Reviews (1)

Straightforward and clearly stated...
Love the simplicity of its approach to delineating shape and light. A plus addition to my how to library. ... Read more

Book Description

Buildings-old and new, ornate or simple-provide an endlessly intriguing subject for watercolorists. Author and artist Richard Taylor gives you all the techniques for capturing perspective, proportion, light and shade, detail and texture. After deciding on the right materials, try your hand at everything from sheds and shacks to classical architecture with formal designs, arches, and elegant frontage. Capture the weathered appeal of a crumbling, ruined boatyard; by using lots of water, and downward vertical strokes with the brush, all the dramatic effects of ageing emerge on the paper. Stone steps leading up to a quiet Mediterranean courtyard shine in dappled light and warm shadows-deep in the interior, leafy branches, potted plants, windows, and a statue catch the eye. Or, paint quadrangles, cloisters; terraced homes, town houses, and street life. Throughout, 120 paintings in various stages of completion, show the effects of color, shadowing, and balance. A Selection of F&W's Book Clubs.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

The best in this category I have seen.
This book is well writen. Author emphasizes on colour value. After reading this book , you will know about howto use warm colours and cold colours to paint a building with a right value. However, this bood isn't astep-by-step book,the author didn't tell much about howto mix colours andhowto sketch. It's good for who loves and wants to paint European-stylebuildings ,and an architect who wants to render his picture withwatercolour.

Excellent methods and techniques with limited palate
One of the most informative books on watercolor techniques and color theory. It covers all types of building surfaces from weathered wood to bricks and stucco.If you love painting buildings with textures this isthe book to buy. ... Read more

Book Description

Watercolor Success! is the one resource you need to learn the nuts and bolts of classic watercolor painting. Instead of using tricks or shortcuts, expert Chuck Long provides a solid foundation for artists to build on as they improve their work.

-Step-by-step instructions teach color, brush strokes, shadowing, and composition -Mini-demonstrations make techniques accessible to artists at any level -7 advanced projects allow readers to develop and hone skills

In addition, over 200 color illustrations show basic principles in Long's unique style, with a variety of his popular Heartland subjects, including mountains, wooded settings, foliage, and scenic buildings. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Painting Water"--Refreshing!
As a watercolorist specializing in seascapes/waterscapes, I've read dozens of how-to books. "Painting Water" is the best of the genre and a joy to use. Joe Francis Dowden does an excellent job of presenting techniques and tips in an easy-to-understand, concise style. Where many other authors seem to omit key painting steps, Mr. Dowden is thorough and precise. His color demostrations rank among the best I've ever seen. In a mere 96 pages the author has given us an outstanding guide to the painting water all watercolorists should find invaluable. ... Read more

Book Description

Watercolor Landscape Techniques combines the most popular medium with the most popular subject matter. All the artists have generously shared their individual techniques and visions, along with the crucial turning points in their artistic lives. Featured artists include: Tom Nicholas Vivienne RipleyJoseph Zbukvic Alvaro Castagnet Robert Lovett Greg Allen Lionel Aggett

The book combines practical, step-by-step instruction and illustrations with beautiful gallery paintings. But most important, it captures the essence of 23 diverse, accomplished artists whom readers can learn from and internalize--instant inspiration for any watercolor artist! Contributors hail from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and Austria. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I recommend this book all the time!
The early chapters on handling paint and the brush seems to really get to the point. The section on "moisture control" really is a must read for anyone still struggling with this aspect of watercolor painting. I recommend this book all the time to anyone who asks about good reading material. Too bad it is out of print. A must for the watercolorist library!

A wonderful book for the beginner.
This is a great book that addresses problems that I haven't seen addressed in other books. He is also encouraging to the painter who may not feel they have a lot of talent but still want to paint. He feels that all people with the desire can do it. I got the book from the library, and loved it so much I purchased it. I've heard his videos are great too.

Terrific how to book
This is one of the best books teaching watercolor painting. I've bought many. He stresses that the journey (learning) is more important than the goal (being a great painter). He's an excellent teacher and his step by step illustrations are some of the best. A great help to me.

