Here are 84 books that Confident Color fans have personally recommended if you like Confident Color. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting: Fun, Creative and Innovative Techniques

Sandra Duran-Wilson Author Of Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects: 45 Wax Free Techniques

From my list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mixed media journey began as a kid growing up in a family of scientists and artists. I always loved to combine things, adding unusual objects to my mud sculptures and later mixing things up as a chemistry student. I created some wild concoctions as a bartender and then eventually as an acrylic painter. I began as a traditional oil painter, but I moved on to painting murals on walls, and cutting stones and metalwork. I introduced the other art students to some great construction sites where we would scavenge materials and give them new life. This passion led me to write six books on mixed media.

Sandra's book list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques

Sandra Duran-Wilson Why Sandra loves this book

Abstract Explorations has many projects that will take you from start to finish.

She has a limited number of products to use, and her compositions are strong and consistent throughout the book. I think the strengths are the creative ways she shows you how to use traditional tools like stencils, stamps, and pens.

The idea of beginning a painting with a black background and adding resist lines before adding color lends itself to a powerful value range.

There are beautiful color combinations that you will want to try and the compositions are fresh and energized.

By Jo Toye ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Built around the concepts of play and practice, Jo Toye embraces experimentation and innovation. Focusing on technique, line and "working small," she shares a host of unusual techniques and works with unusual materials.
As many acrylic artists do, Jo creates primarily (but not exclusively) abstract art. Her emphasis on line and the use of line to build an understructure for design and composition is unique, as is her incorporation of "writing" into her paintings. Surely, few acrylic artists have ever thought of painting on a black surface or using razor blades masking fluid pens, applicator bottles or mouth atomizers to…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium

Sandra Duran-Wilson Author Of Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects: 45 Wax Free Techniques

From my list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mixed media journey began as a kid growing up in a family of scientists and artists. I always loved to combine things, adding unusual objects to my mud sculptures and later mixing things up as a chemistry student. I created some wild concoctions as a bartender and then eventually as an acrylic painter. I began as a traditional oil painter, but I moved on to painting murals on walls, and cutting stones and metalwork. I introduced the other art students to some great construction sites where we would scavenge materials and give them new life. This passion led me to write six books on mixed media.

Sandra's book list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques

Sandra Duran-Wilson Why Sandra loves this book

Acrylic Revolution introduces the artist to an assortment of tools, products, and techniques to help you understand the many possibilities of using acrylic paint.

It is a book you want to keep handy as you explore what acrylic paint can do. Nancy provides an extensive list of tips, tools, materials, and a handy glossary.

The book has steps to take you through everything from gluing, creating textures to how to change your paint to act like other mediums. The technique steps have helpful photos but limited finished art.

However, there are many beautiful pieces at the end of the book with handy page references to go back and see the techniques that were used to create them.

This is a great book for someone starting out in the acrylic painting.

By Nancy Reyner ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Acrylic Revolution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Acrylic Revolution is your essential, all-in-one guide for acrylic painting techniques and more. Use any of the over 101 strategies to break through the boundaries of conventional painting and redefine your creative potential with the world's most versatile medium.
Every page is packed with insights into using acrylic paint in ways you never thought possible to create stunning visual effects and textures.
A gallery of finished art at the back of the book will show you how to combine different tricks to use in their artwork offering you real-life applications for acrylic techniques.


Book cover of Rethinking Acrylic: Radical solutions for exploiting the world's most versatile medium

Sandra Duran-Wilson Author Of Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects: 45 Wax Free Techniques

From my list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mixed media journey began as a kid growing up in a family of scientists and artists. I always loved to combine things, adding unusual objects to my mud sculptures and later mixing things up as a chemistry student. I created some wild concoctions as a bartender and then eventually as an acrylic painter. I began as a traditional oil painter, but I moved on to painting murals on walls, and cutting stones and metalwork. I introduced the other art students to some great construction sites where we would scavenge materials and give them new life. This passion led me to write six books on mixed media.

Sandra's book list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques

Sandra Duran-Wilson Why Sandra loves this book

Patti’s book is a visual feast.

She features several artists working in a wide range of styles. This really shows the dynamic range that can be achieved with acrylic.

She begins with a comprehensive introduction to acrylic paints, even how they are made. If you really like details this book has so many tidbits and treasures but first you have to pull your eyes away from the colorful artwork and actually read.

