Watercolours Step by Step Guide
This book offers a host of inspirational projects to help you master the essentials of watercolour technique and composition, and also foster your own sense of artistic creativity.
By following the clearly explained steps, you can bring a wide range of everyday subject matter to life - from landscapes and seascapes, to still lifes and portraits.
Accompanying the projects are special features on the basics of art theory and technique, which all artists need to develop their skills.
Helpful demonstrations of key artistic techniques enhance the watercolour projects - including washing on to watercolour paper, masking techniques and choosing the right paint brush.
(Backcover of book – 2002 Index edition) |
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This book illustrates the challenges and rewards of painting with watercolour.
Each project is accompanied by step-by-step colour photographs which clearly describe each stage of the painting. There are also numerous close-up shots showing you how to tackle specific details and specialist techniques.
The steps of each project are divided into three separate stages : First strokes, Developing the picture, and A Few Steps Further. These stages help you to reach the basic finishing point of each individual project, then progress ahead if you would like to take things a little further.
To help you plan your time effectively, each project lists the necessary materials required. You'll also find inspirational features that examine how the great artists of history have treated similar themes, plus suggestions on how you can adopt alternative approaches to the chosen subject.
(Frontflap of book – 2002 Index edition) |
The projects in Watercolours : a step-by-step guide were devised and put together by a panel of experts led by Richard Taylor BA (Hons), Cert. Ed. Art & Design (Cambridge). Richard is a practising artist and art teacher. He is the author of a series of books on drawing and painting, and appears both on television and art teaching videos.
Edited by Deborah Hercun.
(Backflap of book – 2002 Index edition) |
Contents : |
Blueprint for a painting |
Getting the right fit
The focal point
The geometry of composition
The golden section
Composition in practice
Things to avoid |
The power of colour |
The theory of colour
The colour wheel
Black and white
Brown
Warm versus cool
A basic palette |
Midsummer landscape |
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Expert advice – using a block
Trouble shooter – lifting off excess paint with a tissue
Master strokes – Jacob van Ruisdael : Landscape with a ruined castle and a church
A few steps further
Express yourself – intensified colour |
Washing onto watercolour paper |
Laying a flat wash
Expert advice – preventing cockling
Types of paper |
Still life with oranges and a pepperpot |
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Expert advice – preventing muddy colours
Master strokes – Paul Gauguin : Teapot, jug and fruit
Expert advice – watercolour brushes
A few steps further
Express yourself – adding a forth colour
Trouble shooter – blotting out
The finished picture |
Pen and wash |
Creating texture and form
You will need
Adding a wash
Expert advice – using different papers
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Floris van Schooten : Still life with brass pot
A few steps further
Expert advice – watercolour blocks
Express yourself – monochrome effect
Trouble shooter – using an ink rubber
The finished picture |
Sunlit café scene |
Simplified background
Strong shadows
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – creating dark colours
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Raoul Dufy : The terrace of the Cafe San Martigues
A few steps further
Trouble shooter – the correcting power of water
The finished picture
Express yourself – a tonal approach |
Brushes |
What to look for
Small and large
Types of brush
Watercolour brushes
Caring for watercolour brushes
Special brushes
Brushes for oil and acrylic
Care and cleaning
Other handy brushes
Watercolour brush marks
Acrylic brushmarks |
Gnarled tree in storm |
Using masking fluid
Painting the sky
You will need
First strokes
Express yourself – dramatic skies
Developing the picture
Expert advice – handling watercolours
Master strokes – Camille Pissarro : Chestnut trees at Louveciennes
A few steps further
The finished picture
Trouble shooter – avoiding drips with masking fluid |
Masking techniques |
All kinds of lines
Experimental masking
Using masking fluid
You will need
Masking tape
Masking fluid
Use an old brush
Snowflakes |
Seascape with clouds |
Graded washes
Sponged clouds
Composing from photographs
You will need
First strokes
Master strokes – John Constable : Weymouth Bay with Jordan Hill
Developing the picture
Trouble shooter – colour testing
A few steps further
