Product Description
Turn the pages of Watercolor Still Life -- and discover an exciting art course that teaches you how to paint in this expressive, versatile medium. Watercolor Still Life is a practical guide to a wide range of watercolor techniques. More than 300 photographs guide the beginner through a series of exercises designed to teach all the essentials of watercolor still life painting. Revealing projects focus on professional still lifes, shown in the making so novices can follow the creative process step-by-step. Unique gallery pages display works of watercolor masters -- paintings that will instruct and inspire every student of the medium. Packed with specially commissioned artworks,clear instruction, and easy-to-follow exercises, the DK Art School offers ideal courses for "armchair" art students.The DK Art School series is a new way to learn, improve, or master drawing and painting skills. Carefully constructed courses ensure that you gain both the confidence and the know-how to create imaginative, beautiful pictures. With individual volumes on subjects like still life, portraiture, or landscape, in specific media such as oil, watercolor, or acrylic, The DK Art school series offers something for everyone, and builds into a unique collection of practical art books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good step-by-step
This book does have very nice pictures and the instructions are clear.It targets the beginner but if youhave a little experience you would still get something out of it. I didn't find it as good as some other instruction books that are out there, so don't make it the ONLY watercolor instruction book that you have in your how-to collection. ... Read more

Product Description
First Steps Painting Series Book on Watercolors makes even a beginners first strokes fun and rewarding.Instructions on specific mediums are clear simple and encouraging. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

This book "holds your hand" through the basics
basically this is the most helpful of the three beginner books I got about watercolor painting. The book makes no assumptions, so you get to start from the ground up. Author Cathy Johnson tells you what materials to buy, and how to experiment with them before moving on the "easy-to-learn ways to paint"; followed by exercises in painting specific things such as trees, flowers and a little about still life items and animals; and finally a chapter comprising about 12 step-by-step demonstrations of complete paintings. The last chapter, I might add, is not a slavish copying exercise, but includes much general advice for planning and executing you own creative work.

A couple of points about materials. Johnson recommends that you only buy professional artist grade paints and materials, and claims that, at the time of writing (1995) you could get set up for around $50.00. You could expect to easily double that figure for such supplies in today's world. In fact, professional paints alone could run you over a hundred dollars and pro brushes are very pricey, too. My opinion is that you can do these exercises and projects quite well with good student-grade paints and supplies. Right now I am using a set of Grumbacher Academy paints, and that is working just fine. I also have large sheets of Bienenfang watercolor paper, which is useful because you can cut them up into small rectangles to practice things like "pulling a wash", AND you can paint on both sides of it. You will need a few basic brushes such rounds and flats, something called a "rigger", as well as a fan brush you can chop up a bit, and other brushes if desired. There is a full page devoted to ideas of how to play with your brushes to see what they can do--like jabbing, swooping, using the edge, etc. My favorite was the rigger, a supple long-haired brush you can practically dance with!

A word about progress: you will be all this brush stuff and trying techniques like dry brush and wet on dry brush for a while before you even start on making anything that "looks like something". Then you'll get some simple tree shapes such as poplar, cedar, oak, etc before moving on to grasses and skies. That is where I am right now. But these basic picture elements are also satisfying to produce. Today I finished page 55, working a couple of hours in the afternoons for a week or so. That is about half of the book, but I expect the later sections to be more involved. Will revisit this review at that point.

I hope this helps!

Better than I expected!
This book arrived in like-new condition, and thumbing through I quickly found that this will be a book to keep me busy for HOURS. The book is fun and results-oriented as far as techniques. I will be going through all the exercises to practice all the advice offered. An awesome deal in my book! Top quality.

Painting Watercolours
I have already reviewed this to the supplier, and I understood that Amazon gets a copy of it.However, to recap, the item was shipped in very good time, and was in perfect condition.

Excellent For Beginners
Of all the books out there on Beginning watercolors, this one ought to stand among the top.

