"It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn’t online, it doesn’t exist. We all have the opportunity to use our voices, to have our say, but so many of us are wasting it. If you want people to know about what you do and the things you care about, you have to share." (Page 25).
This is the last of Kleon's trilogy and the most personal of the three. It feels so to me at least, as it's the one in which I hear Kleon's voice louder and clearer. What I mean is that his personal life, thinking and experiences are as important as what other people say; therefore, the book has less quotes and paraphrasing than the other two and feels more personal.
The aim of the book is to teach us how to think about creative work as a never-ending process, how to share our process to attract people who might be interested in our art, and how to deal with the ups and downs of sharing our work.
THE GOODIES
> Kleon has a very engaging style that connects us to him as a person immediately.
> I really like his approach to life, the artistic life especially, and the fact that he sounds like a decent human being that happens to be a famous writer by now. All of that is commendable.
> Once more, Kleon debunks the myth of the lone genius, the bohemian starving artist that lives in the collective unconscious. Kleon shows that most great ideas are birthed in a collaborative way with other creative people or minds or ideas from other people.
> Kleon also debunks the myth that success happens overnight.
> His advise on online sharing is excellent. Kleon gives sound advice on when, how often, and what sort of stuff we should be sharing.
> The author's advice on how to give credit to artists whose work we share or quote.
> Kleon's reflections on how the value of any given work is affected by the story attached to it. That's why it's important to be a good storyteller.
> The information on the psychology of forgery is fascinating.
> Sound advice on how to deal with criticism.
> Kleon's diaries snapshots at the end of the book give insight into his work process.
THE SO-SOS
For the rest, it suffers from some of the sins that his previous books:
> The
content is still lean, and this feels, again, another diary/booklet/blog
turned into a book, what I call a blook. Kleon himself confirms "a lot of the ideas in this book started out as tweets, which then became blog posts, which then became book chapters." (Page 57).
> There are too many quotes, no matter how good they are. Also, I miss the quotes being properly referenced, not just the name but also occupation and source (book, TV interview, podcast, newspaper, etc.). In this way, he'd be following his own advice about giving due credit.
> Most of what Kleon says in this book is directed to people who show/want to show their work online and the book revolves about that not about showing your work in any other sort of way, like ezines, small art galleries, etc.
> Although I like most of what Kleon says, the chapters are sometimes a bit off point.
> Repetitive at times.
> Section 1 seems fitter for Kleon's "Keep Going" book.
> Section 3 is very nice if you already have a name, but what about plagiarism? Not 'stealing' but totally using someone else's work? How do we counteract the online exposure with this very real every-day-happening fact?
> Section 4 on Tell stories is great, a first good approach to what good stories are made of. I found that this is great if you're a writer but not so much if you're a painter. For sure, there are paints, ours or others', who go attached to personal or collective stores, but others are not. So in which way can we share and make stories about artwork that has no story? I can make a story about a problem with a painting, how I tackled the problem and how it ended, but not all my paintings are a struggle, and some others have no happy ending and, to be honest, I don't think this might interest other artists or the people I share with.
> Section 5 about sharing what you know is full of platitudes and statements that can be true for some online teachers I receive education from, or not. It is true that we gravitate towards artists whose art we like and can teach us but not all of them are good teachers or know how to teach. Also, there are too many online (mostly bad-mediocre) teachers whose art is also mediocre. I'm all about teaching your work if you have something good to teach. Being great at what you do doesn't equal being a great teacher.
> Section 9 mentions the famous model of 'free' giveaways to get people's emails and then promote work or sell products or services. It definitely work. I guess it worked great when first came along. It works now? What I do is this. I get interested in something being offered for free. I use a secondary barely personal email address, I get the freebie, when I start to get marketing or promotional emails, I unsubscribe. Did it work?
1. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A GENIUS.
> It is not about having talent about the way we contribute to the world.
> It's very important to have and keep a beginner's mind, have a passion for what we do and keep going as our work will improve the longer we stick around. Amateurs get less stuck than professionals.
> Before sharing your work, think about what you want to learn, and do so in front of other people. Pay attention to what others are NOT sharing and fill in the void with your online presence.
