Walter Foster Publishing Book, Assorted Paperback – September 1, 2011

I am still beginning my journey into colored pencil drawing, though not a complete beginner. What attracted me to this book were the reviews about the clear style and the painterly results. Both were right on the money. There are tons of how-to colored pencil books. Many contain the same basic concepts and often similar types of projects. The key differentiator is in the quality of the instructions. Most books err on the side of more projects with less instruction for each. While it is nice to see page after page of lovely work by the authors of these books, those hoping to actually reproduce the subject are stymied by the absence of instructions.Another problem is the instructions are often long and imprecise. For instance, a figure will appear in which several colors and locations of layering have been done, often different. The instructions will say to add color x, then y, then z, without specifying the all important where and how much questions. In the end, these books are worse than no instruction since the reader ends up frustrated by following the perceived instructions and getting an entirely different result.Cynthia Knox does not fall into this trap. She trades off more projects for better descriptions, much to the advantage of those wishing to learn from her. Each step is described in exquisite detail with precise descriptions of the colors and techniques used. Best of all, if you follow her lead carefully, you end up with works very much resembling the master picture. This builds confidence enormously and effectively teaches technique.Now to the unorthodox bit. Cynthia Knox has a unique style of colored pencil. First, she favors Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper, an unusual choice for colored pencil people. She also favors considerably more pressure and fewer layers than her brethren. For those like me who do not have the zillions of hours and patience needed to do a zillion light colored layers of 15 different hues, this is excellent, but be warned that her style is non-standard. Last, even though she favors the painterly colored pencil style that all the leading lights prefer, where she seeks to make her work resemble an oil painting, she does it without using OMS (odorless mineral spirits) washes or other solvent based techniques. Instead, she favors the low-tech white pencil burnishing strategy.For those semi-beginners looking to improve their technique and make some lovely paintings based on her work, this is an excellent book. If, however, you favor a light layered approach, hyper-realism, and liberal use of solvents, steer clear.

This book is great. It explains clearly the best items to use for coloring,the best paper to use and other items needed to color your pictures. I am very pleased with it.

This is a great book for individuals starting out in colored pencils. It includes an introduction to colored pencils and the supplies you will need, along with step-by-step demonstrations on how to paint various flowers. I completed three of the demos and found Ms. Knox's instructions clear and easy to follow. The final project in the book ties together everything you have learned while completing the lessons. A good companion to this book is Ms. Knox's video on craftsy.com.

First of all I am new to drawing and colored pencils. I love looking at this book and look forward to using it! But... it is not for beginners. I'm gonna need some more practice before I tackle this book! You will need a wide variety of colored pencils to follow the instructions. I think I can make due with the set of 36 pencils that I already have but any less would be difficult to achieve the same detail and shading. This book is a great deal and would definitely recommend it to others.

Very helpful and learned a lot.. Thank Uou

He really likes it and said it has great information in it to help him learn to draw roses. Great praise in my opinion :-)

The book was delivered on time but it was not what I expected. For a beginner, the material/examples was difficult to reproduce. I tried one and it was frustrating. I doubt I will try anything it, therefore this purchase was a waste for me.I gave it 3 stars because someone with more experience may find it useful.

Loved the pictures and discretion on how to achieve it