This is a no-nonsense, direct, practial and applicable book.

Cathy Johnson, has covered a wide range of topics in a concise and apt manner that makes the most sense for the beginning watercolorist.

Here is what is covered in the book.

MATERIALS
Papers, Brushes, Palettes etc. are covered enough to get started.

THEORY
Colors, Values, Composition are briefly discussed, again enough to get going.

EXERCISES
This is a beautiful part of the book, some of the exercises are : Round brush Exercise, Flat brush, fan brush etc.. Some of them introduces to different materials tools such as palette knife. And there are a few interesting ones, which she calls "fear conquering" exercises. these are beautiful and essential, particularly useful to learn and understand watercolor. In these exercises she explores 'happy accidents' which is the key to successful watercolor.

TECHNIQUE
Various techniques are covered next such as Flat wash, graded wash , wet-on-wet,dry, wet on dry, and the Glazes.

SPECIFIC SUBJECTS
After the essential techniques are introduced, and one is familiar with how to use the tools and paint, we next move to specifics. A variety of subjects are covered, and the color palette is discussed along as these are taken up one by one.
Trees, foliage, grass, skies, water, surfing, falling water, snow, mountain, cliff, rocks, buildings, flowers, fruits, animals, and common things are some of the subjects that are dealt with.

DEMONSTRATIONS
The book concludes with a series of demonstrations of landscape and still life, such as Farm scene, boat scene, etc. wich are step by step, and applies the material covered so far in the book. This is the point when the learner can slowly take to his/her own wings and start creating their own paintings. There is one particular demo where the same scenery is painted using different palettes to create different seasons.

Overall, this is a very crisp and effective introduction to watercolors.

Great Beginners Book!
I have never painted before and recently took some watercolor classes and really enjoyed the experience.I ordered this book for help to paint on my own and feel it is a great book for beginners.Techniques are explained in an easy format and it has some great examples for creating a nice finished painting.I would highly recommend this for someone like myself who is just beginning watercolors. ... Read more

Product Description
Capture the fascinating beauty of plants. How can an artist create a botanical portrait that is both accurate and aesthetically pleasing? This is the essence of an art form whose charm and universal appeal have made it popular for centuries. Botanical Illustration in Watercolor is the first authoritative, comprehensive book to focus specifically on the materials and techniques of painting plants in watercolor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

botanical illustration in watercolor
This is a very helpful book for all ranges of talent. Great illustrations as well as written instructions, easy to follow and understand. I got this thru a out of print vendore and it was in great shape, as advertised.The price was great and worth the wait.

The Demonstrations in this book make it well worth the price!
A very good book that teaches the reader how to create beautiful botanical illustations. The book goes through drawing materials to use, then has good sections of how to draw plants by 'type', for example, teacup shaped flowers, tubular flowers, leaves, stems, spiral formation, and fruit.

The book then covers how to transfer your drawings, and watercolor. Approximately half of the book contains fabulous step-by-step demonstrations, like painting strawberries, an eggplant, a flowering trumpet vine. The onion demonstration really is exciting to me- we all have a few in the fridge, and the end result is stunning....with peeling layers on top- I can't wait to try that.

This book should be of interest to anyone who would like to draw and paint any kind of plant more beautifully.

One of the best resources
Not only is the author a super artist, rendering her illustrations with fine, exacting detail, but she's also creative in the way she frames the subject.She also provides excellent and extremely helpful, easy-to-do (inexpensive) instructions on setting up a studio/supplies, etc.I love it.

Great book!
I am very pleased with Botanical Illustration in Watercolor
by Eleanor B. Wunderlich. It is a beautifully illustrated book both in presentation and in demos. It combines both worlds of wc and botanical illustration in a clear and precise manor. I would highly recommend this book for both beginner and serious botanical illustrator and/or for a good reference book for your art library. It is a very pleasing book just to browse through.

