An important book that gives artists the best advice on freely expressing themselves in acrylics. It is not enough to learn just the techniques but to understand how to choose the right technique to express what you feel or how to interpret what you see. It is also important to paint the right element of what you see to give real impact. Using your instinct to simplify and exaggerate, the book shows you how to have freedom of expression with a paintbrush. Leading acrylics painter John Hammond focuses on an increasingly popular medium which has terrific potential to deliver images with impact.

One of the key elements of the book is the ''picture analysis'' at the end of each chapter. A single painting is dissected to highlight - in summary - all the major points made within that chapter. Richly illustrated throughout with finished paintings, close-up details and step-by-step instructions, the book covers:

1: Starting Points: inspiration * a visual language * travel * scope and variety
2: Reference material: working on site * sketches and drawings * photographs * plein-air paintings
3: Design: instinct and discovery * essential elements * colour and design
4: Painterly qualities: colour * translucency and opacity * texture
5: Interpretation: personal response * simplification and exaggeration * a sense of place
6: Creating impact: balance and contrast * the whole picture * resolving objectives.