A visually rich guide that can help aspiring and experienced artists master the stunning yet often complex techniques used to create dazzling watercolor backgrounds in only a few simple steps. Watercolor paintings are highly regarded for their delicate strokes, incandescent washes, and ethereal pigments. But the very beauty of this medium also makes it challenging for painters. Unlike oil and acrylic paints which can be easily applied and maintain their appearance after drying, the primary water base of watercolors alters the shape of the paper as well as the appearance of the paint as it dries. A leading expert in watercolor painting and highly regarded teacher, Yuko Nagayama has developed a unique and fool-proof twelve-step system to help you become proficient in creating exquisite landscapes as well as detailed objects and backgrounds using this popular medium. You Can Paint Dazzling Watercolors in Twelve Easy Lessons includes a list of necessary tools for watercolor painting, tutorials on different paints, instructions on mixing colors on a palette, and initial sketching techniques. Powered by Yuko's unique method and filled with helpful illustrations, You Can Paint Dazzling Watercolors in Twelve Easy Lessons will inspire you to diversify your skills and create beautiful works of art.

Flowers are a perennial favourite of artists; and what better medium than luminous, delicate watercolour? Fiona Peart's new book is a complete course in learning to paint flowers, packed with handy hints and tips for new artists – or indeed anyone who wants to capture the beauty of flowers with paint. Numerous simple step-by-step exercises are seeded through the book to allow the reader's skills to grow towards more complex and rewarding projects. A range of flowers are included, from hydrangeas to camellias to hellebores. Fiona's clear, down-to-earth and friendly instructions encourage the reader to try different styles, while the 21 full-size, traceable outlines included mean that even those who don't wish to draw can get started quickly and simply, following the instructions provided. In the best-selling Absolute Beginner series, this book is suitable for absolutely anyone who wants to take their painting skills further and become an accomplished flower artist. 

Master artist and best-selling author David Bellamy shares with you his techniques, ideas and approach to painting his beloved landscape throughout the year. A revised and expanded edition of David Bellamy's Winter Landscapes in Watercolour, David looks at each season in detail and explores the challenges and surprises they present to the landscape artist. Also covered are learning techniques for seasonal effects such as rendering hoar frost on trees; misty and atmospheric effects; injecting rogue colours to add excitement to your work; how to tackle a variety of tree branches for different species; depicting light branches against dark backgrounds; altering the composition to suit your needs, and so much more.

All watercolour landscape artists need to know how to paint water, and in this book Terry Harrison excels in demystifying the painting process. Here he shares his expert advice and no nonsense tips and techniques for producing quick, effective paintings of water. There are two or three-step exercises for painting water in all its varied moods and situations, including ripples, reflections, puddles, streams, breaking waves, choppy water, surf, bridges, riverbeds, boats, and much more. There are then ten step-by-step demonstrations that can be produced in half an hour: a misty lake, track with puddles, ford, waterfall, lazy river, stormy sea, cliffs, fishing from a boat, sunset estuary and fishing boat.

Master all the aspects of watercolour painting with this comprehensive practical manual. An introduction details all the equipment you will need and lays out the basic techniques, including the different strokes required, and how to mix the paints to create the right palette. There are then over 25 step-by-step projects to help you to put the basics into practice. There are projects to challenge beginners, and others for intermediate painters, all grouped by subject, including skies, water, landscapes, trees, flowers, buildings, animals and people. This accessible book has something for water-colourists of all abilities to learn from and help achieve their potential.

Explore and create expressive palettes and paintings with Color Harmony for Artists. Watercolor author, artist, and teacher Ana Victoria Calderon guides you through choosing, mixing, and using color with watercolor and mixed media to create the most expressive and appealing combinations and effects for a wide range of moods and subjects. You'll explore a variety of subjects and themes, including flowers, foliage, landscapes, skies, cities, figures, art movements, and historical eras. Begin with a quick overview of the basics of color, color mixing, and mixed media. Explore a variety of color and media combinations, including brilliant brights, muted neutrals, high-contrast complements, and special effects. Find inspiration in evocative photos, abundant palettes, and beautiful paintings. With Color Harmony for Artists, every artist, from beginner to advanced, will be inspired to embrace the creative possibilities of color and paint!