Absolutely the BEST BOOK on botanical illustration
This is the best book on botanical illustration I have found. It is suitable for all levels including complete beginners like myself. Although some artistic talent is certainly an asset, closely following the instructions here will come as close as possible to teaching virtually anyone to paint. From drawing to painting, it offers everything you need to create your own beautiful botanical artwork.

The book starts out by helping you choose a subject with practical advice on fruits, vegetables, flowers, mushrooms, bulbs, roots, trees, ferns, vines and more. Then, creating a space to work in and selecting materials from brushes to paper is covered. I love the many excellent tips on mixing colors.

The next section focuses on the many aspects of drawing including setting up a still life, planning the picture and transferring your drawing to watercolor paper. There are detailed step-by-step instructions for drawing a huge variety of botanical subjects including orchids, tulips and foxgloves. I really liked how the author discusses the various shapes of flowers such as round, teacup and tubular and then shows you how to block them out.

The final section covers the painting process. Along with numerous step-by-step demonstrations on painting botanicals there are hints on correcting mistakes, protecting your paper and tips on painting white flowers. Creating the initial washes, adding shadows, shading, layering and highlighting are included as well. To finish your artwork the author gives advice on matting, framing, exhibiting and selling your artwork.

The finished illustrations throughout the book are so beautiful. Each one has information on the kind of paper they are painted on, size and title. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Not bad just not great
Text content is very good and the reader can learn a lot from it, but the pictures are not much help. There are much better books with great examples.

Ways with Watercolor
Art students and hobbyists alike will find the patient and talented teacher they may never have had in Mr. Kautzky as he leads you step by step in a disciplned yet enjoyable course in this expressive medium. This book is also generous in illustrations by the author that will remind the reader of the beauty of the world.

Ways with watercolors is a classic
Ted's watercolor book has helped artists and some of todays biggest names have learned from him. It's great that this classic is reprinted so more artists can learn from this classic.

Ways with WatercolorTed Kautsky
I was very disappointed in the content. There were not enough color plates and transparency in the color was lacking. Many of the instructions were used with black and white sketches and plates. Many of Kautskys subjects and scenes appeared to me to be "pre watercolor career" pencil sketches which I recognized.

Dark somber and sparse in my opinion.

Kautzky's Ways with Watercolor
I found the prints excesively dark, specially the black and white ones and the color plates didn't offer enough variations of tones.Overall his paintings looked quite uniform. ... Read more

Product Description
Intended for beginners, this book offers suggestions on equipment and techniques for creating different textures, and gives tips on how to actually see what is being painted. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Basic Watercolor Techniques
Very good instruction for technique, explanation of how various colors work, and paper qualities.I am taking a class at the local college and the book goes along with what I have learned in class.Very informative.

Assumes prior knowledge
The book is comprehensive indeed, but as a BASIC course, the book seems to assume some level of previous art experience. I had questions about brush care and other small details which were not covered.

Easy-to-read
This book is very beginnerish, but is good as a reference for the more experienced artist. It covers a little bit of everything for you and is inspiring. I am glad I own this book. In fact, the spine on it is almostworn out from using it so much.

practical and informative
Inclused useful information about basic materials and techniques. Excellent chapter on mixing colors. Good information about design, value, and saving whites. Chapters on landscapes, plants and flowers, water , thefigure and portraits. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

what a dissapiontment
when i ordered this book i was hoping for a book that would help me put the beauty of traditional celtic art into my fantasy paintings. boy was i dissapionted. there was barely any true celtic art in the book and what was there lacked the beauty inharent in true celtic art. run away from this book. don't make my mistake and buy the thing.

