Inspiring, concise, and practical, Mario Andres Robinson gives watercolorists of every skill level - from beginner to advanced to professional - encouraging advice and the must-have materials and techniques information they need to take their realistic painting to the next level. In the tradition of American painters such as Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent, Mario Andres Robinson shows us how to create beautiful, timeless, classical watercolor paintings through the use of simple, yet sophisticated, contemporary techniques every watercolorist needs to know. Many artists find watercolor difficult to control and are often disappointed with the results. The water meanders across the surface of the paper and, given the proper nuance by the artist's brush, it will reluctantly settle. Robinson's approach to the medium of watercolor is primarily traditional but his methods are unconventional. Robinson simplifies the process and teaches artists to layer colors from light to dark and to focus on the highlighted areas first. He teaches that the values should be established in the beginning stages of the painting, using a monochromatic block-in that allows you to glaze pure layers of color over a muted gray underpainting. The results produce more sophisticated, subtle paintings. Further, his "live in the moment" approach embraces watercolor's unpredictability as part of the process, the end result being a painting with intensity, spontaneity, and beauty. Inspiring, concise, and practical, Mario Andres Robinson gives watercolorists of every skill level - from beginner to advanced to professional - encouraging advice and the must-have materials and techniques information they need to take their realistic painting to the next level, such as: Essential Studio Practices, Materials and Tools, Exploring Your Subject, The Importance of Drawing, Watercolor Techniques, Considering Value, Incorporating Color and Overcoming Watercolor Challenges. Richly illustrated, the book features over 100 of Robinson's luminous, emotive watercolors; works by past and present watercolor masters, including John James Audubon, Henry Casselli, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Michael Lowery, John Singer Sargent, and Stephen Scott Young; 8 in-depth step-by-step painting demonstrations; color charts; product illustrations; and diagrams.

Now in its second edition, this informative book - by an artist who began to paint after he retired - focuses on the tips and techniques not found in any other art book. As the title suggests, the author discovered most of the ideas in this book after doing things the hard way and then asking: there must be a better way. Readers will find that A Watercolor How-to imparts information in an easy-to-read format, with touches of humor, that is certain to help even the most reluctant beginner painter. The new edition includes practical tips to help you set-up your work space and palette. Plus there are additional chapters filled with more technical information such as "Some Perspective on Perspective" and "Creating Textures (Without Texting), as well as a new glossary and index. The 128-page book concludes with a chapter featuring dozens of "unique frames" Joe designed for his own paintings. He hopes they will give you some ideas for framing as you go about completing works of art, and displaying them for friends and family. As Joe says, art is adventure meant to be shared.