Bursting with exciting and innovative techniques, best-selling author Jane Betteridge pushes watercolour to new heights, bringing nature to life with vibrancy, texture and dynamism. In this revised and revitalised edition of her best-selling book Dynamic Watercolours, Jane demonstrates an effective and vibrant use of a huge range of exciting ways of working, including the use of crackle paste, modelling pastes, metallic leaf, gilding flakes, print and much more. Inspired by nature on every page and showcasing 75 inspirational finished paintings, this book will excite and inspire watercolour artists of all abilities to experiment and approach their painting in a whole new way.

Make your first steps in watercolor fun and rewarding

Watercolor's vivid colors and fresh, direct brush strokes make it the most exciting way to paint. "But," you think, "Learning to paint must be hard and frustrating." Not with Cathy Johnson as your teacher Here, she makes learning to paint in watercolor fun--even easy

With "Painting Watercolors," you'll learn to paint by picking up a brush and painting--not by reading about a bunch of confusing theories.

Cathy tells you everything you need to begin--including:

• Which tools and materials you should buy to get off to a good, affordable start
• When, what, even where to paint
• Explanations of watercolor terms (such as "washes" and "puddles")
• Easy and useful painting tricks--such as glazing and drybrush.

With Cathy's help, you can start painting right away

Adding other mediums to your watercolour paintings is a fantastic way to take your work in new, more exciting directions. However, the vast array of painting mediums and materials on the market can be daunting, especially for the beginner. This book introduces the reader to the range of media that is available, explains briefly and clearly how to use the materials and provides six step-by-step projects and inspirational finished paintings to encourage you to take a definitive leap into the exciting world of mixed media art. Author Alison C Board covers a multitude of topics in her work, and this book features flowers, animal portraits, dancers in motion, cityscapes and landscapes. She explores how to combine wet and dry media, and how to create vibrant collages from man-made and natural found objects. There are no mistakes in mixed-media artwork, and Alison encourages the reader to be unafraid and embrace the experimental.

This book builds on the success of Terry Harrison's Sea & Sky in Watercolour, adding six new projects and plenty of new paintings. Terry's clear, no-nonsense advice takes the mystery out of painting clouds, clear skies, sunsets, foam bursts, breaking waves, rippled water, reflections, boats, cliffs, rocks, beaches and much more. There are plenty of tips and techniques to show how to use Terry's specially made brushes to paint watercolour seascapes the easy way. There are then nine beautiful step-by-step projects that show the techniques in action.

Inspiring ideas from one of the world's great art teachers

* Top author--more than 100,000 books sold worldwide

* Solid instruction from a watermedia expert

* Tips and techniques for developing a personal style and vision

Join renowned artist Stephen Quiller, the creator of the famous Quiller Wheel, the Quiller Palette, and the Quiller lines of paints, on a journey of art discovery and exploration. "Watermedia Painting with Stephen Quiller" is an in-depth look at all the watermedia paints available to today's artists. Part One looks at watercolors, with illustrations of the visual characteristics of the mineral (sedimentary) and transparent (staining) and their effects with different paper surfaces. Part Two focuses on acrylics, gouache, and casein. In Part Three, Quiller shares his secrets for the most difficult aspect of painting--developing a personal style and vision. Packed with Quiller's thoughts and ideas on painting philosophy, the meditative and spiritual aspects of art, photographing art, travel, and building a studio, this is an inspiring guide to living a creative life and creating art.