One of the best watercolor instruction books on the market
After reading at least 30 watercolor instructions books, this one goes to the top of my list. Couch covers everything from the basics (from equipment to how you actually get paint on to the paper) to the essential guidelines of design and composition. These (sometimes boring) subjects are covered in an easily-digestible, easily-usable manner, making it exciting to get to your next painting and apply what you have read. The book includes a really good description of how the painter is a "shape maker, symbol collector and entertainer" and numerous step-by-step examples of painting basic landscape components (trees, sky, rocks, water). The book is upbeat with a wonderful sense of play and humor running through it -- plus the reader is given dozens of examples of Tony Couch's own marvelous watercolor paintings, as well as examples from eight other superb watercolorists. The gallery of paintings alone is worth the price of the book (which, by the way, is about 30 pages longer than most watercolor instruction books -- so you really get your money's worth!) ... Read more

Book Description

The most thorough guide to watercolor materials and techniques ever assembled in a single volume, this is the book for anyone working with watercolors, from beginners to experienced artists looking to develop more professional skills.Starting with a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the tools and techniques required to master the art of watercolor, the book then presents detailed lessons in basic drawing skills. Design concepts are explored: line and shape, light and dark, perspective, and composition. All the major watercolor painting techniques are shown: methods for laying washes, preserving white areas, glazing, establishing form, creating textural effects, lifting color, masking, and using resists. With color the driving force behind the author's whole approach to painting and his distinctive "organic" handling of the medium, color theories and strategies are clearly explained and applied to a wide range of subjects-still life, figures, landscapes, and architecture-some of which pair watercolors with other mediums such as gouache, pastel, and collage. An ongoing reference source, this is a book that watercolorists will turn to again and again for guidance. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

WC BOOK
Seems that the high ratings reviews shown here are more like long winded hype sales pitches than customer feedback. Especially when they indicate that all readers found the review helpful. I have not purchased this book nevertheless I place more credibility in the low raters. I pass on this one.

Don't waste your money
Not enough information to warrant you buying this watercolor book. You can select many more that give much better instruction and more technical advice. Not sure who is writing these other reviews but beware of this one. Pleased to be able to share!

Not an inspiring watercolor book.
For beginnings, insulting if your're not. Repeated material.

Dense with watercolor information
David Dewey's text on watercolor is not just another vanity book showcasing one artist's personal work, but a thorough in-depth introduction to both visualizing & handling a most difficult medium. Nor does it pretend to be an easy does it 1-2-3 & your painting watercolors type of book. Rather it is layered & dense with information that could easily keep you preoccupied for a year or more worth of instruction. Start with the monochromatic exercises in the beginning of the book & follow them religiously till you know them blindfolded. Do the same with the invaluable content on color theory & the related exercises. The lessons provided will reward you with a mastery of the medium & help you to find your own voice in watercolor. This book is not another feeble attempt at learning to carbon copy of someone else's technique. The many examples of various watercolor artist's work & their analysis is excellent as well.

the best watercolor guide available
This is a model of concise instruction, wise advice, deceptively simple exercises, and compact design. Like they say on TV: if you buy just one watercolor book, make it this one.

Dewey gives equal emphasis to materials, theory, technique, the principles of design, and simple practice. He sees the whole art. He begins with an overview of paint manufacturers, brushes, papers and other supplies, and closes with an invitation to try mixed media and a step-by-step explanation of how to do a large studio painting. There are penetrating discussions of color theory and mixing paints, on selecting the palette for each painting, and on building a painting from value sketches.

The technical advice in this book is exceptionally accurate and easy to understand. The four pages explaining how to paint washes avoid the errors or omissions common in most other books. All topics are illustrated with pictures that add information rather than decorate the page. Dewey includes several traditional techniques that other methods don't mention: pen and ink wash drawings, value design sketches, using a sketchbook, monochrome paintings, color chords for color design, the "color" of gray, and much more. The book is so compactly organized that many gems of advice are tucked in the picture captions; the book can be studied repeatedly and still teach something new.

Dewey has painted the student lessons and technical examples displayed throughout the book. The more advanced lessons build on simple but beautifully designed demonstration paintings (my favorite is the still life on a patterned rug). Everything comes together in a harmonious vision of watercolor art, a reference and inspiration for many hours of happy experimentation and learning. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Years of watercolor experience condensed in one book.
Webb is a natural teacher who is easy to follow from basic concepts to complex compositions. He has an innate ability to take painting beyond capturing likeness to how the subject is structured or feels. His bookwouldbe helpedby more step-by-step sequences for technique or processanalysis. Thanks Frank for a great reference book. Two thumbs up fromTotino and Busby.