> The only way to find your voice is to use it
> Reading obituaries or biographies of people who made great things is a way to connect with the present, give direction to our lives and not waste our time.
2. THINK PROCESS, NOT PRODUCT.
By sharing with others our process online every day we can create an audience and bond with them. Many people are interested not in the final piece of art, but in how we get, the messiness to get them, how we deal with the messiness, etc.
3. SHARE SOMETHING SMALL EVERY DAY.
> If in the very early stages, share your influences or what inspire you. If in the middle of it, write about your methods or share works in progress. If the project is finished, show it.
> Share something every day (blog post, twit, video, etc.).
> Pick the online platform that best suits your kind of artwork.
> Stick to the question " What you are working on/" and you’ll be good.
> Don’t show your personal life; show your work.
> Don't worry about being perfect, most of what we do is crap, but sharing our work opens up to how people react.
> If you're too busy or your life is hectic, devote just 30 minutes to online sharing a day.
> Don’t post work online that you’re not ready for everyone in the world to see.
> Don't overshare.
> When you share regularly, you'll notice patterns, themes and trends emerging from/in your work.
> Create your online space and build a good domain name. Stick to it forever. Keep it simple and professional.
4. OPEN UP YOUR CABINET OF CURIOSITIES.
> Before we’re ready to share our work with the world, we can share our tastes, things that drive us, artists we love, our artistic interest and influences, and what drive us to work.
> Show who you are, what you like, and don't let anyone pressure you on to saying the contrary or feeling bad about yourself for that.
> Being open and honest will bring around those people who are in the same frequency.
> Don’t share things you can’t properly credit. Find the right credit, or don’t share.
5. TELL GOOD STORIES.
> If you want to share effectively, you need to be a good storyteller, therefore, know what a good story is and how to tell one.
> A good story has a set structure that works most of the time, from the old fairy tales to the modern novels.There’s the initial problem, the work done to solve the problem, and the solution. The first act is the past, the second act is the present, and the third act is the future.
> Keep your audience in mind.
> Used proper language, good spelling and punctuation. Write clearly and in a way that is understandable.
> Speak about yourself and what you do. You should be able to explain your work to anyone and everyone but keep it honest, matter of fact, short and sweet.
6. TEACH WHAT YOU KNOW. Teach your craft, or techniques or how-to as this will generate more interest in your work. When you share your knowledge/work with others, you receive an education in return.
7. DON'T TURN INTO HUMAN SPAM. Don't turn into that sort of people who show no interest on anything or anyone but themselves. The sort of people who cave attention, notoriety and followers but show no appreciation or interest for those very people who follow them. If you want to get, you have to give.
> If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first be a good citizen of that community.
> Forward-thinking artists aren’t just looking for passive-consumer fans, they’re looking for potential collaborators.
> Notice and you'll be notice. Give and you'll be given. If you want to be interesting, you have to be interested first.
> Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love and you’ll attract people who love that kind of stuff.
> "Don’t be creepy. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t waste people’s time. Don’t ask too much. And don’t ever ever ask people to follow you. “Follow me back?” is the saddest question on the Internet." (Page 107).
> Don't do what drains you. Don't give air to people who drains you.
> Keep close those people who support and encourage you. Those you share your passions and view of the world. Praise them. Honor them. Be grateful for them. Collaborate with them. They're your inner circle.
> Meet your online peers in person.
8. LEARN TO TAKE A PUNCH.
> Relax and breeth. Criticism is not the end of the world.
> The more criticism you take, the less it can hurt you.
> You can only control how you react to criticism .
> Being hated by certain people is sometimes a badge of honor.
> You can always hide work that is too close to you to prevent it from being criticized, but avoiding vulnerability won't allow you truly to connect to other people.
> Your work is something you do, not what you are.
> Care only about what the right people think of you.
> Don't feed the trolls. Block people. Turn comments off if necessary.
9. SELL OUT.
> Turn fans into patrons.
> Ask for support when necessary.
> Keep a e-mailing list. Free giveaways are great to collect emails and have a group of people to connect, share or sell.
