Amazon.com
Award-winning artist Charles Reid wants his students to concentrate on three basic themes in his book Painting Flowers in Watercolor: "Keep it small. Keep it simple. Avoid overwashes." Economy is stressed throughout, as when Reid writes, "The fewer the strokes and the smaller the amount of color mixing, the fresher the painting." He explains how to get started with brushes, mixing paint, and the basics of composition and contour drawing, and provides exercises in these fundamentals. Reid then guides the watercolorist in painting fruit, vegetables, leaves, and flowers. He offers mini-demonstrations here, such as how to paint a bunch of carrots, an avocado, or slender leaf forms, and finishes with advanced, step-by-step demonstrations in composing still lifes with flowers. Experienced and beginning watercolorists will appreciate the wisdom in Reid's philosophy of "less is better." Somehow he manages to invest a bowl of yellow tulips and mixed flowers with a splashy, vibrant expressionism while expertly exploiting the blurry and translucent delicacy of the medium itself. --Mary Ribesky
Customer Reviews:
Patricia O.......2006-07-02
Looks great, haven't had time to read, but is similar to one he wrote (currently out of print) loaned to me by my art teacher.
Watercolour at its Best.......2005-07-20
I first met Charles Reid and his wife Judy in 1988 and it was the beginning of an endless learning process ever since. I have learnt so much about watercolour from his books over the years since then. Charles' books are amazing in that he holds nothing back and just discloses all his knowledge in a wonderful style that is easy to learn from. Invariably there are step by step demonstrations to illustrate his methods. Even if the reader doesn't particularly like his style but would rather paint in a more classic sense with lots of glazes and so forth you will still learn so much about how the colours interact with water and on the paper. Charles' workshops are a great delight and if you are fortunate to attend one you will find that he is a friendly man of great warmth and charm which is reflected in his books.
Fun and Skill-Improvement Are Possible!.......2001-12-25
I discovered Charles Reid at my local library and was smitten with his loose, colorful, gorgeous pictures. This book is a clear, helpful guide to making juicy watercolors of still lifes that sing with color. He has practical tips on brushwork, contour drawing and composition that are easy to follow and clearly explained. He also has step-by-step instructions for several of his pictures that show you how he goes about making his own pictures (often from everyday objects and flowers on his kitchen counter). I'm fairly new to watercolors and I found this book invaluable to improving my pictures and getting me to loosen up and feel creative and find beauty in simple objects.
Indispensable to the serious watercolorist.......2001-06-27
I wish I had had this book years ago. It contains exercises to enable the reader/student to experience and learn direct painting techniques that bring freshness, spontaneity, bright vivid color and realism to one's paintings--inspite of an "untidy" style. If you're serious about watercolor, Reid can take you where you really should go. Reid embodies the principles of the best of watercolor and painting teaching of the past (particularly Hawthorne, Henri, Manet). He puts it all together into what I call a meditative painting style (stroke on color and pause to consider, then soften, add other color wet-in-wet, and so on. Doing the exercises in this book can revolutionize your painting and will, at the very least, bring immediate and important improvements to your technique and approach to watercolor. If you like Reid's paintings--flower, figures, portraits, etc., do yourself a favor--get the book and the two corresponding videos.
Great book to help you "loosen up" in your painting style!.......2001-06-07
I have just purchased this book, as well as 2 instructional videos by Charles Reid. I would highly recommend the set to anyone who needs to "loosen up" his or her painting style. He shows you how to get the color right with a minimal amount of strokes, and how to keep from overworking a painting. He is an excellent instructor and author. You won't be disappointed!
Book Description
This book is perfect for beginning watercolorists and artists in other mediums interested in trying something new-particularly decorative painters. It assumes they have absolutely no prior knowledge of watercolor and proceeds from there. The basic questions all beginners ask will be explained and illustrated in simple, step-by-step, fail-proof presentations-questions like: "How wet should my paper be?" "What brush should I use?" "How full of paint should my brush be?" "At what point do I stop and what should my painting look like?"
Claudia illustrates not only the terms and techniques associated with watercolor painting, but also shows many examples of common problems beginners have, whey things can go wrong, and how to fix them. She also includes step-by-step exercises to help readers learn and practice each new watercolor technique. Most of all, this book makes learning about watercolor fun by eliminating frustration and giving beginners a solid foundation on which they can build.
Claudia Nice is a multi-media artist, but prefers pen, ink and watercolor when working in the field. She has been an art consultant and instructor, has authored fifteen art instruction book and travels across North America conducting workshops, seminars and demonstrations at schools, clubs, shops and trade shows. She has recently opened her own teaching studio near Mt. Hood, Oregon.