A practical guide to using gouache in botanical painting, by a leading botanical painter.Gouache is an opaque water-based medium, often called body colour, that produces crisp and vibrant paintings, and is becoming increasingly popular in botanical painting. Leading botanical painter, Simon Williams, specializes in painting in gouache and this is his first book.Botanical Painting in Gouache is full of practical advice on all aspects of using the exciting medium of gouache and contains many step-by-step demonstration paintings. In addition to the sumptuous flower paintings there are also sections on painting butterflies, birds and exotic and unusual plants from the rainforest.

Barry Herniman shows the reader how to capture the essence of a scene, and to inject that extra something: mood and atmosphere. This 'extra something' is what many watercolour artists seek, and it is clearly explained and beautifully demonstrated in this practical and enthralling guide to painting a variety of landscapes. This beautiful book brings Barry Herniman's stunning artwork to the fore with a sumptuous redesign, complete with new inspirational artworks and expanded sections on colour mixing and techniques.

*** WINNER *** Won MOST INSPIRING CRAFTY READ in The Best of Craft Awards 2020! Marina Bakasova loves to paint, and with the help of this book, you will too! She has put together this varied collection of her favourite subjects and shows you how to paint each one in her loose, characterful style. Each project can be completed in just four simple steps, using a small selection of colours and a handful of tried-and-tested watercolour techniques. Maybe you want to create a hand-painted birthday card or a piece of artwork to frame and hang on the wall, or embellish your hand-written journals and planners? Or perhaps you simply want to learn the relaxing art of painting with watercolours? Whatever your motivation, with 150 projects to choose from you'll not fail to find something to inspire you.

"The book is packed with step-by-step guides on drawing and painting techniques, colour mixing and clever compositions, it is an invaluable source of ideas for anyone wanting to develop their flower painting skills." - SAA Billy Showell's exquisite and technically brilliant watercolour flower portraits are beautifully presented in this highly informative, lavishly illustrated book. First published in 2009 and now back by popular demand in paperback, it provides the reader with valuable information on the brushes, paints, paper and other equipment they need, together with detailed guidance on drawing and painting techniques, colour mixing and composition. Learn how to paint white flowers, leaves and stems; add shadows; and create stamen, carpels, veins and texture. The book finishes with four stunning step-by-step projects to practice and consolidate your newly-acquired skills. This is an invaluable source of information and inspiration for anyone who wants to develop their flower painting skills.

'There's no grandstanding or showmanship, just solid, honest instructions and demonstrations that produce solid, worthwhile results.' Artbookreview.net Paint convincing watercolour mountain scenes using just 3 colours, 3 brushes, a palette and a pad of paper. From only 3 affordable watercolour paints in red, blue and yellow you can mix a huge range of colours and paint beautiful landscapes you'll be proud to hang on your wall. Starting from the simplest of mountain scenes, Matthew builds your skills as you progress through the 9 easy projects in the book, and by the end you'll be amazed at what you have achieved. Clear instructions and step-by-step photographs show you how to add detail, shadow and distance to a scene, and there are numerous handy tips and helpful 'jargon busters' to help you learn the basic watercolour techniques. Before you know it, you'll have acquired all the skills you need to paint your own wonderful mountain scenes in watercolour. Matthew uses French ultramarine, cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson and sizes 12, 6 and 2 round brushes.

This stunning guide with original artworks by Emma Faull will enable painters of all abilities to create exquisite watercolour paintings of birds. Even beginners will be able to produce beautiful watercolour paintings of birds with the help of the guided projects in this book. Fifteen original artworks by acclaimed artist Emma Faull have been reproduced as outlines on high-quality watercolour paper, so that you can achieve beautiful results and enjoy the relaxing practice of watercolour painting. At the front of the book, you'll find inspiration in Emma's original artworks, as well as the recommended colour palettes to use. You'll also find advice from the artist on how to get started and guidance on professional watercolour techniques. To get started, simply choose an outline on watercolour paper and pull it out of the book, then follow the artist's step-by-step advice on creating beautiful watercolours and use the gallery of finished artworks as a guide. The professional paper will also work beautifully with other media, such as acrylic paint, artists' pencils and art brush or marker pens. Includes the following birds: European Goldfinch Peacock HummingbirdAmerican Blue JayWoodpecker Wren Mandarin DuckGolden Eagle ...and more.