> Paid it forward. Praise those people, platforms or organizations that support/ed you before you were well-known.
10 STICK AROUND.
> Getting there takes time. If you keep going,you'll get there. Don't quit too early.
> Success is never guaranteed, and nothing guarantees that after a success there will be another one.
> Persevere no matter you're successful or not.
> Use the end of one project to light up the next one. Ask yourself what you missed, what you could’ve done better, or what you couldn’t get to, and jump right into the next project.
> Take long breaks or sabbaticals if necessary. Otherwise, take advantage of your idle time (commuting, exercising, enjoying nature or going to a park).
> When you feel like you’ve learned whatever there is to learn from what you’re doing, change course and find something new to learn; move forward.
MIND
> This book is not a how-to and doesn't have an in-built method.
> The book focuses mostly on our presence online, how to show our work online .
This is one of those books that you want to have on our table when you start your mixed-media journey. I wish I had it on mine when I first started. Ten years have elapsed since the book was first published, but some of the techniques and content are still relevant and many of the techniques and supplies were unknown to me.
This is a how-to book. I consider it good for for both mixed-media newbies or people who usually work with mixed-media but want to expand their technical repertoire.
Kahn says at the beginning of the book that her aim is just to provide us with techniques so that we can try them and/or incorporate them into our artwork, and she stresses that they're just techniques to use to create pieces that will then be incorporated into our artwork, so they're not intended to create masterpieces or finished pieces on their own.
GREAT THINGS
> Greatly photographed and edited.
> Kahn goes through every technique, from the use of different subtracts, techniques to create resist, use of different art supplies, ways to create textures, rubbings and hand-printing techniques, you name it.
> The book reads quickly, but this is one of those books that I want to keep at hand to come and apply some of the teachings in my work.
> Kahn has an amazing knowledge of how different paper and textile substrates work, so she's able to properly advice on how the same technique works on different materials.
> The abstract artwork displayed on the book is gorgeous and very much my cup of tea.
> The tutorial to make a folding book.
> She uses inexpensive supplies most of the time, so that's great as I think this pushes us, or at least me, to try things without worrying about having this or that fancy supply.
> The last section of her book has examples of ho Khan put together some art pieces using the techniques she describes throughout the book. They're so beautiful.
SO-SO
> We live in a world bombarded with video-tutorials and some of the things presented here are already popular and well-known.
> The text is not justified, something that always bothers me.
> Some of the brands that Kahn mentions might be very common in the US but not elsewhere. I would have loved having a replacement mentioned, or just a generic product mentioned.
> Thermofax machines were becoming uncommon when Kahn wrote her book and I don't think they're that common today. I have never heard for them, anyway. So, I don't think this is something that the average artist has access to.
This is a very handy book for both beginners and intermediate crafters
and mixed-media painters. It contains plenty of techniques, tips, creative
ideas and projects to try on and get inspired by.
The book is divided in three parts.
The first one contains all the techniques that the authors will use in
the following mixed-media projects but isolated and photographed step by
step with simple clear effective descriptions. The second part contains
tutorials for 12 different projects by both authors, which are photographed and described step by step in the same effective manner as before. The third part contains 10 new projects, but they aren't
photographed step-by-step, just the steps described.
THE GOODIES
> I got plenty of inspiration and some ideas despite having worked on mixed-media for a while.
> The book is unpretentious and goes to the point.
> The tutorials are photographed and short-described wonderfully, so you can follow them quickly and effectively.
> Some of the tips spread throughout the book are extremely helpful.
> I love the fact that the authors use stitching, fabrics as well as sealing wax and wax in general as the results are very tactile and visually rich.
> The variety of styles and complexity in the projects included. It goes from the very simple to the challenging. I especially loved the projects Bounty of secrets, Our House, Devotion Shrine, Sweet Heart, Birds Nest, Kindness to Ruth, Flight, and My Secret Heart Hopes.
> Good quality photographs.
> No typos in view and good edition overall.
> The book having a index of subjects at the end, something that I always love.
> A quick read, but it can be used as a reference guide, as well.
