Painting Cowboys and the Old West

Dust jacket notes: "If you've ever struggled with getting action into your oil paintings, then take heart because Robert Hagan has come galloping to your rescue. In this instructive book, Robert shows you all the elements that go to making a painting with so much 'oomph' it will stop people in their tracks. In one of the most informative books ever released, Robert Hagan covers the essential ingredients of successful oil paintings - the two types of reference photos required; how to draw preliminary sketches; ways to make your paintings 'viewer-friendly'; how to use command posts and lead-ins and lead-outs to capture attention, and how the 'picture window' works. His chapters on coming to grips with mother colors and anchor colors will give you a thorough grounding in this important element of oil painting, and this is followed by a complete mix-by-mix painting demonstration. The top-gun instruction keeps on coming with a full demonstration of how you can build a painting according to the laws of nature so you get authentic paintings every time. Mood, movement and action are clearly shown so you can grasp the essentials for making compelling paintings. Part 2 of the book contains a series of magnificent step-by-step projects for you to complete. Here is where you put into practice what you've learned in the first part of the book - and here is where the unique 'Fold Out and Follow Me' Guide comes into its own. As you follow every step in the stages of progression of each challenging project you can enjoy the benefit of having the major painting in front of you for every brushstroke along the way. Simply select the project you want to work on, fold out the finished painting in the back of the book, and not only will you be able to see where you are in the process but where you are going too!"