Quite simply the best all-round "how-to" watercolor book.
If you're looking for a general purpose, intelligent and informedbook on watercolor, this is it. Webb -- formerly an illustrator/graphic artist --has designed chapters on motivation, materials, setup, color and values,techniques, composition, design, all illustrated by examples painted byother top painters as well as himself.This is accompanied by pithy,appropriate one-liners quotedfrom philosophers, artists -- whoever hisincredible memory finds the most apt. He encourages painters to experiment,take risks -- after learning the necessary first.As a watercolorinstructor, and author of a book on outdoor landscape painting inwatercolor, I recommend Frank Webb's two books, Nita Leland's book oncolor, and David Lewis' "Watercolour Painting Techniques." That's all you need for starters. ... Read more

Book Description

Peggy Macnamara, the only artist-in-residence at Chicago's Field Museum, shares her unique "No-Fear" approach to capturing all forms of wildlife in living, luminous watercolor.Co-author Marlene Hill Donnelly,Field Museum Scientific Illustrator and third-generation painter, discloses in-depth information on color, paint properties, and design learned over a lifetime of art study and practice. In Painting Wildlife in Watercolor, Peggy demonstrates her singular method, which relies on a gradual layering of washes that eliminates the rigid and disaster-prone formulas of traditional watercolor painting. Peggy and Marlene provide clear and simple instructions for any beginning to advanced artist wanting to know about creating life-like renderings of everything from fur to feathers, along with Peggy's detailed illustrations of a vast range of both familiar and exotic animals. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A wonderful book that teaches great techniques!
I took classes from Peggy years ago. I had forgotten some of her techniqes and ordered this book...reading it is like being back in class. She goes through her amazing process step by step with color photographs and clear instruction. This is a valuable watercolor technique book, don't pass it up if you are serious about making some eye popping wildlife paintings.
Thank you Peggy!

Very informative
I received this book for Christmas and was very impressed. It has so much information and great pictures. I am a self taught beginning water color painter. Very well written book that I could understand. I just hope she comes out with more.

BUY THIS BOOK!
Buy this book and save yourself thousands of dollars literally. As a student of Peggy at the Art Institute of Chicago I know. I paid tons of money to go to art school. Almost everything I learned from Peggy you can learn from this book. Plus it is an excellent showcase of her artwork. One of the best draftsman you'll ever see. Stop reading this and go buy it.

Fearless technique to painting wildlife
This book is outstanding! Peggy shows approaches to watercolor that make if fun for the beginer as well as an advanced painter. Her tecniques could be used in many aplications, not just wildlife. A beautifuly written and illustrated book.

How to, that actually works
The beautiful images from the Field Museum notwithstanding, this is a how-to manual that actually offers watercolor methods that work. The reward is in the process. No Fear! I highly recommend picking up the book, gathering your art supplies, and getting started.

Thank you Peggy & Marlene ... Read more

Reviews (2)

wet and wonderful watercolor expression
This is one of the most sought after books on watercolor portraiture. Reid suggests the face and still gets a likeness. He leaves something for the viewer to fill in and be a part of the painting. It takes practice and intuition to bring out the aritists innate intuitive abilities expressed on paper. Reid shows step by step how he approaches his subject. He focuses on contrast and value and immediacy to give the painting life and spontaniety. A valued book to read over and over.

Not Charles' best book -- but quite good none the less
...The book is brown, in colour and concept. Charles' book on Natural Painting is much more appealing. However this book is well written and illustrated although not colorfully. There is some interesting insight into portrait technique -- but realistically, I doubt if Charles learned to paint this way himself ... his talent is inborn and self-taught. His portraits are startling and unique in their ability to capture likenesses from a swirling mass of tone and/or color sometimes using only subtlist details of shade and highlight. The facial details that we plebians see (2 eyes, nose, mouth, chin, hair) have little to do with Charles' images -- sometimes many key features are ill defined or undefined ... however he always manages to capture the likeness. He sees in a different way -- I think he sees primarily tones (shades of gray) more than anything -- color seems to be secondary to him (this is apparent in his Natural Painting book too) -- yet he also has a unique and insightful perspective on colors, especially skin tones. A good book. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Regarding the Tao of Watercolor
This book promotes a certain way of painting watercolors which, while no doubt spiritual and heartfelt in its intent, leaves much to be desired in terms of actual painting. Much of the techniques shown here are short cuts and visual platitudes that create very cliched pictures. The author's spiritual approach to the act of painting is worthwhile but if you really want to learn how to paint watercolor, buy books instead on Winslow Homer, John Singer Seargent and Thomas Eakins and study how these real masters used the medium.

The Tao of Watercolor
If you've been painting in watercolor and found yourself somewhat bound up by it all, then invest in this book to help free up and get looser with your painting. This isn't a comprehensive how-to book by any means. It doesn't pretend to be. What Jeanne offers in this book are ways to prepare yourself to paint and to unlock your creative spirit with Taoist thought as an easy-to-accept framework. If you don't have one already, get one of the "complete guide to watercolor" books and get this one too. It's a good read.

