How to work with a limited palette, with step-by-step demonstrations. One of the world's best art teachers shows you how to give spontaneity and lightness to your work with a limited palette. Using only three colours (up to five at the very most), is the most effective way to give your art a fresh feel. With an array of paintings, techniques and step-by-step demonstrations, renowned artist Hazel Soan goes through a range of specific colour combinations that work. Each chapter looks at a different combination, guided by a principal hue or pigment property. For landscapes she discusses cool blue and warm yellow, for gardens transparent reds and complimentary green, and for seascapes warm blue, cool yellow and granulation. The author explores the almost inexhaustible three-colour combinations but also discusses when four- or five-colour combinations would enhance or work more efficiently. This ensures your work is more cohesive, light and brings out the beauty of the watercolour medium. This extensive guide is packed with demonstrations, work in progress and finished paintings - and every single painting will have the colours itemized, making this not only a great technique book but great resource for colour combinations. Ideal for all painters, new or experienced.

This handy, practical and inspirational little book is perfect for the pocket or art bag. It shows watercolour painters of all levels how to loosen up their paintings and maintain spontaneity by painting simple watercolour studies in no more than 10 minutes. Written by popular artist Hazel Soan, the book is arranged in three parts: the first section explains all about the equipment you will need; the second section covers techniques and shows what can be achieved with watercolour in a short time span; the third section looks at various subjects that are ideal for painting quickly. All the essential techniques are covered, focusing particularly on maximizing brushstrokes and exploring colours, and there is useful advice on deciding what to include and what to leave out. With helpful chapters on painting a wide range of subjects - people, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, gardens, flowers and still life - this little guide is ideal for quick reference when working in the studio or out in the field.

Capture the wonders of nature in watercolour with this quick guide to wildlife painting, packed with techniques and inspiration. Bestselling author Hazel Soan demonstrates how to paint a variety of wildlife, from garden favourites to exotic wild beasts. With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step exercises, it has never been easier to capture the likeness of an animal, in your chosen medium, in a few quick strokes. The book covers all the key skills you need, including techniques for speed, capturing pose and proportion, advice on painting fur, feathers, hair, hides and markings, working with colour and light, and adding background and setting, as well as further work that can be completed in the studio. From cats, big and small, birds and foxes to magnificent elephants, lions and zebras, Hazel's simple tips, practical demonstrations and beautiful paintings can be applied to any moving subject and will help you master the art of capturing animals - in watercolour, oils, pencils or pastels - in no time at all.

A guide to landscape painting for complete beginners with simple exercises. Hazel Soan is a hugely successful painter and an outstanding teacher and author of art books, which have introduced the wonders of art to a generation of amateur artists. In this book she teaches you how to get to grips with watercolour landscapes in the space of an afternoon. The book explores the basics of watercolour landscapes with lots of simple exercises and step-by-step demonstrations that are perfect for beginners. That life-long ambition of painting somewhere that is important to you can become a possibility with the help of this nifty little book. Topics covered include creating space, composition and focus, light and shadows, colours of the landscape and the mixing of watercolours. Watercolour painting techniques such as painting en plein air, brushwork, creating texture, wet into wet and wet on dry are explained. The book also explores specific landscape themes such as skies, foliage, forests, gardens, seascapes, wilderness, sunsets, urban landscapes, panoramas, sunsets and many more.

A practical guide to learn painting individual people and crowds, with simple exercises and step-by-step demonstrations.Bestselling artist and writer Hazel Soan has distilled her art teaching into the things that matter most and can be digested in a short period of time. Learning to paint is one of the life-long aspirations of many of us and the techniques of painting lively crowd scenes or portraits of loved ones can be picked up faster than you think.In this concise book, Hazel Soan explains everything you need to know about figurative painting in an accessible way. She advises on how to paint people in a variety of poses and settings, dealing with the theories of colour and light in a way that beginners will understand and more experienced painters will find invaluable. She also guides you through ways to insert people into your pre-existing painting to bring them to life; scenes like urban streets and on the beach are explored. Subjects like how to paint portraits and getting to grips with body proportion and perspective are also covered. Both media of watercolours and oils are covered, making this the perfect book for any type of artist.Filled with easy-to-follow exercises and demonstrations, this is a practical and helpful guide to learning to paint people very quickly.

Bestselling artist and writer Hazel Soan has distilled her art teaching into the things that matter most and can be digested in a short period of time - in just one afternoon you can start painting. Learning to paint is one of the life-long aspirations of many of us, and these techniques can be picked up faster than you think.Hazel Soan's concise book, filled with easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step exercises, is written in an accessible way for those completely new to painting. Chapters include: Getting Started (the materials you will need and those you can ignore in the art shop); Choice of Colours; Mixing Colours; What's the Subject?; What Surfaces to Paint on; Basic Painting Techniques; Brushstrokes and Composition (with details on how to design paintings with horizon, focus and balance, a hint of perspective and the light and shade of a subject).Packed with illustrations for guidance, this is the most comprehensive guide to learning watercolour very quickly.

A practical guide to learn painting in oils, with simple exercises and step-by-step demonstrations.Bestselling artist and writer Hazel Soan has distilled her art teaching into the things that matter most and can be digested in a short period of time. Learning to paint is one of the life-long aspirations of many of us and the techniques of oil painting can be picked up faster than you think. And, as mistakes can be corrected much more easily in oils than any other painting medium, it is the ideal medium for beginners.In this concise book, Hazel Soan explains everything you need to know about oils in an accessible way. She advises on the materials you need (keeping things to a minimum), how to mix colours, basic brush techniques and how to use a palette knife. The subjects covered range from still life, flowers, animals, landscapes, figures and portraits.Filled with easy-to-follow exercises and demonstrations, this is a practical and helpful guide to learning to paint in oils very quickly.

Bestselling artist and author explains how to use light and shade in watercolour painting to add lifelike detail and create engaging artworks. Mastering light and shadow is the key to successful watercolour paintings and in this book you can learn how to paint like an expert. The book is packed with Hazel Soan's colourful and varied paintings, as well as step-by-step exercises and handy hints. Beginning with how to see the values of light and shade through the eyes of an artist, the book then shows how watercolour is the perfect medium to represent light and shade. Learn how to balance light and shade through compositional design and how to establish the shadow of individual components within the composition. Hazel demonstrates clever techniques such as conserving white paper to show highlights, how to mix the right tonal values and how to balance detail in your painting. Finally, the book looks at using light and shade to create atmospheric effects, tonal patterns to look out for and how to bring it all together to create fantastic artworks.

Whether you prefer watercolor, oils, or acrylics, learn how to use color brilliantly in your paintings . . . in just a few hours!

Filled with easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step exercises, this comprehensive guide from bestselling author Hazel Soan teaches artists everything they need to know about color. Written in an accessible style, it begins with the basics (what color is, how pigments are made) and then explores the palette, the properties of different colors, transparent and opaque colors, granulating and sedimentary colors, and warm and cool colors. Learn how different hues interact, how to blend by eye, and how to create light, shade, depth, and tone in your work. Illustrated throughout with Soan's magnificent, colorful paintings, this beautiful book is the key to mastering color.