Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting

The original edition that made Schmid’s name as an instructor. Shorter, more focused, and now out of print, it remains a landmark in painting instruction.

Why Start Here

You probably should not, unless you already own a copy. Alla Prima II expanded and improved on everything in this book, with better reproductions, more detailed explanations, and entirely new sections. The original went through thirteen printings, which speaks to its quality, but the second edition makes it redundant for new readers.

That said, some painters prefer the original’s conciseness. At 193 pages it gets to the point faster, and a few readers feel the tighter format suits them better. If you find a copy at a reasonable price, it is still excellent. But copies on the secondary market often sell for inflated prices, which makes Alla Prima II the smarter buy in every sense.

What to Expect

A compact but dense guide to alla prima oil painting. Schmid covers the same core topics as the expanded edition (color, edges, drawing, composition) in a more compressed format. The tone is the same: authoritative, practical, no-nonsense. Expect fewer illustrations and less depth than Alla Prima II, but the same clear thinking about what matters at the easel.