Not for beginners
This book is wonderful to look through and has a mystical feeling to it but the actual instructions for the paintings are very poor. I tried some of the demonstrations and even though I liked the end result, the instructions are vague. I would not recomend this book to beginners but rather to people who want to loosen up their paintings.

The Tao of Watercolor
Beautiful to look at, lovely to touch and magical to read, The Tao of Watercolor is all this and more.

In a mere 112 pages, Ms Carbonetti manges to entertwine aspects of living with aspects of painting. She gives the reader a birds-eye view of how one goes about bridging the gap between play and work, between spontaneous expression and careful decision making.

It is important that the painter have had a class or two under their belt to receive the highest benefit from this book.

Jeanne Carbonetti includes exercises that help the painter move through the chapters with ease. She gives demos as well as simple explanations of the techniques.

Ms. Carbonetti is straight-forward when she describes The Tao of Watercolor as A Revolutionary Approach to the Practice of Painting. Basically the author gives the painter permission to try new ways of painting AND new ways of living our lives.

Ths approach may not be for everyone, however what the reader receives is worth purchasing the book.

Not the place to learn watercolor - or much else
I purchased this book hoping that it would help me loosen up my watercolor painting. I was disappointed enough to return it, something I rarely do. Clearly, this author has found an enthusiastic audience to which to sell these books and her paintings, but I suspect they are something of a fringe group. That's fine, but I recommend you look over this book thoroughly before committing to purchasing it. There is basically no instruction that will teach you to do a watercolor painting in anything but vague, fuzzy, garishly colored (she really, really likes bright pink) paintings that call to my mind the tie-died T-shirts of the 60's. I was also put off by the self-portrayal of the author as a kind of artistico-spiritual guru. In her experience, she says, all watercolor students fall into one of two categories: those who never finish a picture because they are too hung up on doing things just so, and those who would like to play but don't know how--left brain types and right brain types. She assures us she has had an epiphany and is now beyond such limitations. If you buy her books, she'll share her higher wisdom. Well, good for her, she's got her audience. There are Taoist quotes at the beginning of the chapters, but if you want to explore that philosophy, you'd be better off with a source that truly addresses it. If you want to learm how to do watercolors, this is not the place to do it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book will make a dramatic difference in your portraits.
Having stumbled upon this book quite by accident, I was thrilled to find that the clear format, easily followed instructions, and wonderful graphics resulted in instant improvement of my watercolour portraits. There are suggestions about layers of color, highlighting, organizing your image, to name a few, that will add life and dimension to your work quickly and easily. This book will be a welcome addition to any reference library that a watercolor portrait artist is compiling. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great reference, excellent history & materials section
This is a wonderful reference book for the watercolor painter. It contains all kinds of useful information to help you understand the medium and improve your knowledge and skills.

The first 40 pages provide a great history of watercolor painting, so often overlooked in the overall scheme of art history. Then all the aspects of setting up a work area and studio are covered followed by a very thorough materials and tools section. There are example pictures and descriptions of everything from easels to paper and brushes to paint. There is also a paper stretching demo and a watercolor color chart.

A section on the principles of drawing follows. This includes instructions on making simple shapes, creating perspective, Plato's rule, golden sections, drawing a quick sketch and more. Then various watercolor techniques such as creating washes, erasing with a dry brush and achieving texture with salt and turpentine are covered. Next, there are two chapters on color theory and mixing explaining warm, cool and broken colors as well as color schemes and values. A nice demo of painting a watercolor with three colors is included.

The last chapters deal with techniques, skills and actually beginning the painting process. Here you find information and advice on painting the human figure, skies, clouds, trees, landscapes, illustrations and seascapes. There are no real projects here and no reference photos. Rather the focus is on general advice for painting various subjects with example demonstrations. A helpful glossary is included in the back. This is certainly one of the most thorough, useful and entertaining books I have seen for the beginning watercolorist. ... Read more

Book Description

From soft, atmospheric effects to powerful images, this guide provides artists with the insight and instruction they need to illuminate their paintings with the magic of light.