This nostalgic, humorous and richly illustrated volume celebrates the Somerset of years gone by. Syd Durston was seven when the Second World War broke out. As well as causing panic in Britain's cities, the war transformed life in the countryside in all sorts of ways. This is how one boy remembers life in rural Somerset during that time, where from 'the age of ten you were at school between 9 a.m. and noon, and then you could work on the land until 8 p.m.'. It is an elegy to the levels and the moors, and the rich diversity of wildlife that could once be found in the fields - 'thousands of grasshoppers, large and small, hopping everywhere, butterflies of all kinds feeding on the red clovers that were now in flower; the smell of the honeysuckle and the dog roses in the hedges' - and a lament for the landscapes and ways of life that we have now lost. From the outbreak of war to the drama of D-Day, Syd - whose watercolour paintings, many of which illustrate this collection, aim to show the reality of farming life as it was then - captures a moment in history as it really was. Containing more than 120 paintings, sketches and drawings, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

Creative Watercolor offers beginners a fun, modern, and practical approach to a timeless medium with instructions on how to paint simple motifs, create elegant lettering, and embellish projects beautifully. Popular watercolor artist and workshop instructor Ana Victoria Calderon shares her step-by-step techniques for painting modern designs in this classic medium. All the fundamentals needed to get started in watercolor are here, allowing you to quickly learn how to create beautiful watercolor paintings. Through a series of easy tutorials and projects, you will: Discover basic materials and tools, plus options for embellishing your paintings Master essential techniques, starting with easy warm-up activities. Then, learn to layer, and get into the flow with watercolor Get an introduction to scanning and digital editing for making multiples Paint a variety of simple, beautiful designs: flowers and leaves, butterflies and critters, fruits and vegetables, and delightful lettering Use what you've learned to create unique, stylish stationery, including beautiful invitations, place cards, menus, monograms, recipe gift cards, thank you notes-any project you can imagine, for any kind of event you can think of! There's never been a better time to dive into the world of watercolor, so why wait? Grab a brush and get painting! Perfect for all skill levels, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.

Meditative, peaceful and calming, watercolour painting offers a sense of control and self-worth to everyone, with no judgement or goal beyond the joy of painting itself. This book shows you how to calm and enhance your outlook through the movement of brush on paper. Master artist Jean Haines leads you on a journey through paint, showing you how to wipe away your worries with the soothing, gentle strokes of watercolour paint.

Learn to use watercolours with confidence with this gorgeous and easy-to-use book of exercises and templates. Kick-start your creative spirit and develop a new zest for watercolour in this inspirational book from Katie Putt. When using watercolour, it is important to allow your painting to simply unfold across the pages of your sketchbooks and to learn from your successes as well as your mistakes. This wonderful book will show you how, through 68 challenges ranging from basic to more advanced techniques that you can work through in your own time. To help you on your way, 24 sheets of high-quality watercolour paper with printed outlines are included, corresponding to the projects in the book. So relax, experiment, learn from and build on your mistakes and let your watercolour skills take their own course.

The really easy way to learn how to paint flowers in watercolour! Using a simple ten-step process, learn how to draw a basic outline starting with simple shapes, then add washes of colour and fine details to complete your work. Arranged in three chapters based on skill level, this book features 25 lovely projects, each showing you how to paint a flower in ten steps. There are paint swatches for every plant, showing you the colours you need to mix for each step of the way and the finished painting serves as a reference to guide you. It couldn't be easier! Also included is a useful techniques section at the beginning, and clever painting tips from the author throughout the book. With flora as diverse as a tulip, a magnolia, a bunny ears cactus and a passionflower, there is plenty to choose from and practise with, to develop your skills.