--- product_id: 5303019 title: "Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction)" price: "VT9799" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5303019-oil-painting-techniques-and-materials-dover-art-instruction store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) **Price:** VT9799 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - **How much does it cost?** VT9799 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5303019-oil-painting-techniques-and-materials-dover-art-instruction) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) [Harold Speed] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) Review: Fascinating read about techniques and commentary on art in the time right after Impressionism and the Industrial Revolution. - I couldn't put this book down! He talked about the change from everyone being a craftsman to everyone being educated and throwing out opinions and what he thought that did to society. "Homemade thought is going out of fashion like homemade bread." He talked about the thread of Western art of outline and shading coming from a felt sense of things and the Impressionist vision coming more from the Eastern way of recording the way light hits the retina. He suggests bringing the insights of both into a new art form. He stresses the importance of concentrating separately on form, tone and color. He gives great exercises for tone and color leaving you to read his previous book, the Science of Drawing for form exercises. He talks about squinting down to see simplified tone relationships and paying attention to edges on block-ins. His commentary on modern art is mostly not complimentary (although he points out its merits) believing that technique still matters. I enjoyed reading it because I agreed with some of his insights, found others amusing, and was reminded of the importance of a good self check between opinion and arrogance. He promotes loose compositional sketches and working from your own imagination and inspiration alongside rigorous technical training because both are important in creating a piece of art that is not just about peculiarity or technique but a truly timeless piece. I even loved the chapter on materials because the history of art materials fascinates me. He threads through the book the importance of following intuition. I felt like this book was a letter to my soul from someone living in a time in history that intrigues me and I got to hear what he thought of the changes in art education, in the vocation of most people due to industrialization, and in art itself. I agree with another reviewer that Richard Schmidt's book Alla Prima is a great one and I think maybe a little more practical than this one for its broad scale of advice, information and problem-solving, but Harold Speed's goes into the techniques of the old masters that didn't necessarily paint Alla Prima, like using terre verte underneath portraits and how to play the cool and warm against each other through stumbling, glazing, etc. This book is well worth the price and I highly recommend it. Review: good book but hard work reading it - It takes patience and perseverance to read this book, but it is worth the effort. The writing is verbose, as was common at the time of writing. At first I skimmed the book, thinking it didn't seem very good. But some good points caught my eye, so I went back and read it more carefully. There is a wealth of helpful information in this book for some one like me, who is just starting out with oil painting and who has been struggling to find good instructions. Now I have read the book several times, and each time I get more out of it. I have also completed the painting exercises, carefully following instructions, and have found them to be valuable. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0486255069 | | Best Sellers Rank | #210,101 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #22 in Oil Painting | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (400) | | Dimensions | 5.4 x 0.72 x 8.45 inches | | Edition | New edition | | ISBN-10 | 0674427793 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0486255064 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Part of series | Dover Art Instruction | | Print length | 368 pages | | Publication date | December 1, 1987 | | Publisher | Dover Publications | ## Images ![Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1dc2s4v86L.jpg) ![Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91wH6M7rXPL.jpg) ![Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91kNY5+P0kL.jpg) ![Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91t9oNYqM3L.jpg) ![Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81uV1nvwj7L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating read about techniques and commentary on art in the time right after Impressionism and the Industrial Revolution. *by M***Y on January 29, 2014* I couldn't put this book down! He talked about the change from everyone being a craftsman to everyone being educated and throwing out opinions and what he thought that did to society. "Homemade thought is going out of fashion like homemade bread." He talked about the thread of Western art of outline and shading coming from a felt sense of things and the Impressionist vision coming more from the Eastern way of recording the way light hits the retina. He suggests bringing the insights of both into a new art form. He stresses the importance of concentrating separately on form, tone and color. He gives great exercises for tone and color leaving you to read his previous book, the Science of Drawing for form exercises. He talks about squinting down to see simplified tone relationships and paying attention to edges on block-ins. His commentary on modern art is mostly not complimentary (although he points out its merits) believing that technique still matters. I enjoyed reading it because I agreed with some of his insights, found others amusing, and was reminded of the importance of a good self check between opinion and arrogance. He promotes loose compositional sketches and working from your own imagination and inspiration alongside rigorous technical training because both are important in creating a piece of art that is not just about peculiarity or technique but a truly timeless piece. I even loved the chapter on materials because the history of art materials fascinates me. He threads through the book the importance of following intuition. I felt like this book was a letter to my soul from someone living in a time in history that intrigues me and I got to hear what he thought of the changes in art education, in the vocation of most people due to industrialization, and in art itself. I agree with another reviewer that Richard Schmidt's book Alla Prima is a great one and I think maybe a little more practical than this one for its broad scale of advice, information and problem-solving, but Harold Speed's goes into the techniques of the old masters that didn't necessarily paint Alla Prima, like using terre verte underneath portraits and how to play the cool and warm against each other through stumbling, glazing, etc. This book is well worth the price and I highly recommend it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ good book but hard work reading it *by Z***E on February 23, 2014* It takes patience and perseverance to read this book, but it is worth the effort. The writing is verbose, as was common at the time of writing. At first I skimmed the book, thinking it didn't seem very good. But some good points caught my eye, so I went back and read it more carefully. There is a wealth of helpful information in this book for some one like me, who is just starting out with oil painting and who has been struggling to find good instructions. Now I have read the book several times, and each time I get more out of it. I have also completed the painting exercises, carefully following instructions, and have found them to be valuable. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Foundational Truths *by S***7 on August 2, 2005* After years working as a visual development artist for film, I still find the best resource in regards to teaching conventional art are found in the writings of the past. Such greats as Andrew Loomis, John Vanderpoel, George Bridgman and Harold Speed held firm to strong principles not found today in most art teachers. The foundational principles of tone, texture, color and drawing taught in unity---skills that have been forgotten by many art schools across the country. This book is like finding an old Jedi master who teaches the principles which were once so widely taught. Mr. Speed's commentary of several paintings of the old masters inspired me to look for the lost edges and tonal variations often times over looked. I read this work from cover to cover. I knew much of what was in the teaching before hand but was drawn into the presentation of so many foundational disciplines taught as a whole to create beautiful art. Well documented. If you think art is burning a flag(...)this book is not for you. If you think art is a medium to uplift the human soul by the means of expressing tones, edges, drawing and color to the highest level of emotional impact this book is for you. It contains many insightful truths which will help you on your journey. The price of this book is a deal considering the amount of information that's packed inside. I highly recommend this book to serious students and professionals who will enjoy the information contained within these pages. If you are a teacher please read the contents and pass this book on to your serious students. ## Frequently Bought Together - Oil Painting Techniques and Materials (Dover Art Instruction) - The Practice and Science of Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) - The Practice of Oil Painting and Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5303019-oil-painting-techniques-and-materials-dover-art-instruction](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5303019-oil-painting-techniques-and-materials-dover-art-instruction) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-04*