DOWNSIDES
>
The book feels a bit aged in some parts, but some of the techniques and results must have been groundbreaking when the book first came out 9 years ago
> Some of the techniques are very basic and won't be helpful to people who already work on mixed-media like me.
> I miss the second batch of projects being photographed step-by-step like the first. I don't know why they did it this way, to be honest.
> Ain't a fan of rhinestones on artwork unless they're vintage, small and delicate.
> Text isn't justified.
This book grew on me from the first pages, when I quite disliked it, to when I finished, which I really liked it. This isn't a tutorial kinda book, it's a book to harness your intuition for artistic purposes and give you tips, prompts and techniques that will translate that into your paintings.
I DID LIKE
>>
The lovely design and style of the book, from the lettering to the
doodles incorporated into the pages to the gradient boxes with the
exercises. The book has high quality full-color reproductions, too.
>> Some of Bowley's artwork displayed on the book.>.
The technique prompts in the first chapters of the book are excellent,
especially for beginners and something that I haven't seen in other
teaching Art books. Prompts cover the use of water spray bottles,
fingers, rags, etching, stamping, and small brushes and foam brushes. I also loved the tip on how to create a glass palette
>> Bowley provides us with a great selection of exercises to harness our intuition for artistic purposes. This is actually the best part of the book and something I haven't found in other Art books out there. We're given tools on how to approach a painting, how to go through the hurdles when we get stuck, how to finish a painting, when should we finish it, and how to create from our inner voice.
>> The fact that Bowley advises us to ask ourselves 'what's working' (instead of what's not working) when we're stuck or when a painting isn't working.
>>
How simply but effectively color theory is explained in p. 59 and the
examples of which color combinations create/don't create mud in p. 69.
>> The Taking
Stock section on page 120 contains 13 questions for us to ask ourselves before deciding whether a painting is finished or not.
SO-SO
>> " Remember, only you can paint like you". (Page 112).
-- This isn't totally true. There are people painting The Monalisa like Da Vinci at the dozen in China and they're really great. Also, remember the forfeiting paint industry, which needs of super-qualified experts to distinguish the original from the copy.
>> The Blindfolded finger painting exercise is fab, but what about if we don't paint on canvas and use A4 or A3 watercolor paper instead?
>> "Make sure you always have at least two canvases in progress at all times (...) as it allows one canvas to dry as you work on the other." (Page 66).
-- Not sure if this is valid for paper either.
>> "It’s tempting, and very natural, to want to know what your paintings are going to look like before they are finished, but the truth is you never really know what the future holds. Incredible amounts of energy are wasted by chasing what you cannot catch." (Page 28).
-- I see this sort of statement repeated everywhere these days but it doesn't ring 100% true to me. Many artists and art masters in the past have painted and paint on commission and within strict guidelines, or like to produce whatever final product, like a realistic portrait of the Queen, just to mention something. I don't think that all artists let their creativity go wild.
>> Bowley's paintings in the book aren't named or dated.
I DIDN'T LIKE
>> The book has 129 pages, but the written part of it covers half of the book. Many pages contain full-page photos, most of the others have half-page photos and 1-2 columns of text or 1 exercise boxes.
>> Too many quotes, covering half page. I like them, but, are they necessary? No!
> The positive-thinking New-Age Law of Attraction spiritual philosophy that pervades the book. It's like something I've read gazillion times in other places for other purposes. Ready-made sentences that mean little to me. Not every painter is spiritual. Not every painter who's spiritual is into New Age or yoga or whatever. You can be a good teacher and be agnostic and in a wheel-chair. You know what I'm a saying?
> Relax by taking a bath... I haven't seen a bath in urban rentals in the huge city I live in for decades. Not even in many of the newly-built small houses.Having a bath is like a fantasy these days, like a luxury, but the sentence comes up so often together with relax that's annoying.
>> "Human aliveness is inseparable from creativity. We are all artists already… each and every one of us." (Page 13).
-- I don't agree with this. We are all creative and creators for sure, not all of us are artists. Not every painter who lives out of their sales is an artist either. I think there are not many true artists around these days.
