50 Ways to Break the Rules and Kill Your Oil Painting - by Haidee-Jo Summers (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Stop following the rules and start writing your own.

Packed with 50 rule-breaking practical hacks and painting techniques to unlock your creativity, this is the maverick's guide to creating truly innovative art.

We've all heard the conventional wisdom: 'don't use black', 'you mustn't lead the eye out of the painting', and, 'for goodness' sake, don't put your subject slap-bang in the middle!'.

But as Picasso put it: 'learn the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist.'

• Paint outside the box: for each of the 50 'rules' discover Haidee-Jo's approach to breaking it, along with an inspiring finished painting, and practical techniques and handy tips
• Reinvigorate your painting practice: the practical exercises are worked in oils, but the principles apply across different artistic mediums. Either dip in and out if you find a rule you want to challenge, or work through them in order
• Lose the fear of getting it wrong! This is the ultimate anti-procrastination book: learn to reconnect with your creativity, develop an eye for innovation, and never feel afraid of a blank canvas again

This book, from best-selling and award-winning author Haidee-Jo Summers, is the perfect gift for artists of all abilities. It contains 50 fresh, lively exercises, each of which challenges conventional artistic wisdom, and proves that you can create something really, really right, even when you do everything wrong!

About the Author

Haidee-Jo Summers is an award-winning artist whose work has appeared in exhibitions worldwide. Oils are her preferred medium, though she has taught in many different media, on subjects ranging from gardens to portraits. Hooked on painting and exploring, Haidee-Jo paints anywhere, no matter how busy or crowded the setting, how complex the scene or how difficult the weather.

Since graduating in 1994, Haidee-Jo has received many awards for her work and been elected to membership of the prestigious Royal Institute of Oil Painters and Royal Society of Marine Artists. Her work, which features fresh and vibrant brushwork coupled with keen drawing and observational skills, has an international following. She is an editorial consultant for The Artist magazine and has published two bestselling books on oil painting, Vibrant Oils and Plein Air Painting in Oils, in 2017 and 2022 respectively.
www.haideejo.com