Very Nifty
This book has a lot of very nice pictures in it that show amazing design elements.I disliked how often the author sidetracked into symbology and history, but the parts actually about watercolor were well done.Great book for referencing style. ... Read more

Product Description
This work follows the story of watercolour from its origins in 16th-century Italy and Germany through developments in Holland, France and Switzerland in the 18th century and on to the special contribution made by the British School in the work of J.R. Cozens, Girtin, Cotman and Turner. It concludes with the effects of Romanticism and Impressionism and a discussion of watercolour in the 20th century. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you've taken art classes or never held a brush before, Watercolor Color will show you everything you need to know about painting beautifully in this challenging -- but rewarding -- medium. Easy-to-follow projects, shown as they were created, teach the essentials while inspiring the student to tackle increasingly complex techniques.Each volume of the DK Art School series focuses on a specific medium and subject, so you can choose precisely what you want to learn. When complete, the DK Art School will offer the widest choice of specific subjects -- from acrylic figure to oil portrait, and from pastel still life to watercolor landscape. Build your own private Art School in your home library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Watercolor COLOR
I found this book to be very informative. As an artist, I have taken several watercolor classes.What I liked about this book was the actual work on color.This might sound strange to some but learning to watercolor doesn't always mean learning technique, brush strokes, design and composition but also effectively using and mixing color.This book is a good way to get more information on color mixing actually practice the concepts and play with color so that when you are ready to paint you can proceed with more confidence. You can purchase many tubes of different colors of paint but truly learning to mix your own colors allows for more flexibility, depth and enhancement of your watercolor paintings. ... Read more

Product Description
American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910) created some of the most breathtaking and influential watercolours in the history of the medium. This handsome volume provides a comprehensive look at Homer's technical and artistic practice as a watercolourist, and at the experiences that shaped his remarkable development. Focusing on 25 rarely seen watercolours from the Art Institute's collection, along with 75 other related watercolours, gouaches, drawings, and paintings - including many of the artist's characteristic subjects - this book proposes a new understanding of Homer's techniques as they evolved over his career.Accessibly written essays consider each of the featured works in detail, examining the relationship between monochrome drawing and watercolour and the artist's lifelong interest in new optical and colour theories. In particular, they show how his sojourn in England, where he encountered leading British marine watercolourists and the dynamic avant-garde art scene, precipitated an abrupt change in technique and subject matter upon his return home.Conservators address the fragility of these watercolours, which are prone to fading due to light exposure, and demonstrate, through pioneering research on Homer's pigments and computer-assisted imaging, how the works have changed over time. Several of Homer's greatest watercolours are digitally 'restored', providing an exhilarating glimpse of the original impact of Homer's groundbreaking colour experiments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great for all Watercolor fans and artists
I absolutely LOVE this book.My watercolor teacher assigned this book as our text for class.I have never seen a book like this ever.They took a microscopic look at Homer's paintings to determine how he did what he did and have done a wonderful job of describing the techniques.While beginning watercolor students would probably need to supplement this text with a more step-by-step book (I favor anything by Michael Crespo) I would rate this book as indespensible for anyone who loves watercolor... and not just the artist, but the viewer as well.Truly, this book is a masterpiece in itself.It's worth every penny they are asking.

buy it
I agree with all the good things said about this wonderful book! It is very well printed and the illustrations are beautiful! It is indeed very interesting to read.Only one thing about the graphic design: the coloured titles are the most ugly thing I have ever seen in an artbook, it makes it all so cheap looking. Bad taste!

A beautiful book
Watercolours by Winslow Homer: Color of light(Art Institute of Chicago)When I placed my order I had not had the possibility to see the book in advance, so I didn't know what it would be like.First of all I expected to get a book with good colour illustrations about W. Homer's watercolours and of course with some information about the artist, his life and paintings. I was very surprised because not only does the book have good colour illustrations, but also very detailed information about the techniques, types of paper, pigments that W. Homer used in his watercolours and in the different periods of his life. A beautriful book for people who do or simply love watercolours.
Beatrice Vaccari

Simply the Best
As a painter and an art educator, I have an abundance of books on paintings, painters and technique.This book beautifully combines all three and somehow transcends every other book on Winslow Homer or professional watercolor technique that I've experienced.Of course, it isn't a primer on watercolor; it is a scholarly, yet very accessible, treatise on the watermedia artwork of one of my two favorite American painters (Sargent being the other).
Besides, the book is gorgeous.The plates are excellent, readily conjuring up both the ruggedness and the lyricism of Homer's technique, as well as the abstraction in the realism, and the metaphor threaded throughout his work.