>> The About
the Author section at the end of the book is vague/generic, and says that Bowley has works published in books, albums and in paintings in galleries.
So, which galleries, which albums and which books? It reads more
like a FB, Amazon or Fivver profile trying to impress customers than something fit for a book bio. In fact,
Bowley's profile elsewhere is more specific and mentions just books not galleries or albums. Vague biographies rest credibility
to any author. Also, I would have loved knowing whether Bowley studied
Art in Art School or a self-taught painter.
TYPOS
Overall the book is well edited, but I noticed, on page 117,the following:
"If you premeditate on using a word before you’ve started your painting, you run the risk of your words seeming contrived. ask yourself whether your words feel forced, or whether they are a natural extension of your process?
Notice that ask should be in capital and that the interrogation mark is unnecessary in this sentence as it's phrased.
Despite the years elapsed since this book was first published, True Vision is still the book I'd recommend to people to start with if they're new to mixed media, art journaling or both. This work was first published in 2008 and the Kindle edition I used to read is from 2011; yet, it's the most compressive work I've found for art journaling while being authentic to who you are, without copycatting anyone. I find the book both inspiring and helpful.
THE STRUCTURE
The book is structured in chapters evolving about different journaling themes, which Ludwig analyzes extensively: The written word, relationships, currents events, places and spaces, self-explorations, spirituality and dreams. Each chapter contains information about how to explore the theme as well as sections devoted to techniques, visual and journaling prompts, as well as intermezzos with interviews with different art journalists.
>> The Visual Toolbox sections make you learn new techniques
and/or increase your proficiency level in art journaling. Some of them were borrowed years later by other more popular
art journal artists, like Dina Wakley. These techniques are: Making a stencil portrait. --
Text onto metal mesh. -- Writing with fluid acrylics. -- Adding
Structured Texture to an Art Journal Page. -- Silhouette figure study.
-- Altering a child's board book. -- Faux landscape painting. --
Photographic self-portrait. -- More than the sum of our parts. --
Ink-jet transfer. -- Patina on paper. -- Blind contour drawing. --
Carving a self-portrait into a printing block. -- Altering scrapbook
papers.
>>
The Insight Activity sections describe some techniques to journaling and filling a journal page: Unblanking the blank page. -- Using
your best stash items. -- Automatic writing. -- Creating and using a
vision deck. -- Creating an imaginary musical alphabet. -- Using old
notebooks as a substrate or collage element for your artwork. --Using
poems. -- Creating versions of the same item (circumstance, day,
happenstance). -- Creating a page that summarizes your week. -- Creating
abstracts. -- Being a tourist in your own town and using using the
experience to journal. -- Building our sense of home. -- Using dream
characters to create pages.
>> Take a Closer Look is where Ludwig interviews other artists whose journals fit the theme under examination: Bee Shay, Nina
Bagley, Traci Bunkers, L. K. Ludwig (herself), Juliana Coles and
Loretta Marvel. Many more artists are mentioned throughout the book, and
their art showcased, to exemplify what's being taught.
>> The appendix contains the Vision Deck for printing, a list of contributors (names, websites and/or email addresses), and a list of resources (art supplies, books and magazines as well as artists to look up).
THE GOOD
>> Despite the many years elapsed since first written,
the book has aged well and is still relevant and my first recommendation for anyone wanting to start journaling or improve their journaling.
>> Beautifully designed book, from the color palette (which changes from chapter to chapter) to the flourishes, the font type and sizing, as well as the overall layout. It is a very stylish book. Everything is just well thought and visually rendered.
>> Excellent photo quality and sizing. The images almost feel 3D.
>> Ludwig not only tells you how to journal and about what subjects, but also gives you tools and techniques that allow you to journal and to grow as an artist.
>> I find some of queries at the bottom of each section not only good for journaling but also to know thyself.
>> I love all the attention devoted to dreams as source of inspiration for journaling, especially because Ludwig has a clear Jungian and Gestal approach.
>> Most of the small tip boxes are really helpful and great. Like, they aren't obvious things.
>> The Interviews with other artists whose artwork isn't appealing to me. Yet, they also provide with invaluable feedback on different people's creative process.
