art lesson ebook
Whether you go to art school or use art lessons at home, I want
to help you learn art skills and attain the strong art foundation from which your art can soar.
That's what my Art Head Start ebook is all about.
Good art instruction should...
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Teach you how our world works visually
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Show you how to simulate those real world effects in your images
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Help you make art at home or work along with your art school art lesson
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Help you learn art through Visual Communication skills
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Use art lessons to nurture and express your unique personal vision
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Be useful to both traditional and digital artists
My unique ebook helps you make the principles and methods of Visual Communication your own, so you gain a true head start in art.
In Art Head Start I teach you the critical art lessons of design, light, form, color, texture, human perception - and lots more. This art training helps you control the things which shape any visual experience.
see for yourself
In this quiz, Identify at least 8 visual methods used to enhance this digital image.
So as not to overwhelm you, I've shown only the top two levels of headings here.
In the actual ebook, there are two additional levels below these.
READING TIPS
ABOUT THIS BOOK
What’s covered and why?
What it is
What’s not covered?
Who should read it?
What visual styles are included?
LEARNING TIPS
Don’t confuse this with school
Read it more than once
Practice and patience
Be project oriented
Wisdom
PART 1 – THE BASICS
CHAPTER 1 - A GRAMMAR OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
You - the visual communicator
We start with visual grammar
My visual grammar
Visual grammar use
CHAPTER 2 - EXPLORING THE IMAGE ELEMENTS
Symbolism
Image Elements and their visual effects
The Image Elements in detail
2A. LIGHT AND COLOR
Our medium
Light - Electromagnetic Energy and Waves
Light effects - How light behaves in the world
Color, reflection and absorption – the most common light effects
The Color Wheel, your ‘Color Compass’
Colors together - Color Schemes
2B. ELEMENT 1 - PIXELS
Lots of dots
Pixel confusion
2C. ELEMENT 2 - LINES
Lines
Digital Lines - Vectors
2D. ELEMENT 3 - SHAPES
Shapes as both 2D and 3D
Shapes - Properties
2E. ELEMENT 4 - FORMS
Form from Shape
Edge contour for depth
Texture and form
2F. ELEMENT 5 - OBJECTS
Objects as your subjects
2G. ELEMENT 6 – SCENES
Scenes - your top level
Scene Depth effects
Figure/Ground - Traditional and Contemporary
PART 2 – PUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING TO WORK
WISDOM
CHAPTER 1 – THE NEW WAY OF MAKING 2D IMAGES
Overview - 3D modeling to make 2D images
Advantages of 3D modeling for 2D graphics
3D scene to 2D image workflow
CHAPTER 2 – SCENE PERSPECTIVE
Simulated camera Lenses
CHAPTER 3 – LIGHTING YOUR IMAGES
Why create your own custom lighting?
Light Rendering Basics
Light Rendering Methods
Lighting Render Bells and Whistles
Realism in lighting
Lighting Tips
Common lighting errors
Lighting for realism
More Ways to Improve your scene Lighting
CHAPTER 4 - IMAGE COMPOSITION
Introducing Composition
Analyzing a composition
More on composition
CHAPTER 5 – ATTAINING REALISM
Why bother?
Realism - common mistakes
CHAPTER 6 – ADDING DRAMA
Visual icons
POV (Point-of-View)
Symmetry
Gesture
Color drama
Fake media and perception errors
Drama lighting
Weather, time and mood
Color scheme for your whole image
CHAPTER 7 – THE IMAGE PROJECT PROCESS
First get a concept
Sketch it
Connect inside and out
Plan
Grow your sketch into a prototype image
When you have trouble
Think you’re done? Then it’s time to polish
Final render, another 'final' render, another…
Present it!
CHAPTER 8 – ON SEEING
Looking is not enough
CHAPTER 9 – SOME PERSONAL OPINIONS AND A THEORY
Signature and copyright are not art
Honesty and trickery in art
Digital Postwork
My art theory of ‘hooks and layers’
PART 3 – RESOURCES
TESTED AND RECOMMENDED TOOLS
SOFTWARE
2D Image Editors:
Image Databases:
3D Modelers:
Scene Generators/Assemblers/Renderers/Animators:
Web Editors:
Utilities:
HARDWARE
Stereo Glasses:
Display Calibrators:
Display Cards:
RECOMMENDED WORKFLOWS
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Images:
Models:
Stock Photo Resources:
ONLINE RESOURCES
Art and Art History:
Physics:
Vision:
Psychology of imagery:
Computer Graphics:
Lighting:
Math:
GLOSSARY
Here is a free sample chapter from Art Head Start, in PDF format.
Most people already have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader - but you can download it below.
(Many of the illustrations are shown smaller here than in the ebook)
Light, Color and Lighting |
 Digital 'Additive Color' |
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| Subtle lighting for realism |
 How pigments color light by 'subtraction' |
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| Light beams are bent by refraction. Like wheels on an axle entering a medium of different density. Entering at an angle slows one wheel first, bending the path. |
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| Light with transparent objects | 'Light with transparent objects' - Legend |
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Image composition - Chiaroscuro |
Image composition - Eye path diagram |
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| Lighting in Digital Art | |
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| More sample illustrations, shown in a "scrapbook" format | |
What Our Readers Say
[My bolding]
EXCELLENT! I don't know why this is called a tutorial. It's a big book, like you'd see in an actual college art class. It teaches you quite a bit about how to make your images more appealing to others and yourself.
