Watercolour painters handbook from Miroslav Hrdina
Watercolour Painters Handbook - Step by Step
The Watercolour Painter's Handbook is an invaluable step-by-step guide to practising the art of watercolour painting.
It offers not only essential information on materials, equipment and methods used for various genres, motifs, scenes, composition and poses, but also contains expert hints on how to encourage individual style while experiencing a certain pleasure of one's own creative work.
The interesting text is continuously accompanied by the author's illustrative watercolours and enriched with masterpieces of the world's great artists, including J. M. W. Turner, A. Rodin, M. Chagall, E. Nolde, A. Manes, and V. Spala. (Front flap of book – 2000 Caxton Editions)
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Miroslav Hrdina was born in Prague in 1932. In addition to being the author of this work he is also an artist and until recently, a Professor at the College of Education of Charles University where he taught painting and composition.
He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, and after many years of studying figure and mural painting, which principally influenced his career, he also applied himself to graphics and illustrating books in general.
Mr. Hrdina took part in many individual exhibitions both at home and abroad and lots of his works of art may be found in both public and private collections not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Slovakia, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Croatia, and other countries around the World.
His varied artistic activities together with his wide experience were invaluable in his top-level pedagogical work. He also contributed significantly to the tutorial programmes (painting and composition) at the educational establishment where he was based and wrote several university textbooks on painting. (Back flap of book – 2000 Caxton Editions)
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Contents : |
| Introduction |
Images :
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Joseph Mallord Willaim Turner - St. Florent
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Josef Navratil - Mountain Landscape with Lake
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Ludek Marold - In the Studio
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Hanus Schwaiger - Haed of an old Man
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Eugene Boudin - Concarneau
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Vaclav Spala - Summer Landscape
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Bedrich Havranek - The Grass Verge
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Auguste Rodin - Nude
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Antonin Manes - Wooded Landscape
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Marc Chagall - Drowned Woman
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Fu Pao-Shih - Winter Night
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Emil Nolde - Evening Sun
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| Watercolour |
Watercolour
The properties of watercolour paints
What to paint on
Brushes and other tools
Preparing the support
The solvent for watercolours : water
Choosing the right mount
The essential characteristics of painting with watercolours
Some basic information about colours
The properties of colours
Using colours to create spatial effects
Practical exercises |
| Watercolour flowers |
Painting flowers
Mixing colours
Practical exercises |
| Watercolour - painting motifs from nature |
Painting motifs from nature
Practical exercises |
| Watercolour - painting animals |
Painting animals
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| Watercolour - Painting still lifes |
Painting still lifes
Still life composition
Lighting still life
Selecting motifs / measuring proportions
Practical exercies |
| Watercolour - Landscape painting |
Landscape painting
Selecting subjects and motifs
Using a view finder
Composition in landscape painting
Important compositional elements
Colour composition
Space in landscapes
Painting techniques : the gradual method
Painting techniques : alla prima
Mood in landscape
Wet-in-Wet painting
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| Watercolour - painting trees |
Painting trees
Various shades of green |
Watercolour - painting architecture |
Painting architecture |
Watercolour - painting figures |
Painting figures
The rules of proportion in figural painting
Standing figure / contrapposto
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Watercolour - painting nudes |
Painting nudes
The preliminary sketch
Practical exercies
Lighting the model / creation of volume
Balancing the whole with the detail |
Watercolour - painting clothed figures |
Painting clothed figures
Drapery
Practical exercises
Figures and their surroundings |
Watercolour - painting heads : the portrait |
Painting heads : the portrait
Proportions of the head
Structural drawing and colour construction of the head
Practical exercies |
Watercolour - coloured drawing |
Coloured drawing
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Gouache |
Gouache
Properties of gouache colours
Support materials / using gouache
Practical exercies
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Conclusion |
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| Index |
(Source –2000 Caxton edition) |