>> I don't see the need of constant quoting. If you have to say anything, just be brave to own your own opinions. I confess that some of the ones chosen here supplement the idea under discussion well and they aren't the usual quotes repeated everywhere either, so that's OK. Yet, I don't like constant quoting.
>>The Photographic self-portrait visual toolbox is good but seems redundant
in this Selfies Era.
>> In this overwhelmingly age of the image, I miss a photo-by photo tutorial of the Visual Toolbox section. Ludwig describes the steps clearly and concisely, but I'd rather have a photo tutorial.
>> The
prompts vertically written on the right hand side of some pages are very
difficult to read if you're using a digital copy unless you totally
twist your head. They're great, so I've copied them at the bottom end of
this review.
>> Some of the prompts asking about things that happened when we were in second grade or very long time ago. Unless you have a savant memory, it's difficult to remember what happened unless you're picking up the book, say, in High School.
>> The book ends abruptly without conclusion or final words.
- >> Usurp an ordinary object for artistic purposes—a fork, perhaps. Bend the outside tines into a loop until they touch the fork, then spread the two middle tines apart. Is this a fork or a flower? Anything can be used. Think beyond the ordinary.
- >> Use serendipity. When something you read or experience dovetails with important things in your life, use it as topic about which to create. Messages from the universe should not be overlooked!
- >> Start out on one subject and wend your way around to another completely unrelated topic using a series of images copied to the same size. Start somewhere and end somewhere else.
- >> Map your path to work, the coffee shop, or the grocery store. Create an actual map, by drawing doodles of buildings, landmarks, squiggly trees... Make the scale how long it feels to get to a place, not the actual distance
- >> Place 4” (10 cm) squares of white, cream, and gray paper in a well-lit room. Notice how the light affects the colors as it changes over the course of the day. Try replicating these effects in your journal using watercolors.
- >> Empty an anxious heart onto your pages. Clip, paint, snip, scribble, splatter, write. Don’t consider the appearance of your page, just release your burden onto the paper. If this isn’t a page you want to commit to having in your journal, do it on scrap or deli paper.
- >> Take an old book from your hoard to use as a new journal. Instead of using it the way it opens, turn it 90 degrees and use it from that direction
- >> Turn up the volume: go for brighter versions of the colors you were going to use. Whatever you were going to do, do it bigger. Spill it off the page. Make it so big as to be unrecognizable. Make it so loud in color that anything else is hard to see, or so black that it could be a cave. Bigger, bolder, more volume!
- >> New journals can be daunting. Break in pages by dipping the book into a bowl of coffee, tea, or watered down ink. Hold the book by the cover boards to dip. Fan open to dry.
- >> Glue an envelope to a journal page. Write a love letter to someone, perhaps yourself, tuck it inside and seal it shut.
- >> When using text on a page, give it visual punch by creating words that jump off the page through their arrangement, color, or style.
- >> Find one image or object that is the quintessential distillation of someone or some place you cherish and create a page that supports the image or object.
- >> Make a photocopy of your palm. Head to the library and look up palmistry. Give yourself a palm reading and Create a page about what your palm has to say. Are secrets there?
- >> In second grade, what did you want to be when you grew up? What other things did you want to be when you grew up? Have you done any of those things? Do you still want to do any of those things?
- >> Try on different handwriting styles.
- >> Construct a page that interacts with the viewer. Try pull tabs, flaps, and small doors.
- >> Prove you exist.
- >> Collect doorways, or rather, images of doorways. Thinking about the nature of doorways can lead into some interesting journal work.
- >> Tear a piece of newspaper or tissue into rectangles and strips. Adhere these pieces to your page with acrylic medium. For additional texture, crumple the pieces before attaching them.
- >> Coat a page in wax and scratch marks or text into the surface. Rub graphite or charcoal into the scratches.
- >> Folding pages adds new perspectives. Fold before starting, to create separate spaces. Fold after, to create texture and dimension.
- >> Save your doodles. You can enlarge and copy them to create interesting backgrounds.
