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BASIC WATERCOLOR
TECHNIQUES Plenty of examples and step-by-steps. |
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BASIC
WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES Edited by Rachel Wolf This book includes tips on painting people and portraits by Barbara G. Cain, Roberta Carter Clark, J. Everett Draper, Cathy Johnson, Carole Katchen, Jan Kunz, Tony van Hassalt, Bill Vrscak, Judi Wagner, Arne Westerman and Stephen Scott Young. Covers how to paint skin, different types of hair, babies and children, adults in groups, hands and feet, body proportions and more. |
| THE CONTENT OF WATERCOLOR Edward Reep Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1983. A good background on watercolor historically, with an emphasis on thinking and philosophy rather than technique. |
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THE CREATIVE ARTIST Nita Leland North Light Books, 1990. Exercises designed to help you tap into your own creativity. Chapters on the nature of creativity, drawing, design, realism, abstraction and experimentation with different mediums. Lots of colored pictures. |
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Painting Watercolors |
Watercolor for All: |
The two books at the left are targeted at beginning watercolor painters. They will cover color mixing, design, painting techniques, materials and supplies and cover how to paint various subjects like landscapes, people, animals, etc. |
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PAINT WITH
THE WATERCOLOR MASTERS: A Step-by-Step Guide to Materials and Techniques
for Today's Artists Jonathan Stephenson I have purchased this book. If you are interested in the history of watercolor as well as learning how famous artists have used this exciting medium historically, then this book is for you. The step-by-step exercises show you how to create your own "masterpiece" in the style of a famous artist using up-to-date materials where appropriate. |
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WATERCOLOR BOLD AND
FREE Lawrence C. Goldsmith Watson-Guptill, 1980. Emphasis on the fluid quality of watercolor and exploration of the spontaneous and accidental. Most examples are abstract or non-objective. Exercises to try in concept (ideas), composition and technique. |
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PAINTING
THE SPIRIT OF NATURE Maxine Masterfield Watson-Guptill, 1996. Emphasis is on spontaneous, non-traditional techniques, such as pouring, texturing, collage, monoprinting, combining mediums, etc. Examples are mostly abstract to non-objective. Exercises to do. Lots of colored photos. An updated version of her original 1984 book. |
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This is the updated version of an old favorite of mine. If you feel you "can't draw", but want to learn, this is the book for you. Work through the exercises, as often as you want to, and every time you do, you will be opening your eyes, and refining your skills at really SEEING. I believe anyone can learn to draw. This book can help you along. |
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COLOR AND LIGHT FOR THE WATERCOLOR
PAINTER: How to Get the Effects you Want Every Time Christopher Schink This is Schink's newest book. I haven't seen it, but if Schink does his usual thing, it will be well written, amply illustrated and very useful. |
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THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO CREATIVE WATERCOLOR The personal philosophy of the artist shines
through in his book. The emphasis is on creative thinking with plenty
of exercises to help that process along. Not a "how to do it"
book (although some techniques are shown), it's more of a "how
to think it" book. If you are searching for new ways to look
at the world and/or develop a personal style, this book can help you! |
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THE WATERCOLORS OF JOHN
SINGER SARGENT Looking at master watercolor artists' work can inspire you to grow in your own work. Sargent is particularly skillfull with the impressionistic brushwork that characterizes his paintings. |
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THE WATERCOLORIST'S COMPLETE
GUIDE TO COLOR Tom Hill Tom's updated book on color. This artist is noted for his clear, clean color. Although I haven't seen this book, I'm guessing it will have the same thorough explanations that his out of print book had. What I'm hoping is that it also has more color photos and illustrations, something I feel a book on color really has to have, and something the first book was lacking. |
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Here are two more books on color use and design that you might want to add to your library, Jeanne Dobie's Making Color Sing and Zoltan Szabo's Color-by-Color Guide to Watercolor. Both have received rave reviews on Amazon.com's site. |
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THE WILCOX GUIDE TO THE
BEST WATERCOLOR PAINTS
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A lot has happened since Michael Wilcox's book on artist pigments came out in 1991 and he recently updated this title to reflect some of those changes. However, I prefer Hilary Page's book to the new Wilcox book. Hilary's book has updated information on lightfastness, handling, etc. for various pigments. Books like this help artists who want to know more about the watercolor paints they are using and make informed choices about which colors to have on their palette. The best source for pigment information for watercolor painters isn't in a book - it's on Bruce MacEvoy's website, Handprint.com |
GUIDE TO WATERCOLOR PAINTS
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ABSTRACTION IN ART AND NATURE Nathan Cabot Hale This book was reprinted in 1993. It's a definitive work on the relationship of design elements and principles to nature, with profuse illustrations and exercises to sharpen your perceptual and analytical skills. |
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WINSLOW HOMER WATERCOLORS Another American master of watercolor painting, this book chronicles Homer's work in watercolor over his lifetime. It belongs in everyone's library who loves watercolor. Take a close look at "The Turtle Pound" to see how economical he was in the brushwork he used to structure the faces. |
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MASTER CLASS IN WATERMEDIA Edward Betts Watson-Guptill Publications, 1993. This is a marvelous book if you like to experiment with different mediums, or if you feel like you need a push in a new direction and don't know how to get started. Edward Betts is a renowned artist and teacher. This book covers the importance of drawing as a basis for exploring/structuring ideas for paintings, sources for ideas (photography, media, memory, reading, etc.), various ways to apply paint to paper, how to abstract from nature, how to start with no preconceived idea and develop a painting, plus good advice on how to assess your work and your progress as an artist. |
| Everything
You Ever Wanted to Know About Watercolor Marian E. Appellaf (Editor) Featuring work in a wide variety of styles by a number of different artists, this book will give you a taste of the versatility of the medium, and help you try out various approches to painting with watercolor. Recommended for the "experimenter" or the beginner who wants to "explore" before settling in on a particular style. |
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PRINCIPLES OF
PATTERN DESIGN Richard M. Proctor Dover Publications, updated and reprinted in 1990. A great book if you are a lover of pattern, as I am. Explanations of how patterns work, and how to create your own from basic shapes. |
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EXPLORING
COLOR by Nita Leland North Light Publishers, 1998. This book has been updated from the original 1988 version. A good book on color theory, color science, pigment characteristics and the exploration of various palettes for specific atmospheric effects. |
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PAINTING SUNLIT STILL LIFES
IN WATERCOLOR Liz Donovan Northlight Books, 1997. If you love to paint still lifes, especially delicate laces, polished silver, starched linens and flowers, then this book will be of special interest. Liz Donovan shares her techniques for rendering these objects and more in her book. |