ATerrific Achievement
This is the most interesting, informative and insightful book I've ever read about Homer's artwork and his intense struggle to master color. ... Read more

Product Description

Create beautiful watercolors in just 30 minutes!

Customer Reviews (2)

30 minute flower water colors
This book had some beautiful pictures but not enough demonstrations
that lead to the final result

30 minute art watercolors/fiona peart
I find this little book very helpful and inspiring for someone that has a limited amount of time to devote to painting.The demonstrations and exercies are easy to understand.Knowing that you can spend just 30 minutes at a time to paint a picture motivates me to paint more.The tips and projects are very useful and I find myself using this book often. T. Hayward ... Read more

Product Description
Texture makes the difference between run-of-the-mill landscapes, and paintings that spring to life. In Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink and Watercolor, pen and ink is used to add depth, impact and textural contrast - the key to realism in landscape painting. With the help of reference photos and field sketches, the author shows how to create realistic and colorful paintings of landscapes ranging from expansive mountain vistas to more intimate vignettes. Various components of landscape paintings are simplified for the reader and brought together throughout each chapter into full-page finished landscapes, giving readers a goal to work towards. The tools demonstrated are simple and fun to use plus pen and ink is used to enhance the more highly textured areas of the paintings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

pen and ink landscape
i found too much emphasis on pen and ink.i am interested in combining pen and ink and watercolor but more of watercolor.the other book i purchased i felt was more informative.however, she is a great artist and anyone can get a lot of information and instruction from her books.i would recommend her to anyone.i now have three of her books and enjoy them all.

Creating Textured Landscapes With Pen, Ink & Watercolor
Claudia Nice is a very good teacher, instructor, and writer besides being an accomplished artist. She takes the time to provide detailed instructions so the learner can create something beautiful too. A very worthwhile book which leaves the reader satisfied that they are learning and growing in their artistic skills.

Book: Textured Landscapes...pen, ink, watercolor
This book arrived in excellent condition and in a timely manner.I was so pleased, I would order from this website again.

watercolor landscapes
Beautiful and inspiring book that is packed with easy to follow techniques. Great suggestions for materials needed for these techniques.

Creating Textured Landscapes With Pen, Ink & Watercolor
Any book by Claudia Nice is well worth purchasing.If you are a person who wants to self teach your self for whatever the reason Claudia Nice books are books that anyone can use to accomplish this goal.The directions and examples are easy to follow.It just takes practice.I have four of her books and these books have been helpful to me in accomplishing what I set out to do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

My all time favorite watercolor instruction books
This is the best watercolor instruction book that I have and I have a lot. It gives samples from different artists in the class and takes you through all the class work you need to do to become a good watercolor artist.

Watercolour Class.Michael Crespo
An excellent book for a watercolour 'student'.Lots of very useful exercises, well organised.Recommended by my art teacher as a book which covers all areas, and it certainly does.Examples are mostly of Michael's students work so they are appropriate for the learner to study.

Student of author shares review
I have taken classes with Michael Crespo while he was Dean of the Fine Art School at Louisiana State University. He is an excellent instructor and professional artist. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in watercolors. Since my education with Michael at LSU, I have become an art director working in Europe for magazines and newspapers. I used what he taught me in his classes to accomplish many of my illustrations for professional publications. Many of his art students published in this book have gone on to professional art careers all over the world, such as Regina Tuzzolino, who worked as a professor in New Zealand while her spouse was working on graphics for the Lord of the Rings film. Michael encourages his students and inspires them to continue his spirit of teaching artists. I highly encourage you to pick up this book and learn from the lessons provided. They are lots of fun and great for working quickly in the professional world as well as at home.