I discovered many helpful solutions to issues after I sat down one day and read it cover to cover. I love seeing the finished art and it will jump-start your imagination.

By Patti Brady ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rethinking Acrylic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Revolutionize your work with acrylics!

Get ready for the creative ride of your life! Tradition is out, experimentation is in with this cutting-edge how-to sampler of techniques to use with acrylic, the world's most versatile medium. Inside, you'll find inventive, non-traditional, downright inspirational ways to paint with acrylic (pour, scrape, squirt, roll, layer and excavate).

Workshop style instruction covers a wide range of approaches:
Watermedia Effects * Creating Texture Gels * Subtractive Techniques * Collage and Acrylic Skins * Acrylic Transfers and the Printed Image * Pours * Acrylic Encaustic * Metallic and Reflective Paints * Drawing and Resists with…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Mixed Media Painting Workshop: Explore Mediums, Techniques and the Personal Artistic Journey

Sandra Duran-Wilson Author Of Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects: 45 Wax Free Techniques

From my list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mixed media journey began as a kid growing up in a family of scientists and artists. I always loved to combine things, adding unusual objects to my mud sculptures and later mixing things up as a chemistry student. I created some wild concoctions as a bartender and then eventually as an acrylic painter. I began as a traditional oil painter, but I moved on to painting murals on walls, and cutting stones and metalwork. I introduced the other art students to some great construction sites where we would scavenge materials and give them new life. This passion led me to write six books on mixed media.

Sandra's book list on mixed media acrylic painting techniques

Sandra Duran-Wilson Why Sandra loves this book

Jean’s book has a novel format for teaching that I love.

She does begin with an introduction to acrylics but then she breaks down various components with examples and then a featured artist to explore that technique. She shows how collage, texture, drawing, and different styles can turn out so different using the same materials.

Jean is a brilliant figurative mixed media artist and she abstracts the figure in a way that invites even nonobjective painters to want to try a new subject manner. She has some fun composition ideas and even a roadmap of when to add other materials.

A visually beautiful book that will inspire your work no matter what your genre.

By Jean Pederson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mixed Media Painting Workshop as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The artistic journey of a lifetime!

Are you interested in adding a bit of mixed media to your artwork but unsure exactly how? Mixed Media Painting Workshop takes the fear out of artistic experimentation and instead celebrates the journey, step by step!

With Mixed Media Painting Workshop, you'll learn a variety of techniques and use a unique selection of materials to express yourself and your style! From backgrounds to sketching, from painting to collage, from the elements of design to subject matter, you'll find it all right here!

Inside Mixed Media Painting Workshop you'll find:

A plethora of background information--get…


Book cover of Glow

Samantha Wilcoxson Author Of Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl

From my list on Radium Girls.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I decided to write about Catherine Donohue, I searched for everything I could find about her, which was surprisingly little. I traveled to Ottawa, Illinois to read her letters held at a local historical society, and I connected with the son of her attorney, who has kindly uploaded his father’s old newspaper clippings onto the internet. The story of America’s Radium Girls is a tragic warning about where greed and corruption can lead, but it is also a story about courage, faith, and perseverance. It is a privilege to be a part of increasing awareness of their fate. After all, HERstory is history, too.

Samantha's book list on Radium Girls

Samantha Wilcoxson Why Samantha loves this book

When I decided I wanted to read more and write about the Radium Girls, this was the only novel I could find featuring them. It is an accessible, young adult novel with a dual timeline. A contemporary young woman discovers a painting at a thrift shop that reveals glow-in-the-dark elements. The story of a fictional early dial painter is told alongside the struggle of the main protagonist in today’s world.

By Megan E. Bryant ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Glow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017 Selection

Lydia is thrilled to join the working girls in the factory, where they paint luminous watch dials for the soldiers fighting in World War I. In the future, these girls will be known as the tragic Radium Girls: factory workers not only poisoned by the glowing paint, but who also had to fight against men who knew of the paint's deadly effect. One hundred years later, Julie, whose life is on hold after high school, becomes intrigued by a series of mysterious antique paintings she finds in a thrift store. When she discovers…


Book cover of Beautiful Agitation: Modern Painting and Politics in Syria

Dawn Chatty Author Of Syria: The Making and Unmaking of a Refuge State

From my list on capturing the essence of Syria and its people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a social anthropologist who has lived, dreamed, and worked in Syria most of her life. Having spent my childhood in Damascus I always yearned to return. After completing my PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the economy of modern Bedouin Tribes, I won a Fulbright award to teach at the University of Damascus. Since then, Damascus has been at the centre of my academic and social life. I met my husband there, a British helicopter pilot, sent there to learn Arabic. I'm an emeritus professor of anthropology and forced migration at the University of Oxford and my research has been on the forced migrant communities who make up Syria’s cosmopolitan society.

