What do you think?
Rate this book
Painting by Design: Getting to the Essence of Good Picture-Making
Charles Reid is beloved as a teacher for his ability to guide students beyond the superficial and straight into the heart of what makes good painting good. In Painting by Design he explains how seeing your painting subjects in terms of light, shadow, shape, value, and color, will help you create striking works that embody effective design while capturing the intangible essence of the subject.
A firm believer in drawing as an ideal tool for understanding a subject as an abstract form, Reid opens this book with lessons in contour and rhythm drawing, providing photographs for you to work from. Next comes a chapter on effective and reliable ways to treat color and value in your work. With clear and easy-to-follow pointers on working with oils and watercolors, Painting by Design explains how color functions as an important design element.
Reid goes on to cover figure painting and the difficult art of rendering faces with realistic detail and expression, neatly demonstrating how the techniques and strategies learned in earlier chapters can be used to create specific effects. Finally, Reid shares his method of properly balancing a painting. Explaining how to combine what he refers to as "the effect" (sharp-focus, high-contrast compositional elements) with "the big blur" (softer edges, lighter values) to create interesting and dynamic artwork.
Packed with assignments, detailed demonstrations, and illuminating examples, Painting by Design provides big-picture strategies and techniques alongside tips for identifying and addressing specific compositional problems. Ideal for any artist who wants to hone their skills and develop their sense of composition, Painting by Design stands out among Reid's impressive catalog of painting books.
A firm believer in drawing as an ideal tool for understanding a subject as an abstract form, Reid opens this book with lessons in contour and rhythm drawing, providing photographs for you to work from. Next comes a chapter on effective and reliable ways to treat color and value in your work. With clear and easy-to-follow pointers on working with oils and watercolors, Painting by Design explains how color functions as an important design element.
Reid goes on to cover figure painting and the difficult art of rendering faces with realistic detail and expression, neatly demonstrating how the techniques and strategies learned in earlier chapters can be used to create specific effects. Finally, Reid shares his method of properly balancing a painting. Explaining how to combine what he refers to as "the effect" (sharp-focus, high-contrast compositional elements) with "the big blur" (softer edges, lighter values) to create interesting and dynamic artwork.
Packed with assignments, detailed demonstrations, and illuminating examples, Painting by Design provides big-picture strategies and techniques alongside tips for identifying and addressing specific compositional problems. Ideal for any artist who wants to hone their skills and develop their sense of composition, Painting by Design stands out among Reid's impressive catalog of painting books.
- GenresArt
146 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1991
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 26, 2025
I've read a lot of books about composition, figure drawing, and watercolor. I'm hesitant to rate many at 5 stars but it was warranted in this case. Charles Reid presented several ideas and strategies I haven't come across in other art literature yet. It also made me feel more empowered as I prefer more loose, less meticulous work.
August 26, 2025
If I could only absorb all the good information in this book, I'm sure I would improve so much. There are some good exercises. Still, rather intimidating.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews