2 stars for me personally, but easily 4 stars when I think about how valuable this book would be to a true beginner artist, especially one that likes detailed instructions. 5 stars for inspiring, rustic, brilliantly colorful illustrations!

I picked out this book at the library and it was one of the only books dedicated to colored pencils let alone colored pencils for beginners. It covers basic design theories and equipment for a beginner art studio.

The reason why it was less valuable for me is because I'm a beginner to colored pencils, not a beginner to drawing or art. Much of the content I had to skim or skip, and to me the amount of the book that contributes to my interest has sway on how I feel about it when I'm finished reading. The step-by-step instructions for the tutorials were presented in thick paragraphs squished to one side of the page: a layout design that is not easy to follow.

Nitpicking aside, it was a good book to browse through and a great book to garner inspiration. ( )