Expert advice – graded wash
The finished picture
Express yourself – sunset silhouette |
Stretching paper |
Using a board
You will need
Using a stretcher
You will need
Stretching on a board
Using a stapler
Short cuts |
Still life with books |
Working light to dark
Keep your colours fresh
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – leaving gaps between areas of wash
Developing the picture
Trouble shooter – use a hair-dryer to speed up drying
Express yourself – editing and simplifying
A few steps further
Master strokes – Francois Bonvin : Still life with books, papers and inkwell
The finished picture |
Tinted papers |
Mix and match
Choosing a paper colour
Choosing a coloured paper
Lights and darks |
Landscape with hills |
Atmospheric perspective
Perspective with brushstrokes
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – using a pen rubber
Developing the picture
Trouble shooter – removing wet paint
Express yourself – a simple sketch
Master strokes – Jan Brueghel the Elder and Joos de Momper : Mountain Landscape with a Lake
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Placing the horizon |
A low horizon
A high horizon
Experimenting with horizon lines |
Creating foliage in watercolours |
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – adding gum arabic
Master strokes – Gustav Klimpt : Roses under the trees
Express yourself – band of gold
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Choosing the best easel |
Outdoor easels
Easels for indoor work
Table easels
Sketching easels
Studio easels |
Coffee and croissants |
Arranging the composition
A simple approach
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Rescuing dried paint
Master strokes – Otto Dix : Sylvia von Harden
Express yourself – erasing the pencil lines
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Watercolour landscape |
Fluffy clouds using masking fluid
Spiky grass using masking tape
You will need
First strokes
Express yourself – impressionistic image
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Robert Adam : Rocky landscape with castle
Expert advice – applying the tape
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Painting with two colours |
The two-colour palette
Alternative pairs
Black and white
Two-colour combinations
A two-colour coastal scene
A little improvisation |
Headland in Dorset |
Loose – but logical
A masked track
You will need
First strokes
Develop the picture
Master strokes – Alfred Sisley : Path leading to Ville d’Avray
Express yourself – change to acrylics
Trouble shooter – just a touch of black
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Creating highlights |
Masking highlights
First steps
You will need
Developing the picture
Expert advice – removing dried paint
Express yourself – a portrait sketch
A few steps further
Master strokes – Valentin Serov : Girl with Peaches
The finished picture |
Enlarging your work |
Proportionate rectangles
Enlarging a watercolour sketch
Enlarging with a grid
Confident strokes
Photocopier method |
Details and textures in watercolours |
Flicking paint
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Robert Adams : Landscape with bridge over a stream
Trouble shooter – removing paint spots
Expert advice – indenting fine marks
A few steps further
Express yourself – focus on texture
The finished picture |
Trout in watercolour |
Combining media
You will need
First strokes
Express yourself – a new composition
Developing the picture
Expert advice – customise your palette
Master strokes – Issac van Duynen : Still life of fish on a table
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Choosing your palette |
Your holiday palette
Project 1 – Halki, a Greek island
You will need
Developing the picture
Trouble shooter – testing the colours
A few steps further
The finished picture
Project 2 – Near Morecombe Bay, Lancashire
Expert advice – wet-on-wet effects
You will need
Master strokes – Peter de Wint : Mountain scene, Westmorland
Developing the picture
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Hand-tinting photographs |
Tinting techniques
You will need
Expert advice – diluting coloured inks
The finished picture |
Watercolour crab |
Go with the flow
You will need
First strokes
Trouble shooter – removing hard edges
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Pieter Claesz – Breakfast still life with Roemer and a crab
Expert advice – white highlights
A few steps further
Express yourself – loosen up
The finshed picture |
Street sign in watercolour |
Moving in close
First strokes
You will need
Express yourself – crumbling stonework
Trouble shooter – avoiding hard outlines
Developing the picture
Master strokes – Nick Harris : Blue wall and red door
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Introducing mixed media |
Wet and dry
Combining colour and water
Lines and washes