Buy the Water color School instead
The title of this book is misleading it says its equal to 1 year of water color lessons. The book is divided in "days" of lessons but all that it does is explain water color techniques wich take about half a page then proceeds to show you examples of his students and explains each and every one of them in incredibly boring and painful detail. I already read about half of the bookand find it lacking as a learning guide. This book is only good as a compendium of Watercolor techniques and methods, if you skip all worthless reviews wich are about 3/4 parts of this book that is...

A great idea, but not executed very well...
The book is based on art courses the author taught. Unfortunately, I don't think the author is a very good painter, so it is hard to take the lessons very seriously.

The book has some worth, teaching you how to see shape, then shades, composition, and then executing paintings. It builds one lesson on another. But the bottom line is the paintings aren't anywhere near as good as Jan Kunz, or other well-known artists. So it is hard to take the author's advice.

I am sorry I bought the book, and will probably sell it to someone else. But if you like the author's paintings, you will enjoy this book.

What would I reccomend instead?'Watercolor School' by Hazel Harrison, or "Painting Beautiful Watercolor from Photographs" by Jan Kunz. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Limited
This is a pleasantly produced, basic introduction, limited in scope and also, I would say, in its capacity to inspire new artists.Some people may find it quite adequate for their needs, but if you have any sense that you might wish to explore the medium further, and get more ambitious with your results, you will probably do what I did and go on to buy more comprehensive books.Even for a short book, I felt that this one is not particularly competitive.I'm not saying that pages and pages ought to be devoted to values and color theory, but more can be shown with relatively few words and diagrams than is shown here -- and I know this because other books on the subject of colored pencils pull it off.Also, I'm not sure how much Carole Massey is really committed to, or knowledgeable about, colored pencil art:she even surprised me by saying that water-soluble pencils don't give the vivid images one can get using watercolor paints!Well, has she and her publisher looked at the competition lately?Any quick survey of books will show that pencils, whether dry or water-soluble, can give wonderfully vivid results -- it's a question of mastery, technique, and imagination.Instead of this book, I'd like to suggest Jane Strother's wide-ranging and thoughtfully produced guide, The Colored Pencil Artist's Drawing Bible:this features watercolor pencils as well as dry.My favorite dry pencil book, which is helpful despite the absence of watercolour, is Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner by Bet Borgeson.Now there's a guide you can grow with, and great value for money.

Book on Water soluble pencils
Very informative and helpful whether you are an experienced artist or new to the use of pencils.Good for anyone from beginner to expert.

How to use water soluble pencils
This is an informative, step by step book.It takes some practice to do as well as pictures, but keep at it.Still having some difficulty blending colors but I have improved. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Water in Watercolor
I love this book. The paintings are excellent. This is a great instructional book for an art teacher or someone who wants to get better at painting with watercolor paints. The book came in perfect condition.

Excellent for beginners to mid level painters.
This book is very good for beginners to mid level. The explanations are easy to understaand with lots of pictures and helpful hints. ... Read more

Product Description
Here, in one paperback, are 135 self-contained lessons from three highly successful volumes by this artist-photographer team: The Watercolorist's Guide To Painting Water, The Watercolorist's Guide To Painting Trees, and The Watercolorist's Guide To Painting Skies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Watercolor instruction
After just 2 lessons, I feel like an artist!This book gives clear instructions that result in your success.I'm loving this book.

Novice to intermediate watercolorist
This book serves as a good guide for those without extensive experience.Since painters frequently work from photographs, it gives guidance in how to approach a photo subject.The photos are also top notch, so that helps.

Excellent Reference to Painting in Watercolor
Truely an art instruction book without cutesy gimmicks and tricks but plenty of serious, usable content.
This book is loaded with reference photos of natural subjects, landscapes, skies, trees and step by step of how to paint them. There is a basic review of materials for painting in watercolor and color theory, a suggested palette, and a review of basic watercolor techniques. It is a big heavy book and the table of contents is descriptive, making images and lessons easy to find. I can't find anything wrong with this volume. There are plenty of valuable lessons, tips and resources inside which I would consider essential for anyone wanting to add to their watercolor painting skills.

Wonderful book.
This is a wonderful book on painting landscapes in watercolor.I went through this book copying each painting that appealed to me and now can paint landscapes, skies, water, trees,weather...everything that please me.I can't explain it.Magic.

The Big Book of Paihnting Nature in Watercolor
The book is informative - very helpful!! I know it will be one book I refer to often. ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring essential techniques, warm-up exercises and inspiring projects with close-up, step-by-step photography and clear, encouraging text, this book is perfect for those who have always wanted to learn to paint with watercolors but don't know where to start. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Watercolor Workshop
Excellent book.Since it was very useful the instructor recommended we use it in class. Step by step instructions on projects the author selected.i.e. followed the bunny instructions in class and it came out just like the book.

Great watercolor lessons with beautiful paintings
This is a truly outstanding book to learn watercolor painting from.All of the step-by-step paintings are beautiful and inspiring, and very clearly explained with great step-by-step illustrations.I would recommend it for anyone who wants to learn watercolors at their own pace and have a choice of what he/she will be painting in a lesson.It's a beautiful book.Two of my favorite paintings to learn are an English garden scene with a fence and a scene from a canal in Venice.The colors are all outstanding.The cost of this book is cheaper than a single art lesson, but includes many lessons.I think both the beginner to the more advanced student can learn plenty from this book, and it does not intimidate you as some other instruction art books do.It makes it fun.

A new DK book by the same author, Watercolor Workshop II is coming out April 30th, 2007.I plan to buy it as soon as it comes out based on how good Watercolor Workshop has been.Its a great book, inexpensive, and very inspiring without overwhelming the student.

Excellent Beginner Book...The Best
I have been reading a lot of basic watercolors books and this book is by far the best one I have read.It has many, many step by step illustrations for each lesson.It is NOT a book of the author's artwork which will leave a beginner frustrated and lost.I am working on lesson one easily and I am enjoying learning.Better than taking a class with a lot of other students.This is a definate HOW-TO book for beginners as well as advanced.Just perfect...

Watercolor Magic
If you dream about painting in your spare moments, perhaps overlooking a placid lake in the middle of a magical kingdom...then this book may cause to you wonder why you have not purchased that portable easel. With this book, paint and outdoor scenes you can begin to create magical worlds on canvas. If your art teacher sent you to the library during art class, the step-by-step instructions could still bring out the artist in you.

Topics include: Paint, paper, brushes, brushstrokes, color wheels, color mixing, color blends, washes, painting effects, how to build a painting, composition, sketching, focal points, outdoor painting and specific scenes like cherries in a tree.

Projects:
Ballet Shoes
Cherries
Tuscan Landscape
Geese in the Park
Peony in a Jar
Boats on a Canal
Field Gate
Street Scenes
Chair by a Window
Cliffs and a Beach
Portrait

As someone who was sent to the library, I must say this book has been helpful. I can only say I have an extreme longing to buy that easel and head for Whidbey Island. I know a beach there...with a long walking trail. Suddenly a weekend vacation is sounding like a painting escape. If you love to travel, this book could be an entryway to memories of your vacations.

I am very excited about this particular book since recently my kitchen became filled with items decorated in Cherries and I've been imagining a border around the top filled with cherry art. The designs shown in this book would be very compatible with such an idea and all the instructions make painting seem a dream. Having the book first allows for exploration and adaptation. Once you have the book, you will know what else you need to begin a new hobby.

Throughout you will find inspirational paintings, exercises, step-by-step projects and a desire to leave the house for long summer days of artistic expression. Once you learn the techniques, the possibilities are endless. If you have been looking for a book on watercolors, this is the best one I've found recently.

