200 Projects to Strengthen Your Art Skills (Aspire Series)

An excellent overview of many fields of art. It is oriented toward the practical carrying out of projects. It describes itself as being especially useful for pre-art students who need to put together a portfolio for application to art school. For the rest of us, it is a delightful tour through the world of art - doing projects rather than history or philosophical discussions. Each two pages (facing each other) describe one area, so you can dip in at any point. Several of the art topics include an internet address for further exploration.

I brought this book for a friend who is a high school art teacher. A lot of the projects can be geared to the 7th-2th grade level but you could use the book for lower levels as well. Included in it are some excellent projects in it that spark in interest in most of his students. Gives a nice review of all fundamental art topics and projects. Organized very well by category or topic. Sparked some really good ideas for independent projects and lessons. The book is very easy to understand, has great pictures, describes things in laymen terms, and includes lots of examples.

I borrowed this book first from the library and discovered so many ways to experiment and improve my art ideas. It's got short exercises as well as more in depth suggestions that can accommodate any level of skill and many different creative endeavours. I had to buy it so I could have it on hand when I need it. Great resource.

This well-organized book guides you through many different facets of art (all the basics plus some fancier topics), helping you build your skills at your own pace. I would say that you could strengthen your existing skills by trying most things in here, even if you never do them again. As a self-taught artist, I'm always looking to fill in gaps in my art education and expand my mental toolbox. The author's projects are vague enough to remain inspirational (not paint-by-number style), but she tells you the essentials you need to familiarize yourself with each concept. Because so many topics are covered, it's more of an overview...do it all, pinpoint what you enjoy, and then go learn about that!

I have been a high school art teacher for 25 years. If I could only have one (1) art teaching resource book, this would be it. I easily could base my whole curriculum using just this one book. I hardly recommend this book for first year art teachers. It will be a tremendous help for generating lesson ideas and learning about art methods and materials. This book would benefit anyone interested in learning about art. It is comprehensive and the art methods are not what is ordinarily seen.

The book has more comic and modern painting. Not to my liking. I did not feel it had enough info on general skills.

This book addressed many good art composition and color lessons for my teenage students. The lessons were clear and easily understood. The book was inexpensive enough for me to give each student to take home for further study. I also liked the fact that the book's lessons were brief and held each student's attention long enough for them to have it register.

A fun art instructional book with projects to help you develop or sharpen your skills. I love it because I find it challenging to come up with practices to better my skills. This book takes the hard part away of coming up with fresh practices. It helps you get outside of your box and play around with other materials or techniques. A good book to get inspired by.