Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Both of Aristides atelier books suffer from the same defect. Neither has a single example that shows the complete process step by step. They both have "lessons" but the lessons have the same formula. 1 - put down simple line work showing the basic shapes. 2 - block in the lights and darks simply. 3 - a miracle occurs. 4 - voila! the work is beautifully finished. Plus the photos of the finished examples are so small that you can't see any detail anyway! Very frustrating. Anybody who has had any art training can do steps 1 & 2, it's examples of how to get from step 2 to step 4 that is needed. Detailed step by step examples are the very thing that any book with the words "Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice" should show. And neither Aristides book does. On the plus side the books are lovely to look at and do have enough general information to be of value. But they should not be sold as a guide to studio practices unless they actually guide you through the practices. I realize that no book can replace face to face instruction but for those of us that have neither the time, money, etc to attend an atelier then books/dvd's are the only option. Why can no one in the modern classical realism movement put out a good studio practices book?