Customer Reviews:
Watercolor made simple....almost.......2006-01-30
Great book, but not simple enough for a total beginner like myself.
A good reference book for all levels.......2005-12-05
This a very good book. It covers many aspects of painting in watercolor, including some difficult-to-find tips like mixing convincing shadow colors, working with color triads (3 colors) to create mood, and a list of common colors that are transparent, opaque, staining, or granulating.
There are troubleshooting tips to help the beginner who wants to achieve certain effects but cannot figure out what went wrong.
The book has only 127 pages, but it is fiiled with useful information about techniques like washes, glazing, layering, masking and spatter. There is also some information about the use of unconventional aids like stamping, sponging, alcohol and plastic wrap. Every page is filled with Ms. Nice's realistic yet magical artwork.
Where to use transparent or opaque watercolor, and how to test pigments for transparency would have been some welcome additional information.
Overall, it is a good book to own, especially for the beginner to intermediate levels.
Average customer rating:
- Nice, but material is duplicated in another of her books
- Yuk!
- Another Excellent Book by Ms. Nice
|
Painting Nature in Pen & Ink With Watercolor
Claudia Nice
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Watercolor Painting
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Drawing
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Pen & Ink
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Specific Objects
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Watercolor
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0891348131 |
Book Description
Anyone willing to learn can celebrate the wonder of nature with Claudia Nice's techniques for combining pen and ink with watercolor. Offering clear, step-by-step instruction for painting a range of subjects, she focuses on the little details first, from soil and leaves to wildflowers and birds. As artists are guided piece-by-piece through the wonders of different panoramic settings, they will learn to combine these elements into full-scale projects--quiet forest scenes, coral reefs teeming with color, prairies, deserts, ponds and mountains--all alive with the beauty and joy of nature.
Customer Reviews:
Nice, but material is duplicated in another of her books.......2004-06-07
This is an excellent book... IF you don't already own "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" by Claudia Nice. The material in this book is entirely duplicated in the "Painting with...". Please do not buy this book if you already own a copy of "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink". I did and was thoroughly disappointed that there was no new material in the "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor".
Now, if you own the other book "Creating Textures with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" then I highly recommend this book as it has subject matter that was not covered in the "Creating Textures..." book.
If you don't own any of her books, then buy the "Painting with Watercolor Pen and Ink" ISBN 158180265X because it completely combines the material in both "Creating Textures..." and "Painting Nature..." books.
Yuk!.......2003-01-01
I really don't see why anyone would buy this. I'm a real art fanatic, and I love Ms. Nice very much. Her past books fill one's pleasure and contentment. I recommend Creating Textures in Pen and Ink with Watercolor (by her) rather than this.
Another Excellent Book by Ms. Nice.......2000-04-23
I bought this book based on the strength of Ms. Nice's previous book Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor. I was equally pleased and delighted with this one as much as with her previous work.
It first starts out with some very basic pen & ink strokes and techniques along with some watercolor texturing techniques (such as using crumpled plastic wrap which gives a surprisingly snow crystal-like texture).
The next chapters move quickly on to using these techniques as applied to creating wildlife paintings and/or scenic landscapes. For example, in one chapter she starts out showing step by step details of a bird wildlife painting. One of the interesting things is that the bird pen & ink was done in sepia ink rather than the more typical black. The next page showed a step by step of the ferns in the painting along with moss and wood. The last page in the chapter showed all of these things pulled together into the final painting. Each painting gets the same "how-to" treatment. The result is that someone could easily duplicate each of the paintings in the book.
There are also a wealth of mini-demonstrations such as leaves, frogs, birds, seashells, fish, starfish, flowers, grass, trees, etc. All of them most likely pulled from actual full paintings she has done but probably not included due to space and page-length considerations. Each one of the mini-pictures provides another step by step build-up so you can practice first without neccessarily committing to a big project. In short, it just looks like fun.
One interesting side note: comic book artists have long used this technique of watercolor with pen & ink. I am a big fan of comics - DC's Vertigo line and some Image comics in particular feature breathtaking illustrations with pen & ink and watercolor. Any fine artist should do him/herself a favor and see how beautiful and "grown-up" some of these comics have really become. They routinely feature beautiful art for its own sake and the stories are geared toward an adult market.