- >> Vagary. Despite its naughty sound, a vagary is a whim, an odd or eccentric idea. For one week, collect all your odd ideas, not just those that are art-related. Now choose one, two, or more and make pages about them
- >> Gravity. Use it. Spill coffee or paint onto a page, even one in progress.
- >> Create a visual joke, something that makes you smile each time you see it.
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As the title reveals, this is a book written to showcase the creative process and teachings that Alena Hennessy follows with her students on the online program A Year of Painting. I'm sure that the online workshop is fun and encouraging, but since I'm reviewing the book, I can only say that I'm happy that the book was handed on to me and I didn't spend any money on it.
The book is structured following the four seasons. There is a seasonal checkup with journaling prompts and suggestions, activities and ideas for each month of the year, plenty of quotes, artwork by the author and her students as well as a detailed tutorial for each month.
GOOD THINGS
> Very pretty book edition overall and no typos or odd things on view.
> I love some of the naif paintings showcased throughout the book.
> Good quality photos.
> Greatly photographed step-by-step tutorials, which are great for beginners.
> Easy to follow tutorials even for people who have not much experience painting or with mixed media.
> The suggested list of materials is short and sweet. The reader won't feel overwhelmed by the demand for huge stash or super-duper specialized products.
> The Journaling prompts on the seasons check-up section are great.
> Hennessy's comments on the beginner's' mind, on putting in the work and the hours, and on holding back the inner critic in us are all good advice. >
"Certainly don’t feel bad if you want to mimic a work you see—you will
still make it your own and your style will grow stronger with time.
(Page 8)." I think this valid for beginners and it's brave for her to say it. It's not about copycatting
anyone style/voice but about practicing techniques and experimenting having
an end in mind. For sure, it won't help you find your creative
voice, but it will get your hands loose.
> Basic glossary of art terms.
> A traditional index at the back.
NOT SO GOOD> Not a good book for intermediate or professional painters. Like, it's too basic. It feels more a book targeted at craft painters than anything else. I think this is also highlighted by the overall quality of the artwork showcased in the book.
> Some of the monthly and seasonal projects are totally unimaginative, uninspired and even childish. Like create a work of art about love in February for St Valentine's, or a holiday theme for Xmas in December, or paint Spring flowers in Spring or Summer flowers in Summer.
> After each tutorial, there are several artworks from Hennessy's students showcased to further inspire the reader on the suggested theme. Yet, in many cases those pieces don't relate at all or very vaguely to that theme.
> The author says "This book is a bit different than other how-to painting books out there. It is inspired by my popular online course, A Year of Painting, and includes the work of many of the wonderful artists who participated in the course, so you’ll receive an array of approaches and styles as examples for each monthly lesson." (Page 8). That's quite pretentious and not true, at least in year 2023, when there are gazillion art books inspired in online workshops showcasing students' artwork.
> "If you are an experienced painter, allow this book to get you to try new things within your own style. My experience is that it can only deepen a portfolio and add to your creative toolbox. (Page 8)." Also pretentious. If you're an experienced painter, you don't need to open this book, you know more than the author.
> The Art Terms, i.e. the art glossary, is located at the beginning of the book and not at the end, which is a commonplace in edition. Many readers won't certainly need it while others will definitely do. This being the case, placing the glossary at the end makes even more sense.
> The "What You need" sections at the beginning of each tutorial have, at least in the digital edition, way bigger font than the text accompanying each month prompt and the tutorial written steps.
> Over-presence of 'paint flowers' suggestions and artwork. I love the theme, and I get that this is part of Hennessy's thing, but I would have also loved a bit of more variety.
> In the March prompt Hennessy says "The experienced artist will also enjoy this lesson for it allows us to “paint” with paper—not something commonly done by painters.(Page 41)." That's utter nonsense.
> Advising being intuitive while telling you how to follow a tutorial and make a painting that represents who she is, it is just counterintuitive. There are not hints on how to work with your intuition, especially in a book that follows the seasons and is quite linear and uninspired.
> The structure of the months follows the Northern Hemisphere not those of the Southern Hemisphere. So Xmas and Summer go together there, but this isn't considered.
> Too many unnecessary quotes that add barely anything to the book.
