Brilliant Inks is a colorful well written tutorial guide for artists by Anna Sokolova in the Art for Modern Makers series. Due out 5th July 2022 from Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.
This is such a colorfully inspiring and useful book. All of the pages are enhanced with gorgeously rendered botanicals, butterflies, and nature scenes. The author has an informal writing style that is encouraging and never intimidating. It reads like a well written masterclass one-on-one. The books chapters are arranged thematically with later techniques building on earlier lessons. She begins with the absolute basics; introducing tools and supplies, inks, paper, etc. I liked that she doesn't push one particular brand or specific equipment (brand labels are figleafed in the photos). She's fairly specific about which *types* of inks give specific results, but she also encourages readers to experiment and discover and innovate on their own as well.
The tutorial chapters are full of clear color step-by-step photos. I appreciate that the photography stylist was clearly good at their job and the photos are easy to decipher, without hands or other items in the way of the action. The range of the tutorials is impressive and the author has included some really beautiful portraiture here which will keep artists of -all- levels of expertise challenged and learning. Her use of negative space, shading, and light effects is masterful.
Five stars. This is one for the artist's home studio library reference shelf. It would also make a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition, makers' spaces, and similar.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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