Great! Was a gift for my Father who just took up painting at the age of 74. He loves it!

I bought it last week and it can totally be called a reference for you to deal with mixed-media acrylic painting techniques. The only lack of it is that the author does not deal with paintings made by more than one specific technique.
By the way, is it a necessity? :))

I am experimenting with all the techniques and having fun learning. It seems easy to follow.

Yes, that's right, this book is so much a part of what I do that it has paint spatters on the pages. And I think that's a real recommendation. This is not a book sitting pretty on my shelf, it's a living companion working with me in my daily art practice. How cool is that? Buy this book...

There were some techniques in here that I am truly enjoying in my mixed media work. It is a great book, and the instructions are well written and the pictures are just glorious. A MUST HAVE for every mixed media artist!

This may appeal to some folks - to me, it didn't. Will be returning the item, as it is not all that appealing, and does not contain much I would be interested in (I enjoy realism , and this seemed full of gimmicky ideas. sorry.) (Like the way it was bound. though)

Although i do agree, it is not suited best for beginners, I found so much useful information from this book!

The techniques and different effects can be used with ANY ART STYLE. (contemporary, post-modern, classic etc.) Depending on your level of skill.

Whether you've just begun to paint with acrylics or are a seasoned veteran painter, there is a wealth of new techniques in this book to add to your painting repertoire. Great ideas, well organized with lots of photos, this is one of the best books around for acrylic painters, calligraphers, book artists and just about anyone else who wants to use acrylic paints in their art.

Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks & Techniques for Working With the World's Most Versatile Medium. This book is full of practical tips for different ways to use acrylics. It is easy to read and very informative. A must read for experienced artists and those just starting to explore acrylic paints. I especially enjoyed all of the examples she gives for different techniques and ways to create textures and effects with the paint and various mediums.

I am looking forward to completing current projects so that I have time to just PLAY. I want to give everything in this book a try on a small scale so that I am familiar with the techniques and can draw on them when needed for just that right touch in new projects.

I love this book! It has awsome ideas , very easy to follow how-to's , wonderfull artwork examples, and great product list. It makes working with acrylics much less intimidating! It has so many ideas to pull from and make it your own!

This book is non-threatening yet stimulating to the beginner artist and a good refresher to the more seasoned artist. Out of all my art books so far, this one has the best variety of easy to achieve and inspiring techniques with acrylics. Makes an excellent reference book with clear, easy to read and colorful layout. Great value, I love it!

This is good book on various acrylic techniques, but not a great one. Excellent books on the same topic are, 1Arteffects (Practical Art Books),2. Master Class in Watermedia and, 3. Acrylic Painting Techniques. These 3 books all rate 5 stars easily and I thoroughly recommend them, if you want to be adventurous and enjoy experimentation with your artwork.

If you'd like to learn what can be done with acrylics besides the normal 'paint on stretched canvas with normal brushes', get this book. The writer gives a LOT of different tips on different supports, painting techniques and different things you can paint with, as well as some interesting additives and ways to make the paint 'react' differently.

Definitely a worthwhile purchase, and not one that I'll ever regret. I've used quite a few of the techniques in this book, and am excited to us more.

My wife who is a watercolor artist but wanted to paint with acrylics got this book. She said that so far it is the best acrylics book she has read.

I know this will become one of my reference books. Don't leave home without it!

Great book with a lot of ideas and suggestions. Lays flat for easy use. Great buy!

This book is in a great format, well set out and spiral bound so it lays flat. I found there are a lot of interesting techniques in it, but the examples shown, well a lot of them look very amateurish, not what I was expecting. It seems like at lot are aimed at more of a craft finish, not fine art painting. There are some really nice paintings in the gallery and they have reference to what techniques have been used in the book so that is useful. I spent a lot of time looking at reviews on Amazon before I bought this book so am a little disappointed as it isn't quite what I was looking for. On the other hand there are a lot of ideas to try out as long as you are not at a beginner level you will be able to apply them to your own choice of colour and design.