— Sonia
Thanks so much for taking the time to create the tutorials and then sharing them with us.
I don't have an 'art background' so your ebook was/is a great way to jumpstart my knowledge...
THANK YOU!
— HeavyRay
All I can say is THANK YOU so very much.
I got the tutorial this morning and I have already started reading it. It is superbly written and so detailed.
I have always been clueless about what adjustments to make to achieve the scenes I wish to. My analytical mind wanted an explanation of these processes. Software manuals just do not explain any of the processes in depth.
I am so glad you took the time to write your tutorial for beginners (or stupid long time users). I wish I would have had this tutorial when I first started. I have nothing but praise for you!
Many kudos to you for a wonderful work,
— Sharon WilkeHi
I've just been watching some of the video tutorials (ed: these are our free Vue 3D tutorials available elsewhere on this site).
I'm a total beginner in working with Vue (and 3d apps in general) and I've found it difficult to find really good tutorials that beginners can follow.
Your tutorials are great! They are so easy to follow. I've learnt so much that would have probably taken me weeks (if not months) to learn on my own.
I'm so glad I came across them - thank you so much for making them available on the net.
— Evangeline
Hey jc....
Monsoon here...
I've purchased your art book and I must say it's a helluva tome for beginners and experienced users alike. 10+!!
Well done sir!
— M
I'm only 1/3 of the way through, but I can't begin to tell you how great this book is. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore.
Concepts I thought I understood are clearer now and I am learning new things every step of the way. Plus I can always go back to it as a reference.
Jim also has a good mix of text and visuals to keep you engaged. Like i said I am only 1/3 through, but I feel like I got my money's worth already.
— Brian
Bought this based on the reviews, and I'm glad I did! Learned a *ton* reading through this and practicing. For a semi-newbie like me, it was perfect, and better than some print books I've wasted my money on. Covers everything you need to get going. :-)
— Ed
why consider my art lessons ebook?
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There's nothing else like it
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I'm an experienced online digital artist myself
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Also a former instructor at a fine art college
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And an accomplished writer
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I've lots of experience creating instructional material
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I'm a life-long student of light and color
more about Art Head Start
I wrote Art Head Start for beginning to intermediate visual workers, based on my personal college level art instruction methods. It's a unique book - there's really nothing like it elsewhere. I know, because I searched everywhere as part of my book research.
The later chapters are slanted toward digital art - but the principles and methods you'll learn are the foundation of any visual expression in any medium.
I'm a previous fine art instructor at the San Francisco Art Institute. People say I'm an excellent teacher and writer and I've come to believe them. I'm convinced that my book can help you make more successful art - just as it has many others.
When you better understand how to make art, your art will communicate more powerfully both to you and to your audience, growing your confidence, reputation and career.
Art Head Start
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Explores the physics and principles of light and color in the world
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Guides you through the grammar of visual expression and design
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Art lessons teach how, why and when visual effects occur in nature, and how to simulate them
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Explains and illustrates the theory and practice of Visual Communication
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Covers the basics of 3D digital art and lighting
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Shows you how to analyze and critique artwork - even your own
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And a whole lot more...
practical Advice
You'll learn not only art principles, but also practical methods to make you a more confident artist.Such as how to improve:
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Form
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Realism
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Meaning
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Clarity
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Drama
helping you learn
I wrote and organized the 150 pages of Art Head Start art lessons with my teaching experience and your art instruction needs foremost in my mind. More than 180 images, created or modified by me, make the art design concepts clear.foundation for success
A successful artist goes beyond mastering their tools, challenging as that can be.Employers and art audiences want your unique personal creativity. They want artists who reveal their own personal vision. Art isn't a factory business and they aren't interested in art software "operators". An understanding of Visual Communication is the solid foundation on which you can grow your unique art design artistic vision - which is the only real value you can bring to the art marketplace.
why so inexpensive?
Experts tell me to charge $50 to $100 for art lessons with this much high quality information. But I want my book in the hands of art students on tight budgets. Please don't judge Art Head Start by its low price of $19.95. And remember that the Web reaches so many people, who can purchase so easily, that authors don't need to charge book store prices when they do their own publishing.
get your head start right now
In a few minutes you could be improving your art skills, gaining understanding and confidence from this art instruction and enjoying all the fun of creating art works that really do work.
It's easy to download. Should you need them, detailed printable instruction are here. Most people already have the free pdf Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Guarantee
no risk, no questions asked, 100% money-back guarantee
I'll refund your full purchase price, for a period of 8 weeks from your purchase date, if you're not totally satisfied with Art Head Start for any reason - or for no reason at all.
If you want a refund within the refund period, just request one at:
refunds@art-head-start.com.
I'm proud of the fact that there has not been a single request for a refund in the more than 4 years Art Head Start has been available.
no unfriendly limitations
Like many ebooks, Art Head Start is in Adobe PDF format. Unlike many ebooks, I don't protect it from piracy with unfriendly Digital Rights Management software schemes. My art design ebook is protected from editing or copying, but you can now print it (earlier versions didn't allow printing).
informative emails
When you join my email list, I'll send you very occasional info about my new writings or other learning services (I'm working on some pretty special stuff). I use a double opt-in signup process, so you're fully protected from spam. You can easily unsubscribe, using the unsubscribe link inside each message.
[If you don't see the signup form below, please allow the AWeber script in your browser.]if I can be of any help...
Please feel free to contact me at jimcoe@art-head-start.com if I can help with your art goals.
_jim coe