Dawn's book list on capturing the essence of Syria and its people

Dawn Chatty Why Dawn loves this book

This is a truly remarkable work. I was expecting a straightforward book of art but discovered a wonderful portrait of Syria in the 20th century. It is an original, creative, and deeply contextualized lens into the modern political history of Greater Syria. It successfully brings natural Syria, Bilad al Sham, into our frame of reference through the work of three main artists: Khalil Gibran, Adham Ismail, and Fateh al Moudarres. In its early chapters, it skillfully describes and analyses Syria’s interface with the late Ottoman period. The Interwar Mandate period is particularly well researched and articulated in drawing Syrian plastic arts into view, as France and other European diplomats, philosophers, and anthropologists’ influenced individual Syrian poets, and philosophers either during their sojourns in Europe or at home in Syria. Beautiful Agitation is an enchanting read, scholarly and lively, making sense for the first time of important Syrian artists’…

By Anneka Lenssen ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beautiful Agitation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In modern Syria, a contested territory at the intersection of differing regimes of political representation, artists ventured to develop strikingly new kinds of painting to link their images to life forces and agitated energies. Examining the works of artists Kahlil Gibran, Adham Ismail, and Fateh al-Moudarres, Beautiful Agitation explores how painters in Syria activated the mutability of form to rethink relationships of figure to ground, outward appearance to inner presence, and self to world. Drawing on archival materials in Syria and beyond, Anneka Lenssen reveals new trajectories of painterly practice in a twentieth century defined by shifting media technologies, moving…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of The Science of Art: Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat

Philip Steadman Author Of Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces

From my list on perspective, optics, and realistic illusion in art.

Why am I passionate about this?

If I was asked to describe the central theme of my life's work in a phrase, it would be 'geometry in the arts'. I'm an architect originally, now a professor in London, and have always loved drawing and the art of perspective. In the 1990s I became fascinated with the idea that Johannes Vermeer used the camera obscura, an obsession that led to my book Vermeer's Camera. I'm now working on Canaletto's Camera. And I have ideas for yet another book, on perspective, to be called Points of View. I've chosen five books on these topics that I've found most thought-provoking and inspiring.

Philip's book list on perspective, optics, and realistic illusion in art

Philip Steadman Why Philip loves this book

Martin Kemp is the world's leading expert on the use of perspective, optical tools, and scientific knowledge in art. This encyclopaedic book follows developments from the Italian Renaissance to the nineteenth century, with a great wealth of illustrations, from Brunelleschi and Alberti to the colour theories of Goethe and Chevreul. I re-read and refer to this book repeatedly - as I am sure do many others - and am always finding new insights. Kemp's explanations are always clear and penetrating, even when the writers and artists he is writing about are not.

By Martin Kemp ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Science of Art as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this pathbreaking and richly illustrated book, Martin Kemp examines the major optically oriented examples of artistic theory and practice from Brunelleschi's invention of perspective and its exploitation by Leonardo and Durer to the beginnings of photography. In a discussion of color theory, Kemp traces two main traditions of color science: the Aristotelian tradition of primary colors and Newton's prismatic theory that influenced Runge, Turner, and Seurat. His monumental book not only adds to our understanding of a large group of individual works of art but also provides valuable information for all those interested in the interaction between science and…


Book cover of Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters

Philip Steadman Author Of Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces

From my list on perspective, optics, and realistic illusion in art.

Why am I passionate about this?

If I was asked to describe the central theme of my life's work in a phrase, it would be 'geometry in the arts'. I'm an architect originally, now a professor in London, and have always loved drawing and the art of perspective. In the 1990s I became fascinated with the idea that Johannes Vermeer used the camera obscura, an obsession that led to my book Vermeer's Camera. I'm now working on Canaletto's Camera. And I have ideas for yet another book, on perspective, to be called Points of View. I've chosen five books on these topics that I've found most thought-provoking and inspiring.