~The Rebecca Review
... Read more

Product Description
Demonstrates a technique developed by Burt Silverman, which utilizes unorthodox painting methods to expand the command of watercolour painting. The author gets the freshness and spontaneity desired in watercolour but has the ability to change his mind, make corrections and build up a watercolour as he might build up a painting in oil or pastel. This book uses step-by-step demonstrations of protraits and figures as well as landscapes to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique. This book is designed to be of interest to artists of all levels of ability. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Uninspiring
I am not a great lover of "how to do it" art books, in fact I usually avoid them like the plague; however while search for something else I stumbled across this one and the reviews for the book did tempt me. In fact it does contain some interesting ideas which do go against accepted wisdom, and I will certainly consider adopting some of them.
Yet overall I am not impressed by the book. While it does go into considerable detail on some aspects; namely the type of stock used and how to correct errors, this does become rather overstated, while other aspects are seemingly neglected, or mentioned only in passing. For example very little is said about the consistency of the paint employed. What practical information is imparted could be covered in just a few pages, yet one has to read through a lot of irrelevant and rather repetitive background information to find it. I am disappointed too with the quality of the reproduction of both the colour and black and white illustrations. The printing process fails to convey the luminosity of the paint medium, resulting in very dull and flat images, and as a result they are uninspiring. I would have expected better of a book published not really so long ago.

How to Develop a Watercolor Painting Without Fear of Canging It
This is one of the few books on watercolor technique that takes the reader along for a ride within the artist's mind as he paints. We share Silverman's thoughts, even his anguish at times, as he develops a painting. His technique, coupled with his honesty, takes a lot of the fear out of painting with this medium. So many instructional books make us awed with the author's paintings, but leave us with the sense that we could never hope to achieve such perfection. This book is different. We understand what the artist is going through as he paints, and he tells us not only how he makes changes, but why. This is a wonderful watercolor book that I would recommend to anyone seriously interested in watercolor.

Nice instruction from modern master
Rated 4 stars because some of it is in black and white, but this out-of-print book is excellent otherwise. It's clear, very interesting, and a great insight into Burt's methods for this little known technique. I personally have studied with Burt and have done this technique for 17 years, and I now have a blog that has clear picture demonstrations of how to do it! I cover some of the little known aspects that Burt does not cover in either his videos or his books.

Amazon won't let me post my website in this review, so click on my name above, then click on my website, go to my Art Blog, and see the three blogs on Watercolor On Plate Bristol. I even offer free help, with answers to questions, and if you send me a jpeg I can make suggestions...

The finest watercolor book ever
i was struggling with the medium of watercolor for the longest time, and had little or no direction on how to improve my technique.then one day my art teacher suggested i peruse this book, and wow, my perceptions ofwatercolor changed instantly.this is the best book on watercoloravailable.if you are interested at all in the full potential of themedium, you must take a look at this book- you will forever be changed. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
TV-Artist, Gary Spetz, walks the reader through his easy to follow, step-by-step process of painting with watercolors. While this book is based on the "100-Series" of his popular Public Television program--Gary Spetz's Painting Wild Places! with Watercolors--it is designed as a "stand alone" book (not requiring the reader to have viewed the lessons on TV).Spetz's unique style of watercolor painting is appropriate to all levels of painters: from novices to more seasoned painters.The book covers 6 watercolor paintings, from start to finish: Lake McDonald, Bali Hai, Trail Ridge Overlook, Winter's Light, Cabbage Key, and Split Rock Lighthouse.Gary Spetz is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society. His PBS television series in viewed in over 170 US cities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book
If you've ever watched Gary Spetz on his T.V. show, then this book will go along great with it. Nice step by step instructions. This is a good book for beginners as well as seasoned artists. His instructions are clear and easy to understand. Many helpful hints and tips, too. ... Read more