Vibrant Acrylics
The opening sentence of this intriguing book is promising, 'The best tool for learning how to paint is to paint'. It presages something which is about the process of painting rather than the mechanics of applying paint, and is a promise that's amply fulfilled. Hashim Akib paints in a heavy impasto style and makes full use of the range of colours and mediums available and there's an immediacy and urgency to his work that fully justifies the title. Although the structure and approach of the book are ostensibly aimed at the beginner, the author's style and his concentration on the creative as well as the technical process make it something that even the most accomplished artist should find interesting - even an exercise as simple as 'paint a flower in 50 brushstrokes'. With subjects including animals, people, buildings, still life and abstracts, there's something for everyone.-The Artist While the watercolour style of acrylics has been widely covered, the oils approach, and impasto in particular has been largely ignored. However, this has been remedied here quite spectacularly, for Hashim Akib paints in a very heavy impasto style as well as making full use of the brighter colours that generally feature in the acrylic palette. "Vibrant", a word often bandied about in book titles, is certainly valid here. I've said elsewhere that this isn't so much about the mechanics of painting as the art and philosophy of it, and it's worth repeating the book's opening sentence, "The best tool for learning how to paint is to paint" because it sums up the attitude and feel that's here. Hashim Akib's method is worth summing up, too. He starts almost every painting with a complementary coloured ground (done with a preparatory coat rather than a commercially prepared support) and then builds the body of the work on top of that. The result allows him also to use colours to define form as well as add depth and movement to subjects ranging from street scenes to portraits, landscapes and flowers. Hashim's style is very much his own and this isn't a book you'll probably want to follow through in detail, although there are plenty of demonstrations you can try. However, if you like the impasto style and want to have a go, there's plenty to get you started. If you already paint in this way, then you're certainly going to admire the book and want to own it for its own sake.-Artbookreview.net Fantastic book covering painting in acrylics for total beginners but with so much information it will appeal to established users also. Hashim advocates using big brushes with large quantities of undiluted pure paint to quickly create and build up layers and depth to produce fresh rich paintings.  Hashim shows in this book how to utilise what I call "mark making" - there's bound to be a correct term but I don't know it  -  to create what close up look like dashes of pure paint dotted onto the painting but seen from further back merge to create bright but realistic scenes. Its something I love but struggle with  -  I'm always tempted to refine too much and lose that lovely freshness this type of style creates  -  armed with this book I intend to try further.  There's the usual advice found in these books on materials and techniques but some valuable but lesser heard tips such as timing oneself and stepping back form the painting every fifteen minutes. This allows us to look at what we've done and what needs to be done instead of  -  my biggest fault  -  becoming so immersed in the work that it becomes overdone and loses that fresh bright appeal. Hashim says each brush-stroke should count and when one is taking frequent breaks to look at what's been done and what needs to be done its easier to make it so  -  instead of the slap on more paint and hope approach I often use... there are numerous illustrations throughout the book showing exactly what Hashim means when he is explaining how to lay colour or use the brush in a certain way which is really helpful. There are also many useful exercises to practise that you've understood what he's saying.-JeannieZelos.com Acrylics are often described as the most versatile painting medium.  The range of effects and colours is huge.  So how can artists make best use of them?  Often the sheer vibrancy of the colours can be off putting for artists more accustomed to the gentler palettes of watercolour and oils.  Akib has created a book which helps artists use acrylics to their best advantage.  A skilled artist and illustrator, he provides several step by step projects to demonstrate techniques such as creating woodland light, drawing animals and still life projects.  Advice too is given on good drawing techniques, creating a composition and developing tone and colour.  Hints are given on using acrylics in abstract paintings to make light tracks, as well as an unusual project showing how to paint crowds of people.  This is not a subject that is often covered but in the modern day world, the rush hour and crowds of people offer lots of potential for townscapes.  An interesting book, offering some new ideas on how to use this paint medium.   This is a book that will be useful to both beginners and advanced artists.-Monstersandcritics.com Give your acrylics a shake up with Hashim Akib's Vibrant Acrylics. Hashim's painting are bold and colourful. He works in a heavy impasto style that gives energy to his acrylics and will encourage you to look at the medium with new eyes. Hashim believes that the only way to progress your painting is by trial and error. The more you practice, the more you will learn from your mistakes! He believes that the most important element in your painting is the paint you use and he certainly uses his acrylics with gusto. The book opens with a narrative on the pros and cons of acrylics and offer advice on how to approach the medium if you are coming to it from another one. Information on what makes a good painting follows, covering such subjects as composition, freshness and preparation needed before you begin. Materials, including paint, brushes and supports come next before the author talks about the importance of good drawing, colour theory, using coloured grounds and how to apply the paint with generous strokes. Once these basics have been covered, you're ready to start, and the author describes a simple step-by-step still life using the skills you have learnt. Descriptions on how to use tone and colour are followed by another simple step-by-step exercise that invites you to paint a jug without using white. Painting a flower in 50 strokes is the next challenge before the book is divided up into sections covering step-by-step demonstrations of still lifes, animals, landscapes, portraits, crowd scenes and buildings, before a closing chapter on painting abstracts. The book offers a refreshing approach to painting in acrylics that will make you think about how you apply colour to energise your work.-Leisure Painter I hope you're going to find this one as exciting as I do. Not only is Hashim Akib a first-time author, but he's also the 2009 SAA Artist of the Year and has a vigorous and dynamic style that fully exploits the possibilities of the medium. Working in a heavy impasto that exaggerates blocks of colour, Hashim revels in the bright shades available to the acrylic painter. He also starts all his painting with a coloured ground, building up the image by over-painting, but also leaving hints of the base that throw the whole image forwards to give an almost three-dimensional effect. None of these techniques are unique in themselves, but the combination of them and, in particular, the control and confidence that he displays, give his work a quality that only the word vibrant really conveys. Hashim says in the introduction that "The best tool for learning to paint is to paint" and this is very much a book that teaches by example. It's much more about the process of painting that it is about ways to apply paint and one that rewards anyone who's mastered the basic techniques and is looking for a way to extend their creativity. With subjects as diverse as landscapes, portraits, buildings and animals, there's plenty to work on and from. I think it's one of the most original books I've seen in a long time.-Paint