Philip's book list on perspective, optics, and realistic illusion in art

Philip Steadman Why Philip loves this book

David Hockney believes, rightly in my opinion, that European artists since the Renaissance have used optical aids - mirrors of different types, the camera obscura, the camera lucida - much more often than conventional art history has allowed. I like and admire this book for the wonderful choice of illustrations, and the deep knowledge and understanding of painting methods that Hockney betrays, with wit and elegance, in the text. His arguments are highly subversive and involve a complete re-thinking of the role of optics in Western art, before photography. I don't go along with all of Hockney's theories. But he has overturned the subject, and has got art historians thinking again.

By David Hockney ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Secret Knowledge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Join one of the most influential artists of our time as he investigates the painting techniques of the Old Masters. Hockney’s extensive research led him to conclude that artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, da Vinci, and other hyperrealists actually used optics and lenses to create their masterpieces.

In this passionate yet pithy book, Hockney takes readers on a journey of discovery as he builds a case that mirrors and lenses were used by the great masters to create their highly detailed and realistic paintings and drawings. Hundreds of the best-known and best-loved paintings are reproduced alongside his straightforward analysis. Hockney…


Book cover of The Painting

Wendy McLeod MacKnight Author Of The Frame-Up

From my list on middle grade that promote a love of art.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been obsessed with art since I was a kid. When I look at art, I see stories, not just about what I’m seeing, but about what it was like when the painting was created: was the artist tired, grumpy, frustrated? Why’d they paint it the way they did? Sadly, my artistic talent is limited, but fortunately, I can tell stories. After visiting William Orpen’s painting of Mona Dunn at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, I couldn’t help wondering why he made her look so pensive. The only way I could answer that question was by writing my own story about Mona and the other paintings in the gallery!

Wendy's book list on middle grade that promote a love of art

Wendy McLeod MacKnight Why Wendy loves this book

My vocabulary for analyzing any piece of art is through storytelling; I can’t tell you how often I’ve looked at a painting and wishing I could step inside at that very moment. It’s a lot of the inspiration behind my own book. But in The Painting, Charis Cotter turns this idea on its head, leaving us wondering if stepping inside a painting would be all we think it would be. This story of suspense and fear and loss is a page-turner!

By Charis Cotter ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Painting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

A haunting, beautiful middle-grade novel about fractured relationships, loss, ghosts, friendship and art.

Annie and her mother don't see eye to eye. When Annie finds a painting of a lonely lighthouse in their home, she is immediately drawn to it--and her mother wishes it would stay banished in the attic. To her, art has no interest, but Annie loves drawing and painting.

When Annie's mother slips into a coma following a car accident, strange things begin to happen to Annie. She finds herself falling into the painting and meeting Claire, a girl her own age living at the lighthouse. Claire's…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of The Fantasy Illustrator's Technique Book

Sandra Staple Author Of Drawing Fantastic Dragons: Create Amazing Full-Color Dragon Art, Including Eastern, Western and Classic Beasts

From my list on art instruction for fantasy artists.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been drawing fantasy creatures and characters for over thirty years now, and have collected hundreds of fantasy, art, and art instruction books over the decades. Both drawing and reading are a passion of mine, so I am happy to share some of my favorite fantasy art books that I have in my own personal library.

Sandra's book list on art instruction for fantasy artists

Sandra Staple Why Sandra loves this book

This book is full of beautiful illustrations and great advice on creating your own fantastic scenes.  It goes into great detail on how to visualize your piece. While there is a full chapter specifically dedicated to drawing, there is also a section that looks at other mediums such as ink and watercolor and what techniques you can incorporate into your art using these materials. It is full of wonderful tips and advice, and is also a pleasure just to flip through.

By Gary A. Lippincott ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Fantasy Illustrator's Technique Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here is a heavily illustrated, highly detailed instruction manual for art students seeking professional entry in the fantasy art field. The author guides students from conception of an art idea to publication of the finished work, emphasizing methods for creating magical, mythical, and monstrous characters who inhabit worlds of fantasy and wonder. He starts with practical considerations--setting up a workspace and mastering drawing media, painting media, and digital techniques. Next comes advice on visualizing the details in a story concept, with special attention to. . .

Costumes, landscapes, and interiors Subjects taken from history and well-known legends Methods of depicting…


Book cover of Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Painting: Fun, Creative and Innovative Techniques
Book cover of Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium
Book cover of Rethinking Acrylic: Radical solutions for exploiting the world's most versatile medium

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in painting, colors, and art?

Painting 63 books
Colors 21 books
Art 1,020 books