What is really refreshing is that Ms. Nice finally shows how beautiful these techniques are when applied to the realm of nature art. I don't really see how anyone could be disappointed with this book. You're bound to learn something new to try with your own paintings. I certainly did. :)
Book Description
Anyone can learn these simple and fun methods for producing outstanding watercolor landscapes and flowers. One of the reasons that Roland's first book has been so popular (Fill Your Watercolors with Light & Color--over 65,000 copies sold) is that his techniques make watercolor fun and successful for a great number of otherwise frustrated artists.
Roland has a gift for simplifying the process of painting into a few readily understood steps. In this book, he expands the teaching of his pouring technique and goes into the underlying structure of a painting. He presents a unique way of teaching composition that will delight the reader. He then presents his three-step process of painting a landscape--masking to preserve the lights, pouring on the atmosphere and spattering the textures. Next, he shows two great techniques for painting flowers, a subject that does not appear in his first book. Also included is a chapter of fun experimental techniques that readers are sure to enjoy and another chapter that answers some frequently asked questions.
* Enables any artist to produce landscapes and flowers, two of the most popular painting subjects
* This author has a proven sales track record
Customer Reviews:
Fill Your Watercolor With Natures Light.......2007-05-25
Helpful well put together book, which encouraged trying new techniques
Great Service.......2006-08-10
It was a surprise when the book was delivered in a couple days, I had expected a week. It is in superb condition. Impressive seller and delivery.
Nice loose painting.......2003-08-19
This is a nice book for soft landscapes. However, I don't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. Check out the authors style first, and if you really like it...then the book is for you. I use some techniques, but the subject matter is a little soft for me. I didn't stay interested enought to use the lessons, but I did read it through and apply concepts to some of my own work.
These techniques are nothing short of fantastic!.......2001-12-24
I love these books by Roycraft. If you love painting landscape or natural subjects, you cannot go wrong reading this book. Roycraft's techniques look simple (a lot of splashing going on) but they are controlled and well thought out. If you love floral painting you should not miss his examples here of a peony and an iris. JUST Breathtaking. I picked up so many ideas from this book.
Not only are Roycraft's paintings beautiful to see, he knows how to communicate his techniques incredibly well. I'm glad I found this watercolor artist's books.
A power tool for watercolorists.......2001-08-09
Having read "enough" art technique books, I have learned that until one gets "down and dirty" trying out what is discussed in the book, then one does not actually spend the money wisely (on the book).
The same for this book. Beautiful artwork by the author. Did I say beautiful? No, BREATHTAKING, rather. However, to be able to generate beautiful artworks, the readers will need the following:
- An ability to SEE (light, dark, positive and negative space)
- Follow instructions from the book (which is PROBABLY the easy part, since it is rather well-written)
- A decent craftsmanship to finesse the final painting after the "mask and pour paints" phase of the process.
Briefly, I would think this is a power tool for watercolorists. How great the final products turn out to be will depend on the aforementioned factors.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Average customer rating:
- TERIFFIC LEARNING TOOL FOR WATER COLOR LOVERS OF ALL LEVELS
- A New Way to Water Color
|
Watercolor: Go With the Flow
Guy Lipscomb
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Watercolor Painting
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Watercolor
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0823031896 |
Customer Reviews:
TERIFFIC LEARNING TOOL FOR WATER COLOR LOVERS OF ALL LEVELS.......2003-10-04
Guy Lipscomb has an absolutely marvelous talent for "painting" with words his techniques for putting water colors onto paper. This is a talent that many artist/teacher authors seem not to share. Most art teaching books I've read contain gorgeous artwork, but the descriptive text that comes along with nearly always leaves me lost and struggling somewhere along the way, wondering whether I've missed something in the translation. Mr. Lipscomb, on the other hand, gives such clear and concise instruction that I really believe even the newest beginner can follow along. I'm VERY impressed with this book; from the general information at the beginning, to his glorious descriptions of his "Go With the Flow" technique later on. There is valuable information to be learned in this book for watercolorists of all levels.
I'm truly in love with this book, and I hope he has another book, or two or three, in the works somewhere. I'm waiting...
A New Way to Water Color.......2001-01-03
Watercolor is perhaps one of the most beautiful and graceful medians an artist works with. The image of water and colors swirling around a page is like the grace of a ballerina. This book took that dance one step further. By using the open-flow method which is taught in this book you allow yourself to be opened up to a new music to waltz by. The open-flow method immediatly gives you a beautiful back ground that is warm and inviting without being overbearing. The painting seems to have a soul to it before the painting has even been started. The book is easy to follow, and helpful hints are given throughout for techniques and an easier way to do things. This is a book for the beginner to learn and be inspired or the experienced to learn new techniques. I recommend that every aspiring artist read this book and practice its techniques.
