepared for the vast difference of an opaque medium like oil paint. Allrich's little book is as complete as you'd want, everything from materials, palettes, blending paints, blocking in, using the palette knife to paint, to compositional issues such as light and shadow, representing volume, how to compose a pleasing painting.
This book is 144 pages long and free of useless but pretty photos of art supplies you should buy. The photos show techniques such as gessoing, stretching canvas and preparing a palette with linseed oil. There are a lot of good illustrations. Sometimes the colors seem a bit muted, but that's my only quibble with the book. This is a very good starting point for anyone wanting to try oil painting.
Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter 2006-10-07
Beautiful book. Unfortunatly pages 8 through 25 had been seriously marked and circled by the previous owner. I was really disappointed. I'm sending the book back for a refund.
