Watercolour TroubleShooter practical solutions to common painting problems with Don Harrison
In Watercolour Troubleshooter Don Harrison will help you to get more out of your painting by showing you how to overcome many of the common painting problems that watercolour painters often experience.
(Backcover of book – 1998 HarperColloins edition) |
Watercolour is a wonderfully expressive medium, offering painters endless opportunities for portraying their subjects in many different ways - but it is also an unpredictable medium, and learning to master it can often prove quite a challenge. Despite the wealth of advice on watercolour painting already available, the same practical problems seem to crop up over and over again, perhaps because many amateur painters do not fully understand why things go wrong in the first place.
In Watercolour Troubleshooter Don Harrison aims to provide the explanations that artists are looking for. He considers many of the more common pitfalls that amateur painters experience when painting in this popular medium and provides clear, straightforward - and sometimes innovative solutions. Using a question and answer approach, he offers practical advice on a wide range of topics, from planning your painting and choosing the right materials to portraying the various elements of the landscape successfully.
Written in an easy to follow and entertaining style, Watercolour Troubleshooter will be invaluable to beginners, in particular, but it also contains many useful tips for more experienced painters. By combining problemsolving with plenty of encouragement, Don Harrison offers painters of all standards the key to achieving their true potential and to enjoying their painting more. (Frontflap of book – 1998 HarperColloins edition)
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DON HARRISON had a long and varied career in the commercial world of art and graphics before turning his attention more recently to professional video-making. At about the same time, having worked in various painting media over the years, he also rediscovered his passion for painting in watercolour. He has combined these two interests in the production of his own series of very successful instructional painting videos, including one entitled Watercolour Troubleshooter, which complements this book.
Don Harrison regularly holds workshops, art classes and seminars, and with his down-to-earth approach and popular presentations he has become a big favourite with leisure painters at exhibitions and art society demonstrations. His first hook, Chromacolour: A Revolution in Art, is also published by HarperCollins. (Backflap of book – 1998 HarperColloins edition)
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Contents : |
Introduction
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Materials |
Paper
Brushes
Paints and palettes
Questions and answers section :
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Finding and arranging the subject |
Using reference material
Selecting the elements
Planning the composition
Questions and answers section :
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The importance of good design
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Allowing your subject to breathe
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Directing the viewers eye - the focal point
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Creating mood and depth |
Describing the scene
So what makes a good painting?
Questions and answers section :
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Choosing and mixing colours |
Warm and cool colours
A basic palette
Questions and answers section :
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Arranging colours to reflect the colour wheel
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Mixing the right hue
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Choosing colours to suit the subject
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Avoiding muddy colours on the palette
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Avoiding the problem of excess water
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Skies |
Varying the colour
Getting the mixture right
Questions and answers section :
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Neutral graduations for peaceful skies
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How to make sunsets less lurid
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Wet-in-Wet skies
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Avoiding 'dabbed out' clouds
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Clouds or heavy puddings?
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Adding more drama to sky paintings
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| Hills and mountains |
Varying the shapes
Making forms look three dimensional
Questions and answers section :
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Painting hard and soft edges to form distant peaks
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Positioning land masses to establish distance
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Using white paper for snowy mountains and hills
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Trees |
Seasonal changes
Painting tree truncks
Questions and answers section :
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Giving leafy trees more body
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Making winter trees look three dimensional
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Painting woodland tree clusters
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Blending trees into the sky for atmosphere
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Portraying light trees on dark backgrounds
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Water and reflections |
Painting the sea
Still water
Rivers and streams
Questions and answers section :
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Painting still water and reflections
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Painting a river, not a road!
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Painting moving water, rivers and waterfalls
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Painting the sea
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Painting rocks that look solid
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Painting boats that float
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| Features in the landscape |
Drawing individual features
Keeping it loose
Questions and answers section :
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Fields, foregrounds and grassy banks
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Painting hedgerows that look real
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Painting light grasses against dark undergrowth
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Better perspective
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Painting convincing buidings
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Stonework, walls and texture
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Painting bridges that look real
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Including flowers in your landscape
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Figures, animals and birds |
Planning the arrangement
Natural poses
Questions and answers section :
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Inserting figures to enhance a composition
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People as main subjects
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Including animals in the landscape
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Capturing moving creatures outdoors
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| Finishing touches |
(Source - 1998 HarperColloins edition)
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