Utilizing 7 complete painting demonstrations, artists will learn how light behaves, where and how to find the best light, and how to use the personality of light to express the feeling and character of a subject. In-depth guidance features specific instruction for capturing light effects on glass, metal, water, landscapes and architecture-and also offers methods for experimenting with candlelight, shadows and more. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A really stunning watercolor book!
I ordered the book after visiting Paul's website which has many of his beautiful paintings online and I was really delighted to receive my copy yesterday. The book is done on a very professional level, filled with gorgeous step-by-step projects, and it serves as the door to the Paul's spectacular watercolor world. I've recently realized (I'm a beginner watercolorist) that a painter needs to train ones vision the same way as a musician needs to train fingers, and Paul gives many valuable hints on such perception development, seeing beyond the still life objects and taking them to life by help of light effects. The many projects in the book are very interesting and tempting, earlier I used to sigh when seeing some amazing paintings depicting colored glass, crystal and metal objects, but now I'm sure I'll be trying to paint them myself by using Paul's instructions! Also the architectural paintings demand special attention, painted Paul's way, the churches, monuments and city buildings create a special mood and they become messengers to the viewer. I really recommend this inspirational and at the same time very practical book to watercolorists of any level.

Great examination of how light affects paintings
This book is aimed for an intermediate to advanced level watercolorist. The majority of the book focuses on the author's fascination with portraying light as it hits colorful subjects. The subjects range from beautiful colored glass such as wine and perfume decanters to brass musical instruments to breathtaking architectural and landscape paintings.

Other than the first chapter that gives a very quick overview of a few techniques such as blotting, drybrushing, scraping, pouring, etc. it is not an overly comprehensive book on every aspect of watercolor painting. For example, only 1-2 page cursory discussions are given to subjects such as composition, creating textures, values, leading eye movement arrangements of a painting, etc. When they are discussed the subjects are always tied back to the book's main theme - light. So eye movement is discussed, for example, in how light helps achieve this goal to make a strong painting.

Another subject which the author doesn't address is color mixing and color theory. Some of the paintings use of alizarin crimson which some new painters may not know is a fugitive color. Fortunately there are 2 relatively new very permanent pigments on the market that are dead-on ringers for traditional alizarin crimson when you mix them together. W&N Permanent Carmine, which is a quinacridone/diketo-pyrole pigment + any brand with only PR122 as the listed pigment. In fact, W&N offers these two pigments as a convenience color mix named Permanent Alizarin Crimson. I have painted washes of my true alizarin crimson right next to the quinacridone/PR122 mix and could not tell the difference. Neither could my boyfriend when I asked him to try to pick which was the real alizarin crimson and which was the mix.

One of the most intriguing chapters was on painting light at night. The cover painting is only one of the types of night scenes this chapter covers. There are others such as streetlight fog at night and architectural spotlighting. I am especially envious of the author's beautiful architectural themed paintings. I'm still trying to get down perspective myself so anyone who demonstrates such mastery is someone I pay attention to.

Overall this book is a very good look at seeing how one element of painting - light - can be pushed to amazing effect. It is fascinating to see how just one of the criteria (in this case, light) needed for a successful realistic painting can contribute to creating your own signature style. And although I said this book is of most use to intermediate to advanced watercolorists it can not fail to help beginners since the paintings are so inspiring and beginners will eventually move up to intermediate level anyway.

Review of his Video: "Painting Light & Landscapes"
This is a review of his *VIDEO*, "Painting Light & Landscapes".
I couldn't find it on Amazon.com so I'm putting the review under his book.

This title is separated onto two videos, part 1 about 1 hour 15 min, part 2 about 1 hour. (I couldn't get an exact time count for tape 2. It varied every time I timed it. Maybe the tape material was stretching?)

It begins with a brief bio of his training and awards, showing several of his painings in the background.

Then, a brief intro to some basic techniques, flat wash, graded wash, wet in wet, but nothing else.

Then he begins to demonstrate his painting, a foggy landscape, mostly done wet in wet.

The value of these videos is to see his demonstration of him actually painting. You see every stroke, which is very good for learning. Camera angles and audio are excellent.

But he doesn't teach design, composition, value sketch, color mixing theory, etc. If you want to learn these basics of painting you are better off with Tony Couch or Tom Lynch videos. But it is valuable to see Paul do his demo because he talks about his thinking process as he paints. It is always valuable to see how a painter thinks about his painting, his process, rather than just staying with cold techniques. These videos are excellent for that.

He points out how the water & paint behaves, how he corrects or covers up mistakes, how he layers paint to get rich values, how he choses colors he is using, how he changes his designing, etc. Its amazing how he gets his effects with his huge brushes and lots of water.