It's a OK book for beginners. One of the many naif art books out there with nothing original that you cannot learn elsewhere, on YouTube for example. Overall, I find it amateurish and a bit pretentious, but also useful for craft painters and people who have never tried mixed media. I have no doubt
that the online course is way more fun. You can look up the author name on YouTube and find some of her tutorials. See if it's your cup of tea and whether the book is for you or not.
This is a workshop packed in a small book that teaches how to doodle and how to go from doodling to mixed-media painting in simple steps.
THE BOOK IN A NUTSHELL
1/ We collect all our doodles and make connections between them re style and themes. We upgrade their presentation by framing them or putting them in the center of a sheet of paper.
2/ We make doodles using just lines. They can be thick, thin, tall. short, curvy, straight, dotted, dashed, etc.
3/ Then we make small doodles by just using our hand and fingers; sticky notes are perfect for this. Then, we make medium-sized ones by moving the wrist and forearm; paper sheets are perfect for it. Finally, we make large doodles by moving the full arm and even the whole body; big rolls of butcher paper attached to the wall are perfect. We can use three sheets of paper one for each king of doodling size and also mix the three doodle movements in a single piece of paper.
3/ Now we explore doodling by mixing circles and lines, starting with 7 of each,mixing and matching them in different ways and layouts.
4/ This is the time to start a doodle from the left side of the page and keep going, as if we were writing without a stop; when we reach the end of the line, we move to the one below, starting from the right side. We fill in a page this way.
5/ Doodle while reading is the following exercise. With one hand we hold the book we're reading and with the other, without looking, we doodle automatically and without much thinking.
6/ Now is the time to pick a theme and doodle about it repeatedly: flowers, animals, things, leaves, trees, birds, landscapes, everything goes.
7/ Take a line for a walk, inspired by Paul Klee's work, is a variation of the exercise described in point 4. We walk the line all around the page, starting with a black pen or marker, and then we fill in the white spaces with colors. We can use different colored pages as a substrate.
8/ Now we start preparing for the painting. We prepare the paper with gesso, add texture and color. There is a tutorial to build a simple lovely colored paper book where to doodle. We can also use old journals to create a substrate on where to paint.
9/ We then enlarge (or shrink) our doodles by zooming them out (or in) via photocopy or scan. Then we color them and apply warm, cool or neutral hues, or a mix of them.
10/ We use a wood panel, apply rice paper with gel medium and them copy one doodle, previously enlarged as follows: "Trace the doodle with the pointer finger of your non-dominant hand, and with your dominant hand, use a marker to simultaneously recreate the image on the rice paper." (Page 78). Then, we add acrylic color.
11/ Another exercise is to draw a grid and use it to position several doodles inside.
12/ We can practice the painting techniques described above to create a series. This can be done by using figurative or abstract doodles.
Voila!
GREAT
>> This is a simple easy-to-follow method that is both practical and enjoyable.
>> Culhane demonstrates that any humble doodle is important for art making and why.
>> The structure of the book is great and organic.
>> The step-by-step photographed tutorials.
>> The book has plenty of photos of the artist at work, of her doodling, and of the process and exercises she she explains
>> The easiness of the exercises and the fact that they don't require expensive art supplies.
>> The reuse of old notebooks for art purposes is brilliant.
>> The color wheels in page 74.
>> No typos or editorial oddities in view.
>> Very user-friendly digital edition.
>> I don't think you need wood panels to carry out the last part of the workshop unless you're a professional painter and/or want to sell or gift the outcome. I think watercolor paper will do the job at a fraction of the price and it's easily archivable.
>> Even though I love the idea, using bill rolls of paper attached to a wall is nothing renters can do, at least in the country I live in.
>> The Artist Gallery at the end of the book, is a bit too small. Also, I would have loved the author explaining the criteria used for the selection.
>> The digital price is a bit high for such a simple book.Just my opinion.
Posts
"It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn’t online, it doesn’t exist. We all have the opportunity to use our voices, to have our say, but so many of us are wasting it. If you want people to know about what you do and the things you care about, you have to share." (Page 25). 
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