Nancy Reyner has created the most interesting, information-packed, creative book ever written on what one can do with acrylic paints. If you are interested in acrylic paints - and only buy one book - THIS IS IT. All of the techniques you've seen, but have no clue how to reproduce? They're in here. Want to understand why acrylics act - or react - the way they do? It's written in these pages. Want to find an easy manual, brilliantly laid out, covering over 100 different techniques you (as either a beginning or more advanced painter) can actually do? You've found what you're looking for - and MORE - in this book.

This 125 page technique manual (not including the index) is so full of ideas and inspiration that I can hardly wait to finish my current projects and spend some quality time with my acrylics. I've worked with acrylics for 15+ years - but almost feel guilty now for barely touching on their potential. I *thought* I had found a bunch of "inventive" ways to use/add acrylics to my work - but it turns out that I didn't have a clue! Without a doubt Acrylic Revolution will save me mounds of money and time, by allowing me to produce effects the "right" way - instead of just figuring it out through trial and error.

From raised stenciling (#60) to simulating watercolor (#85) (and beyond - #86); creating a mixed surface using acrylic products (#23) to using ruling pens (#72); creating holographic effects (#93) to marbleized paint layers (#97); or how to achieve contrasting edges (#34) to making acrylic feel like oil (#87); from how to paint wet-in-wet (#33) to the varnish and care of your final pieces (#104)...this book has something for everyone. If you don't learn something from Acrylic Revolution, you're didn't read it. It's an amazing book full of wonderful techniques and information that I will refer to for years.

While it is true that the Golden brand is used repetitively, that's easy enough to ignore. If you choose not to use the Golden brand (or it isn't available in your area), substitute the brand name "Golden" for "Liquitex" or any other name brand you like. Personally, I like that she gave specific product information - that makes it a lot easier when you're trying to find/purchase what the author suggests.

I can't thank Ms Reyner enough for putting together such an informative book in such an easy-to-follow format. I sincerely hope more technique books/how to manuals will be written in this style - the hardcover, with the inset spiral binding, makes it so easy to try the techniques without the book closing up or falling. The large pictures (which there are many), helpful text, and wonderful weight of the paper, all combine to make this book beyond awesome.

This is definitely in my top ten of all-time favorite books - on any subject. A 10++++!

I opened this book and jumped for joy because of all of the techniques in this book. There are recipes for everything you could possibly imagine, including faux encaustic techniques which I have been trying to produce on my own - now I know how to do it without bubbles! If you like experimenting with new techniques then this book will inspire and help you to do it. This is not a beginning how to paint book - it is a marvelous recipe book for you to experiment with acrylics in your own studio.

Book as described, description of the book is accurate, rec'd quickly. Satisfied with this purchase.

I like the way this book is spiral bound with glossy pages (visually appealing) but it isn't going to help a beginning painter. Basically the book gives you over 100 ways to do different things with acrylic paints (other than paint a landscape, portrait or still life). Examples: pressing shapes into the surface, crackle effects, using sponges, gluing objects or paper onto surface, using stickers, creating ripped edges, adding textures, using toothbrushes or feathers to paint, painting on silk of metal, etc. I should have paid better attention to the subtitle, "New tricks & techniques." I don't need new tricks, I need to learn the old ones first! I am returning this book and still looking for a book that will teach me ways to paint portraits and/or landscapes with my acrylics.

The book did give a good explanation of many different techniques but I had hope there would be more instruction.

This book is a terrific compendium of techniques and information on Golden acrylic paints and mediums. The author is a part of Golden's "practicing artist's" program. Some of the techniques are described elsewhere by other authors (e.g., using sprayed water or alcohol to create texture, mixing interference colors with black to increase the effect), but as a fan of Golden acrylics, I learned much useful information which I put to immediate use in my painting. For example, I used Reyner's advice on mixing fluid metallic acrylics (stainless steel and micaceous iron oxide) with "modern" transparent colors (see p . 110) to solve a value and texture problem in my recent work "Tiles Series V, No. 1" (see image on my web site).