He usually names the colors he uses, mostly Winsor & Newton. But as he doesn't talk about color mixing theory, or quality of paints, he doesn't talk about permanant or fugitive clolors. At one point he mentions he is now using a *permanant* Alizarin Crimson, a historically fugitive color. (Genuine Alizarin is fugitive, which means it will fade or change over time with sunlight shining on it, and you shouldn't use it since there are permanant substitute paints for this color. *Premanant* Alizarin is most likely made up from these permanant substitue paints, but companies preserve the old name so thay can make money.) But then he uses *huge* amounts of Winsor Violet, which I belive is made of of Dioxazine, which is a fugitve color! (I hope I'm correct in this and not making a fool of myself. If I am, I appologize in advance.) According to Michael Wilcox's book, "The Wilcox Guide to the Best Watercolor Paints", he states that Dioxazine is a fugitive color. So why 1) does Mr Jackson use it if he switched to a *Permanant* Alizarin, and 2) why does Winsor & Newton continue to put out fugitve colors for sale at all???? (Read Wilcox's books to learn how to mix violets and purples using permanant colors as well as find out which paints are fugitive and which are permanant.)

While it is wonderful to see Mr. Jackson demo his painting, the whole video is *continually* broken up everytime he needs a break to dry his paper with *numerous* silly interviews of clients and samples of his paintings. These breaks happen at different times, after 5min, 12min, 17min, 24min, etc.

Showing samples of his beautiful paintings at these breaks is acceptable, although time consuming if you want to keep the actual demo on *one* VHS tape. You can go to his web site to see all his paintings. But the interviews are totally frustrating.

The interviews are of some of his clients/patrons: eg. Gov of Missouri, his 1st Lady, and several Doctors. These are more like infomercials. All they say is how wonderful Paul Jackson is, how much they like and are amazed by his art work, how his art is so detailed "it looks like photographs", how he paints upside down even though "that's impossible, but he does it!", etc. These "infomercial" commentaries are TOTALLY USELESS!!! They take up valuable video time and waste the viewer's time. These are all distinguised people, clients, patrons, nice people who really appreciate his work, but with all due respect, who cares about their comments! They are not artists. I bought the video to see Paul paint, not hear non artists babble on and on singing his praises and their amazments! I already know how wonderful he is and am amazed by his art myself, otherwise I wouldn't have bought the video and his book! I don't need nor want their comments. Its a total waste!

These breaks are short, 30 sec to 1 min each, but are so numerous, between 20-30 of them or more, they break up the flow of the video. I tried to time them to see how much time they took. Between the two videos, the infomercial interviews totalled to about 8 min, and the gallery of his paintings totalled to about 8-10min. Not much time total, but because there are so many of them, they are very frustrating and intrusive.

If the tapes had totally eliminated these useless interviews/comments and edited down the samples of his gallery of paintings, he could have fitted his *actual demo* onto a single 2 hour tape. Why, we need to ask, was it spread out onto 2 tapes with so much filler?

I rated the video with 4 stars instead of 5 because of these useless interviews. I would recommend this set of videos to actually see him paint. You just need to ignor the interviews. You can learn a lot just from observation and hearing *HIS* comments! If you get his book, you will get more step by step instructions.

If he ever does another video, which I would love to see of his tighter style, I would recommend: 1) DROP THE USELESS INFOMERCIAL INTERVIEWS! LET YOUR ART SPEAK FOR ITSELF. LET YOUR PAINTING DEMO SPEAK FOR ITSELF. and 2)show more of your planning, design stage. This is just as important as seeing you actually paint.

A beautiful book, but how much do I actually use it
I am an intermediate level painter. I appreciate the technique and artistry that goes into the paintings in this book. I also study them and read the artists comments and recomendations. They are sometimes vague and it is more of a read than a workshop book. I do not use it nearly as much as I hoped I would. This book does contain very impressive work and I would like to apply some of what I see to my own art.

excellant!
This is the best watercolor book I have found yet. The light effects are stunning and inpiring. I really learned a lot and improved my skills after reading this book. ... Read more

Book Description

More and more painters are traveling with the intent of capturing newexperiences in their art. Whether doing so to keep a journal of their thoughts and feelingson the road or simply a visual record of the journey, the finished product is a work of artin itself.

Watercolor Journeys provides readers with a look "over the shoulder" at the personalwatercolor sketchbooks of internationally experienced artist Richard Schilling. Builtaround fifty key questions or problems artists will encounter while keeping a traveljournal, it's packed with hundreds of tips and techniques born from a lifetime of painting- on-the-road experience. Schilling's actual journal pages are reproduced to clarify eachand every lesson.

Readers will also find solutions to the unexpected problems of journaling on the road,such as dealing with rain or insect attacks, or sketching the local populace without beingnoticed. Schilling's fascinating, sometimes humorous anecdotes will keep readersenthralled even when they aren't painting!

