Unlock the Secrets of Landscape Painting with Johannes Vloothuis

KB: This books covers essential advice concerning color and composition. Although Johannes Vloothuis paints in a loose, painterly style, his advice can be equally applied to those painting in a much tighter style, as well as painting in other genres, such as portrait, figure, or still life. I took his online course years ago, and I am so pleased and grateful to have all his wonderful advice in this book. Easy to grasp the information, and the book is beautifully laid out.

United States on Oct 16, 2023

laylabear: I’m learning an immense amount from this artist and his book couldn’t make things any easier. Taking his online classes and using this book have improved my art as well as my process and speed. Hope to go in person some day!

United States on Sep 02, 2023

salvatore mallo: There is so much well written information in this book. It gives you the principles of how to create great paintings. Jo also teaches online monthly classes though Artist Network, Paint Alongs. Each month is a different topic. Each week he will do a complete painting a different medium each week. Since it’s live you can ask a question and Jo will answer even giving demos. After the class you can download the recording to have forever. Jo gives so much in his classes.

United States on Apr 22, 2023

ShortyWhiteHair'sKid: There is more well crafted information in this book than I had in many years of art education. I always admired Johannes Vloothuis' artwork and teaching style so I decided i really wanted to order this book. I'm so glad I did. I teach art and also paint. This makes a perfect gift or study aid for an artist at any level, even beginners. It would also apply to anyone studying photography, since all the advice given also applies to taking excellent pictures. Highly recommended!

United States on Apr 21, 2023

Michele Abernathy: This is the most valuable art book i own. It gives us principles of how to do great paintings, why we should do abstract shapes, the types of lines that enhance the paintings, and so forth. Johannes ("Jo") teaches online classes through Artists Network, painting online three Saturdays a month. It doesn't matter what your medium is, oil, watercolor, or pastel -- the principles apply and greatly improve your paintings. Johannes is generous in this book telling us why to do different things that enhance our landscape paintings. His first chapter starts off with the important idea of painting how the eye sees -- it's not paint "what " you see but "how" the eye sees so the sides of the painting are subdued and more blurred compared with the focal area. He goes on to talk about shapes which are best when they are abstract with two different sides. He teaches the principle of contrast, avoiding shapes that are the same, learning how to show depth, and so forth. These are principles that great artists include in their paintings but we rarely have methodically explained in classes and books. Johannes is a natural teacher.

United States on Apr 15, 2023

Dee: I believe anyone not giving this book 5 stars it deserves doesn't understand the importance of the content. I have been painting now for about 30 years. This book really covers key essentials that artists should know but often don't learn. This author is a real artist who presents his material in a clear and concise way. I don't think all reviewers quite grasped the importance of it's content and how much it would progress them as artists.

Australia on Jan 20, 2023

LC: This book works through a range of techniques for composition that the author uses in his painting. They are interesting and useful, and can be broadly applied. The book also has lots of sample paintings to illustrate the techniques and inspire the learner. The painting style is fairly loose, not aimed at realistic detail. The title mentions pastels, although the content is not directly targeted at pastels and I don't recall any of the paintings in the book being pastels. Some of the techniques will surprise landscape photographers - for example his ideas around eliminating foreground elements for better composition. Overall, I found this book to be full of things to think about and experiment with.

Canada on Jun 08, 2021

DanielleDanielle: Ça fait des années que je peinture de façon autodidacte, avec quelques cours par-ci et par-là. Mes résultats n'étaient pas à la hauteur de mes attentes.

Ce livre m'a permis de retrouver l'envie de peindre des paysages, il m'a débloqué sur ma façon de faire. Je le relis et je trouve toujours du nouveau pour m'améliorer.
Belle impressions et qualité de papier.
Je le recommande à tous!

Canada on May 25, 2021

Anonsleeper: there's no problem content wise but the book came with 1 corner damaged. the book was placed tightly in the box. If they can ship with a larger box and air bags to prevent the damage that would be better

Canada on Mar 14, 2021

Amazon Customer: I was attracted to this book by the cover painting of a grand landscape. Reminds me the scenery of Banff. The author's basic principle is to paint the way the eye sees, which is new to me. His observation is that the eye only sees a small area of the painting without moving the eye ball, unlike a camera lens. The following six chapters: Design with abstract shape, Vary and enrich colors, Create melodic movement, Simplify, Avoiding clones and Accentuate depth, bring the techniques to achieve this goal of being an attractive landscape painter, beginner of experienced. Well worth the effort to study it.

Canada on Jan 09, 2020