Book Description
Siriol Sherlock’s techniques for capturing flowers and plants are beautifully simple—yet they yield remarkable results that earned her the 2005 Artists Choice Award. More than 150 stunning fine-art illustrations of both finished works and key stages of the painting appear throughout this exquisite guide, illuminating the instructions. All the various materials are covered, along with traditional and experimental techniques for painting wet-on-wet, capturing color and form, and adding finishing touches. Examine the details that go into depicting foliage and fruit, flowers in context, single stems, multistem arrangements, and even leaves and branches. The flowers bursting forth in beauty on the page range from tropical blossoms to a brilliant poppy.
Customer Reviews:
Don't be deceived.......2007-05-11
This is a great book but it is the paperback version of ISBN 071348862X. The picture on the cover is different, but otherwise it is the same book.
I read a review which indicated this was a new book by Siriol Sherlock and was very disappointed.
A great reference for artists........2006-03-09
Very precise, beautiful colorations. A great addition to my artist's reference library.
Excellent introduction to the subject.......2005-12-17
This is a first class book. There are clear illustrations on various aspects of the art and several projects that can be followed. I would recommend this book to a non-beginner as I am sure that if you had no experience the techniques she uses would be a little daunting.
Book Description
Roland Roycraft's watercolor paintings are highly regarded for their sparkling, atmospheric qualities. Artists can bring this glowing quality to their own work by experimenting with the masking and paint pouring techniques that make his art unique. They'll see first-hand how to capture the glinting light of snow, the glow of a sunset or the sparkle of sunlight on water.
Roycraft's pouring technique is perfect for capturing subtle color variations found in foliage, skies or water. And because pouring causes the color to tint rather than cover the paper, the colors remain brilliant--even when as ten to fifteen layers have been applied. Watercolor artists will be delighted with how his masking techniques allow for an even greater freedom in their paintings.
* More than 65,000 copies of the hardcover edition sold
Customer Reviews:
Light up your paintings big time.......2001-12-24
Wow! Where was THIS watercolor book hiding? The techniques Roland Roycraft shares here are seemingly easy; splashing or flowing paint onto paper, masking and more. He also gives some very good hints for composition with clear details. Also value sketches (black and white, showing the density of darks and lights. This is a valuable technique for painters.)
I may not choose to imitate Roycraft's style, but I sure will be incorporating these techniques into my next paintings. If you want to improve your watercolor, I can't recommend this book and his other book on nature enough. They are just great.
Great Atmospheric Paintings.......1998-10-27
This is a good book for seeing what effective use of masking can do for a painting. Mr. Roycraft's use of masking is an integral (if not THE prime) technique for creating the numerous paintings demonstrated in this book. The other technique he uses is pouring the watercolors onto the surface rather than painting most of it with a brush.
This is not a painting method for anyone not willing or able to know precisely all the places to mask. The sparkling waves of an ocean in one of his paintings must have taken quite some time to mask and most likely needed a detailed pencil sketch beforehand. While the pouring is imprecise the masking is not.
The book has 1 chapter that gives a step-by-step demonstration of his pouring method. One can tell from some paintings produced that this can be a time-consuming method of producing watercolor paintings if the subject matter is intricate or detailed although the results are breathtaking.
I would like to see more demonstrations from Mr. Roycraft and perhaps more details about the masking as part of the process. Statements such as "I masked only the light areas before beginning the painting. This is negative painting in reverse and makes a beautiful abstract pattern." show the thought that guides the final results.
Most of the book shows paintings in a semi-finished state with the final result and some comments on the process and thoughts in creating it. I liked this book very much and would recommend it to any watermedia painter because it helps thinking in terms of positive and negative shapes and light. It also introduces a unique way of painting with watercolors which I suspect would work with fluid acrylics as well.
wonderful atomshere, superior technique.......1998-10-16
The book amazes me a lot. I particularly like the effect of the pouring. It seems difficult to learn, how to control the color flowing smoothly across the desired area? Is it time-consuming to prepare the masking(questions for Mr. Roland Rycraft) I would like to know some details of the procedure.
Book Description
This highly inspirational yet practical guide to flower painting provides a unique opportunity to discover the approaches and techniques used by acclaimed artist Julie Collins in her strikingly beautiful, contemporary work.