I also used Reyner's suggestion to apply several isolation coats to create depth & luster - she advises using soft gel mixed 3:2 with water (p. 105, 113). In addition to brushing this on, Reyner gives suggestions for pouring (pp. 115, 116) and spraying (p. 74) an isolation or final coat of clear medium. I used such isolation coats in the aforementioned "Tiles" work, as well as two recent landscapes (see e.g. the work on my home page). Some of my additional favorites from the book are:

* I often use tape to create edges In my "Tiles" series. Prior to reading Reyner's book I had used matte gel medium to create a clean edge, but this doesn't work well with applications where I am trying to achieve an overall glossy finish. Reyner suggests using GAC 500 when taping edges (p. 82).

* Reyner also suggests ways to make the surface smooth & "brushless" (p. 92) which is always an issue with isolation coats and final varnishes.

Some of the tricks I haven't yet tried but intend to use:

* Using clear tar gel in various interesting ways (pp. 93, 111 - 112)

* Using Golden polymer medium as a resist (p. 41)

* Using crackle paste to create a "fresco" effect (p. 64)

* Using Golden light molding paste (instead of white paint) to tint colors (p. 96)

* To create an opaque look with transparent paint, first apply a tint of the color, then glaze the undiluted color over the tint (p. 98)

* Applying Absorbent Ground to a painting in progress to correct mistakes (p. 101)

* Applying gels to create textures on ink jet prints (p. 114)

* Using Interference acrylics mixed with traditional colors (there is also an article on this on the Daniel Smith website) - Reyner notes that the modern transparent pigments work best and that adding gloss gels increases the effect (p. 108).

Reyner includes several inspiring sample paintings (e.g., p. 41, 110, 120). My only criticism is that there are not enough illustrations for all the techniques she includes and the images of the sample art works are too small to see the detail. Overall, however, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in experimenting with acrylic techniques and mediums. If you use Golden products, the book is a must read.

What a wonderful book! First I checked it out at the library, then I knew I had to have it. I have seen so many books but their style was lacking. I wanted instruction that was modern and well explained.

I found this book to be excellent. With all the new acrylic products on the market it is a wonderful guide for using them. The different techniques and formulas are great.

I have to say, I enjoyed this book, but I also have to say, that the constant mentioning by the author of her use of Golden paint products as her favorites became quite tedious and I firmly believe cheapened her work.I also enjoyed the physical construction of the book. The spiral binding was a nice feature to incorporate, especially enclosed in a hard cover.
It would be nice to see more publishers adopting this style of book binding, they are a joy to read.

Acrylic Revolution is an excellent guide on how to use a variety of acrylic mediums. This is definitely the type of book you want in hand as you select items off the shelf at the art supply store. The author did a perfect job of making the many techniques easy to follow. The pages are bright and the photographs are very detailed. That being said, the interior page design of this book is not as "revolutionary" as the cover implies. It is very basic. If you judge a book by its cover, you may well be disappointed.

As a mixed media artist,I have been painting with acrylics and a variety of other media for years. I have intuitively used many of the techniques presented in the book however,I never really understood the nature of acrylic media. Consequently, this book will be a valuable reference. It will also serve as a source of inspiration if I get "stuck" in the middle of a work. I love the lay out of each technique. Nancy Reyner does an excellent job of providing clear, concise instructions. The examples are also nicely presented.

If you are new to acrylics, this book is a must have. It will get you started with the best acrylic media out there, Golden's, and provide plenty of fun techniques to try.

If you've got a question.......this book will answer it. Easy to use and follow with good visual and written instructions.

Buy it, and have a play with some interesting techniques.

THIS IS A VERY WELL-ORGANIZED BOOK THAT WILL SERVE AS AN EASY-TO-USE REFERENCE GUIDE. IT COVERS THE BASICS- STARTING WITH ESSENTIAL TIPS AND MATERIALS, WORKING THROUGH TECHNIQUES AND ENDING WITH A GALLERY AND AN INDEX. SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES ARE MORE APPLICABLE TO CRAFTS RATHER THAN FINE ART BUT STILL WORK WELL FOR STIMULATING THOSE "WHAT IF?" THOUGHTS THAT CAN FREE UP CREATIVITY. I FEEL IT COULD BE A WORTHWHILE LIBRARY ADDITION FOR AN ARTIST AT ANY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE. WARNING- YOU MAY BE OVERCOME WITH AN IMPULSE TO RUSH OUT TO THE NEAREST ART STORE TO PURCHASE A FEW PRODUCTS YOU HAVEN'T TRIED BEFORE! A SIMILAR BOOK IS "THE NEW ACRYLICS" BY RHENI TAUCHID BUT THERE IS ENOUGH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TO MAKE HAVING BOTH A GOOD IDEA.

