Whether you are interested in oil painting, watercolors, pencil sketching or pastel work, this book will guide you from your initial sketch to your finished piece and teach you how to develop your skills and produce your best work. You'll be able to experiment with an unfamiliar medium thanks to the step-by-step workshops that cover everything from essential pencil shading techniques to getting the most out of plein air painting. Includes in-depth advice from 15 professional artists, and offers 17 step-by-step workshops. Contributors include Jill Tisbury, Jem Bowden, Olga Stenyk, Lian Zhen. Hazel Soan, Peter Chan, Margaret Merry, Stephen Gardner, Mick McGinty, David Chandler, Laura Cramer, Sylvia Paul, Enzo Forgione, Tony Hogan, and Chris Legaspi.