Julie guides the reader through the materials she uses as well as her color mixing and compositional techniques, giving a unique insight into the workings behind her creative process. She then explores in detail the techniques she uses to put her ideas down on paper with such success--clear explanation is accompanied throughout by step demonstrations, exercises and a stunning collection of finished artworks. She then moves on to explore advanced techniques such as painting abstracts and white flowers, as well as a rare insight into vellum work and the incredible levels of detail this can produce.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific art book.......2007-06-13
I rate this book: 5 stars
This is a great book, terrific colors, technique, and over all extremely inspirational. Leaves the wannabe artist panting for more....However, the only thing that I think Julie Collins should have added was the actual designs for her gorgeous to have been projects for the novice artist. Other than THAT, it is truly a work of art, a masterpiece.
It was a pleasure leaving my feedback for this wonderful book.
Review: Painting Flowers with Impact.......2005-10-11
I found Painting Flowers with Impact to be a stunning presentation of beautiful paintings shown against pristine white pages. This made for a very attractive book but is quite unhelpful if you are struggling with the problem of which background to choose.
It was truly inspirational with enough demonstrations to be helpful I liked her advice on materials colours and composition also good advice on painting white flowers, which I needed. I also found the section on painting leaves very helpful.
I have looked for other books by this author, hoping she is intending a further book covering more about how to paint backgrounds of flowers with impact. She included much information about painting on vellum, which seems to warrant a book all of its own: the space this discussion takes up may have been better used explaining how to paint flowers with impact against a background.
It must have taken a long time to paint all the subjects for this lovely book and I look forward to happily trying out her methods. and look forward to any other painting book she produces. I heartily recommend this book.
Painting Flowers With Impact: In Watercolor.......2005-09-23
I actually purchased this book for a friend. Our art teacher purchased it also. Very informative and well illustrated and written. I plan to purchase the book for myself soon.
Customer Reviews:
amazing..........2005-01-02
... bought this at the Getty's museum and paid full price so amazon's is a real deal. Was not crazy about Cezanne's oil, but his watercolors are beautiful and style is wonderful - i learnt a lot by reading this book. Totally changed my view on Cezanne. This is the next best thing if you missed the exhibit at the Getty's.
Book Description
This is the perfect jump start for beginners who want to tackle the watercolor medium with speed and success. It presents an easy-to-understand approach that quickly familiarizes aspiring artists with basic materials, tools and techniques for getting started.
Illustrations, exercises and complete step-by-step demos show how to achieve fast results by creating sketches with drawing media as well as watercolor. With this easy "sketching" approach, artists will learn how to plan successful paintings using thumbnail sketches, value sketches, color sketches, sideline sketches, composition adjustments and experiments.
Accessible, affordable and fun, this guide will have beginners developing their skills and on their way to creating satisfying work in no time.
Customer Reviews:
Makes Me Want to Go Sketch and Paint!.......2007-03-07
Good solid teaching methods in this book. I gained insight into the necessary thinking, tools and methods to fill my sketch books with loads of painted sketches....Takes you into the interesting world of composition of multi-viewpoints that are possible for a location, and describes the journey in entertaining ways-lots of very nice artwork examples. Recommended for the artist in everyone! No masterpieces allowed!
Books:
- Painting People: Figure Painting Today
- Painting Sharp Focus Still Lifes: Trompe L'Oeil Oil Techniques
- Painting the Impressionist Landscape: Lessons in Interpreting Light and Color
- Perspectives on Argument (5th Edition)
- Plane Image: A Brice Marden Retrospective
- Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship
- Pretty Little Things: Collage Jewelry, Trinkets, Keepsakes
- Raw Colour with Pastels
- Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Holiday Mysteries)
- Say Good Night to Insomnia: The Six-Week, Drug-Free Program Developed At Harvard Medical School
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Introduction to Autodesk Land Desktop 2005 and Civil Design 2005
- Elsewhere
- Advances in Physical Organic Chemistry, Volume 38
- Bad Land: An American Romance
- Brushwork Essentials: How to Render Expressive Form and Texture With Every Stroke
- Encyclopedia of the Solar System, Second Edition
- Children with Visual Impairments: Social Interaction, Language and Learning
- How To Draw Manga Getting Started Kit
- Approaching the Magic Hour: Memories of Walter Anderson
- Mosses of Arctic Alaska
Charles Reids Watercolor Secrets
The Natural Way to Paint: Rendering the Figure in Watercolor Simply and Beautifully
Painting What You Want to See
The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused (Simple Fast & Focused)
Creating Textures in Watercolor: A Guide to Painting 83 Textures from Grass to Glass to Tree Bark to Fur