Richard Schilling has been a watercolor artist for forty years. He teaches at the LovelandAcademy of Fine Arts and is a frequent contributor to many fine art magazines, includingThe Artist's Magazine, American Artist and Southwest Art. An avid traveler, he recentlycompleted a fifteen country tour of Europe and the Middle East. Schilling lives inLoveland, Colorado. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Makes me want to travel!!!
I'd bought Watercolor Journeys prior to an overseas trip and it was so helpful and inspirational. I just loved the insights, memories, notes and of course, the charming pen & inks with watercolor illustrations. Lots of tips and ideas on materials, art supplies, travel tips and generally SUPPORT for an artistic way to chronicle your adventures. A wonderful book. Also, the dedication to his wife is a real zinger. Lucky gal!

Delightful and informative
I preordered this book and just received it yesterday. The tips and instructive sections are very pertinent. I found them immediately usable. I am also delighted with the images from Schillings various sketchbooks. It meets my needs very well.

The Gift of Travel
This book was a prize from a survey questionaire. I would have never bought the book for myself because I never thought that I would make a watercolor journal but after reading this book and seeing the illustrations, I was so inspired!!! I had an old sketch pad and headed outside with it and this book, then, sat down and sketched things around my home and town. This sketching brought so much personal emotion to me as I looked closely at all the beauty around me in my everyday life. I slowed down my life to see, to really see and now I am taking a journal with me everywhere. Thanks for opening my eyes with the wonderful book containing beautiful drawings and words!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Add collage watercolor for intersting & beautiful results
This book delves into the fascinating technique of adding collage elements to watercolor paintings. Basically, this is adding bits of paper of various shapes, textures & colors to the surface to enhance the painting over them.

Experimentation to develop a personal style is stressed here. Basic principles of texture, layering, contrast and color are explored first. Then you see how these elements are incorporated into finished paintings.

The author is an accomplished master of this technique. Many examples of his work are shown in progress & completed. He emphasizes throughout how artists of any level in any medium can apply these concepts to their work.

Whether or not you decide to emulate Brommer's work, this book is a great springboard of ideas and ways of looking at the painting process. It is filled with solid and helpful ideas. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Simply a great book
In terms of painting style Taylor brings together the best elements of several artists to produce a classic impressionistic fresh watercolor style. The instructional material by Ron Ransom is extremely helpful. It even has a couple of pages in how to depict traffic in cityscapes! I also love Taylor's sensible 15 color palette (not too large, not to restricted) and how he employs it. No tricks--no pouring, salt, collage, stamping--just great loose on site plein air brushwork from a master. Somewhat similar in style to Mel Stabin or John Yardley.

A Truly Magical Book On Watercolour
David Taylors Artwork and Ron Ransons commentary combine to produce an outstanding work on watercolour painting. David has the ability to simplify the most complex scene into a magical piece of artwork: displaying bold brush strokes with the ability to get it right first time; His use of positive and negative space is brilliant, clearly showing an understanding of watercolour and how to bring out the very essence of his chosen subjects so beautifully.
I found the book inspiring me to greater achievement in my own painting and continually enjoy Ron's script its humour and the simple way he points the way, teaching through Davids work.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in watercolour, it teaches so much about the medium - it truly does go a long long way to solving the mystery of watercolour in a most enjoyable way.

Beautiful bold and loose style.
David Taylor's watercolor style is beautifully bold and loose. Ron Ranson has done a good production with this book, the illustrations are beautiful and many of them are really breathtaking. Taylor captures accurately the mood of the chosen subjects even with great economy of brushstrokes. The chapter of composition/design is the best depicted, with clear explanations and examples, however other sections are written with a lesser tutorial style. My main remark on this book is about a careless (intentional?) treatment of two illustrations: Page 26 shows a plate that is repeated with a different title on page 32 (there are some differences in color saturation and contrast that suggest digital manipulation). Illustrations on pages 117 and 127 are dealt in the same manner. Besides, the illustration of the dustjacket is not included inside the book. Nevertheless, this is one of the best books on watercolor that have been issued lately and we have had the chance to appreciate the artwork of this excellent Australian artist. ... Read more

Book Description

Ray Hendershot shows artists how to have fun and use inventive texture techniques to turn acceptable watercolor paintings into outstanding ones. Dozens of hands-on exercises and step-by-step demonstrations show exciting ways to suggest detail (such as trees, bricks and crockery) and set the mood in paintings. A self-taught watercolorist, Hendershot developed his techniques through trial and error, uninhibited by the 'accepted rules' of the medium. In addition to traditional texture techniques such as spattering and spritzing, this book includes more unconventional 'tricks' using special brushes and other media. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Help to define your realistic style
While not a beginner's book, Hendershot's book offers straightforward advice on creating realistic textures. I was surprised how easy it was to add realism to my work. I enjoyed the subdued palette. Raw umber and paynes gray figure prominently in my palette now. As other reviewers have wrote, Hendershot's book has helped me create my best work to date. A treasure!