I'm now ready to dive into acrylics. The techniques make that blank canvas less intimidating by giving me a starting place and I really appreciate the clear pictures and instructions. Definitely worth my money.

This is a wonderful book with a wide range of techniques. Every artist who uses acrylics, whether for realistic paintings or more abstract work, would benefit from using this book to add more excitement to their artwork. This is especially true for the artist in mixed media and collage where varied textures are a very important part of every piece.I really appreciate the way Nancy has organized this book, numbered the techniques, and uses cross-referencing. The spiral layout is helpful also.

The book outlines various techniques and crafty ways to work with acrylics, and it is simple and straightforward. At the end of the book are a few pages of better acrylic paintings. I wish the author had reversed the order of the book: first show us the potential of the medium via excellent works, then break down those pieces and show us what the artist did to achieve the effects. Example: I don't really care about using stencils, or painting with sponges, or embedding objects in paint. But show me an exciting piece that uses those techniques, and then I might want to see how it was done. So, this wasn't the book for me, but it might suit your needs, especially if you are just starting out.

The book indeed has all wonderful information about really exploiting the versatalities if acrylic,all the same I felt the examples are very poor.
The tiny gallery in the end has better works comparatively.
In all I would say good as an instruction/techniques manual by paint manufacturer but not inspiring for an art student.

This book was great. I have been painting with acrylics and really enjoy the medium. This book helped me to have a better understanding of what they can do. I have recommend this book to other artist because it is the best I have found on acrylics.

It is not just a technique book. It has some good reference material in there that you will refer back to time and time again when needed. The techniques have simple instructions with pictures. It is definitely a Golden book since she is a Golden artist. If you use Golden products and would like to use different Golden products more, then this book will give you that. The information and techniques given can be done with any good acrylic paint - not matter what brand.

I think it is a very good book for beginner to intermediate acrylic artists. I use acrylics a lot but don't know as much as I should about their properties. I know less about watercolors but use them. I know nothing about oils. I do not know if an accomplished or very advanced acrylic artist would glean that much from this book. I do a lot with acrylics and I learned some things from it. I know a lot more about acrylics now that will be stored in the back of my head with a ton of other information.

There is some really good information on starting on page 8 in the book called essential acrylic tips. There was some stuff in there that I did not know that is very useful. I also liked how they went into surfaces that you can paint on with acrylics and how to prep them. I am not good with the prepping thing.

There are some simple techniques for you to try. I like that each one has step-by-step picts with it. It also gives you alternatives to try. I liked the section on metallic underpainting with micaceous iron oxide. I have used it before but not like this. Interesting.

There are collage art examples. This book is not directed towards fine artists even though there are some fine art examples. The book is specific to acrylic use not matter who the artist is. There is a small section on assemblage. The pictures are a decent size so you can see the color and textures well.

The book tells you how you can get your look to be more opaque, get rid of brush strokes, how to make soft and hard edges, how to do basic transfers with gel mediums, how to simulate watercolor, do faux encaustic, go from opaque to transparent and the other way around, faux metallic, marbleized skins (I liked this one), marbleized painting layers (this one is one I am going to try), and different finishes. Was that a long, run-on sentence! An "F" on grammar for me. Sorry, I will tuck the teacher part of me away until the end of August (which is coming up wayyyyyy too soon). At the end, the book tells you how to do some pours and there is a short gallery. I would have liked to have seen more art here. What is nice about this gallery is that they give you page numbers so you can find the techniques they used in the gallery pieces.

Overall, I think this is a good reference book for acrylic artists. I will need to sit down with a cup of tea and go over it more thoroughly.