Superb texture techniques
This is by far the best watercolor book I have seen. This book is not for beginners as the author points out at the beginning itself. Maybe that is why it is so much more interesting for advanced beginners and beyond as he quickly and methodically takes us through a progression of splendid techniques for painting trees, grass, barns, buildings, still life etc. As a lover of landscape paintings, I find Ray Hendershot's paintings simply a joy to study. I am really happy I got this book.

Excellent watercolor instruction
I am a novice watercolor painter. I've bought several instructional books, but have found this one to be the best. Mr. Hendershot's instructions are clear and easy to follow. The techniques I've learned have dramatically improved the quality of my paintings. The paintings used in instruction are beautiful and fun to paint. I will always use the techniques I've learned from this artist. I only wish he would do another.

Ray Hendershot Book a Winner for Watercolorists
Hopefully, there will soon be more books on the market by artist, Ray Hendershot. I have probably 50 books on watercolor techniques. His book TEXTURE TECHNIQUES FOR WINNING WATERCOLORS is, by far, the best I've seen. It has carried my painting to a whole new dimension . . . especially in landscapes. If you like a subdued palette, such as that used by Andrew Wyeth, you'll love this book. It is an excellent tool for advanced beginners and beyond. The watercolors I've done after practicing his techniques constitute my best work to date.

Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors
I am relatively new to the medium of watercolor. In viewing art I often wonder, "how did they do that?" Mr. Hendershot explains in detail how to achieve fantastic results using texturing techniques, answering just that question. He also gives the colors used in each example, an aspect I found extremely helpful. He covers the many different ways to achieve wet and dry brushstrokes, spatter and splatter, and many other helpful instructions. He then ties it all together in the final chapter. I would highly reccommend this book to other artists, beginning or otherwise. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

An inspiration
I bought this book because I wanted to explore my creativity with paint and didn't want to be intimidated by an overly technical book. This book turned out to be perfect. The author writes with so much love and respect for the individual as a creative being. She teaches things like technique, color, and drawing in a way that is free and fun. It is especially good for people (like me) who are very critical towards themselves, and who tend to get discouraged easily. Ann Lindsay is so good at encouraging the reader to view things positively, rather than critically. This book was such an inspiration I can't recommend it highly enough!

Guilt-free watercolor
I've been wanting to paint with watercolor but all the books out there does not even describe how difficult the medium is. I'd follow the instruction only to find a dissapointing result that my painting looks nothing like the illustration. More over, many of the equipments (such as paper, brushes, paints) are all way too expensive to allow me for a 'mistake'.

Following the instruction in this book, there is no wrong way or result. In fact, it brings the fun back to the art, the main reason why I picked it up in the first place! There's plenty of time and exercises for experimentation and developing a feeling of how the watercolor works, rather than heavy logical technique of mixing colors, brushing strokes, etc. Best of all, this book only require minimum equipment with only 3 brushes and 4 tubes of paints!

I highly recommed this book for someone who is a beginner and sensitive about their art, like me. I'd recommend this also for children or adult who have been having a bad experience in painting/drawing in the past. It has surely encouraged me to paint some more, without guilt. A truly enjoyable book!

Wow! At last art is accessible and fun!
This book unwraps the path to creativity and joyful expression, savoring color and light, and making the making of art accessible to anyone. I was in tears just reading the first few pages. What's more, I was in action: I cleared an area so I would have an artist's corner; I got out my dusty water colors (put away in discouragement after my last university class in the medium), and started to experiment with paint. What fun! The author simply won't let us get stopped or stuck by the noises in our overly critical heads. This book is like an invitation to come out and play, and this is one playground I want to explore for a long time to come. I have no aspirations to become a professional artist, but having this kind of access to the creativity inside has affected every area of my professional and personal life. My family and clients thank you for who I am becoming. Thank you, Ann K. Lindsay, wherever you are. You've helped this coach and writer blast through artist's block.

An easy way to start
Ms. Lindsay can really explain the basic "how to" in a simple easy to understand manner. At the same time she helps you really enjoy the learning experience, removing the frustration that you usually get from "self teaching" books...

Beautiful and Useful
I am a newcomer to painting and I found Ann K. Lindsay's Watercolor: A New Beginning to be extremely helpful! The book is full of information, presented in a way that those of us who don't have experience or education in art can understand. I found her teaching exercises to be both fun and useful. Linsay has a talent for encouraging the reader to tap into their own creativity, using water color as the means. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore the art of watercolor painting. ... Read more