Seriously buy this book. This might just be the book that revolutionizes your painting. There enough techniques and tricks to keep you busy for a few months. I think the potential for acrylic paint is shown at it's best with many mays of manipulating paint like I never thought could be done. But beware, the book heavily promotes Golden acrylic mediums and you'll want to try all of them.

i have so many technique books but this one takes the cake! not only is it beautifully laid out, it is fun to read and very inspiring! i love this book and highly recommend it to anyone involved in any type of art whether acrylic or whatever. great eye candy too!

This book is a must for any acrylic painter's reference library. It is loaded with techniques to experiment with, including some amazing secrets! Nancy's concise explanations and the spiral bound format make it a pleasure to have open in the studio.

Info on new products,mostly the Golden brand,but I looked at Liquitex and they have the same ,or similar product.
I'm always interested in trying out new techniques and ordered online a list of things suggested in the book,different glazing liquids,slow drying pourable acrylic medium etc.

Acrylic Revolution is a simplistic starter book which mostly focuses on creating underpaintings. I hope there will be a sequel that shows how to form a fully detailed painting. If anyone knows of such a book, please leave me a message.

I am a novice and this book is wonderful. It is written in a way that a beginner or an advanced student can use. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book, especially for the beginner. Everything is clearly explained with lots of pictures. The book lies open flat for easy reference while painting. All the techniques look like a lot of fun.

Have you ever looked at an acrylic painting and wondered, "How on earth did they get that effect?" You may well find your answer in "Acrylic Revolution" by Nancy Reyner. This book is the best I've seen on acrylic technique, not only for its generous supply of photographs, but for its set-out and its excellent cross referencing.

There are 104 techniques and tips in the book, each taking up a full page that is set out with a short explanation of the technique, a list of materials, and four or five photographs showing the step by step process, with explanatory captions. There is also an ideas box giving extra tips.

What I like especially is the gallery: artwork by other artists as well as Reyner are cross-referenced to specific techniques. For example, an abstract by Patricia Brady has references (by number) to ten of the techniques in the book.

The 104 techniques are divided into ten sections that include spatial effects, texture, transfers, collage/mixed media, innovative stenciling /line work, and simulating other mediums. In other sections Reyner covers just about every question you might have about the acrylic medium and its applications. Two creative sections are "You can paint on anything" and "You can paint with anything." The text is very readable.

"Acrylic Revolution" by Nancy Reyner and "The New Acrylics" by Rheni Tauchid (which is more about the chemical characteristics of acrylics)are the two books I find essential for work in this medium.

I recommend taking a look at Nancy Reyner's website where there is a gallery of her work. It's impressive.

As a watercolor painter for 20 years and now trying to learn to paint with acrylics, I'd read every book I could find but they often contradicted each other or had out of date information or demonstrated really ugly painting. This book is THE acrylic bible, written by a master artist and teacher. It's full of helpful tips and specific detailed information about how to achieve any technique that can be done with oil or watercolor in acrylic, along with things that you can only do with acrylics.

My goal is to be able to use acrylics more like oils and this book explains how it's done. Each technique includes "recipes" for how much of what mediums or additives to use to achieve the goals. The sample art work is superb and the writing is better and more clear than any art how to book I've read (and I have a huge library of them). I just can't say enough about how happy I am with this book and how much I appreciate the author's generous sharing of detailed, specific information.

This is a very straightforward, well-presented book on the versatility of acrylic paint and acrylic mediums.
The techniques are documented with excellent photos and easy-to-follow steps.
There is lots of up-to-date information on acrylic mediums and how to use them in your paintings.
Nancy Reyner also teaches classes around the nation; I am looking forward to enrolling in one of them.
A friend has taken one of her classes and says she is a superb teacher. Visit her website for more workshop/class information.

Nancy,is is the most comprehensive, complete, photographic book on acrylic techniques I have ever seen. I can't wait to do some of the projects and try out some new products. You truly are a Godsend... I have been looking for a book like this for a long time! A+++++ Write more books!! My best to you. Highly recommended, gorgeous pictures too! And what a great price... spiral bound so you can do the projects... incredibly wonderful!