Experiment and discover |
Snow scene in watercolour |
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Expert advice – painting winter trees
Master strokes – Claude Monet : The magpie
A few steps further
Express yourself – introduce a figure
The finished picture |
Introducing gouache |
Brightness of gouache
Choosing a coloured paper
Bold, lively marks
Flat, saturated colour
Mixed media
The expressive, versatile medium |
House plants in watercolour |
A range of greens
Visual editing
You will need
First strokes
Master strokes – Mark Gertler : Agapanthus
Developing the picture
Express yourself – pattern of leaves
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Sunny waterside scene |
Breaking a few rules
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Express yourself – a line and wash portrait
Expert advice – creating light and shade
Trouble shooter – anchor the rocks
Master strokes – Paul Gauguin : Tahitian Women on a beach
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Deserted beach corner |
Sand and pebbles
Wet-on-wet
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Expert advice – masking the edge
Trouble shooter – brush protection
Express yourself - the rope trick
A few steps further
Master strokes – Ruskin Spear RA : Sea wall, Cornwall
The finished picture |
Still life with lemon |
Fresh approach
You will need
First steps
Trouble shooter – rescuing highlights
Express yourself – fruit substitute
Master strokes – Georges Braque : Still life with grapes and apples
Expert advice – composition check
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Watercolour mediums |
Gum water and gum arabic
Using gum arabic
Thickening paste
Flow improvers
Drying mediums and retarders |
Ramshackle old building |
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – softening edges
Developing the picture
Express yourself – paint a vignette
Trouble shooter – how to define edges in watercolour
Master strokes – Myles Birket Foster : At the cottage door
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Relaxed study in watercolour |
Looking at shape
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Expert advice – be complementary
Express yourself – a different viewpoint
Master strokes – Paul Gauguin : Fair-haired woman on a sofa
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Moored boat |
Negative shapes
You will need
Expert advice – suggesting distance
Developing the picture
Express yourself – revealing shapes
Master strokes – Claude Monet : Argenteuil
A few strokes further
The finished picture |
Colours for skies |
Sky sketches
Sky relationships
Linking sky to landscape
The colour of the sky
Special effects
Know your sky colours
Sky moods
Mixtures and dilutions |
The drama of the sky |
Which glue?
You will need
Expert advice – mixing glue and paint
Trouble shooter – correcting mistakes
Master strokes – Nicolas Roerich : Skyscape
A few steps further
Express yourself – washes of watercolour
The finished picture |
Shades of autumn |
Wet-on-wet
You will need
First steps
Expert advice – granulation effects
Develop the picture
Master strokes – W S Goodwin : odd and even (pears)
A few steps further
Express yourself - experimental leaves
The finished picture |
French street in watercolour |
Looking at the angles
Creating a sense of place
Selecting details
You will need
Master strokes – Martiros Sergeevich Sar’Yan : A street, midday, in Constantinople
Express yourself – a pale palette
A few steps further
Trouble shooter – lively wires
The finished picture |
Creating texture in watercolours |
Scoring the surface
Choice of blade
You will need
First strokes
Developing the picture
Know the score
Expert advice – score draw
Express yourself – drawing with a blade
A few steps further
Master strokes – anonymous Chinese painter – basket of flowers with cherry blossoms
The finished picture |
Using resists |
Mask out the whites
Masking fluid
Candles and wax crayons
First steps
You will need
Expert advice – removing the masking fluid
Developing the picture – Express yourself – a sketch in wax crayons
A few steps further
Master strokes – Jan van Os : Fruit and flowers
The finished picture |
Street scene |
Working from photographs
Mood and atmosphere
You will need
First steps
Expert advice – painting windows
Developing the painting
Expert advice – painting brickwork
Master strokes – Anne Redpath : Houses, Concarneau
A few steps further
Express yourself - sketch a shop
The finished picture |
Children fishing |
Sketches and photographs
Painting water
Using sketches and photos
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – choosing brushes
Developing the picture
Express yourself – trying out colours
Trouble shooter – adding more white
Master strokes – Cecilio Pla Y Gallardo : The beach
A few steps further
The finished picture |
Drama of white water |
Preserve the highlights
You will need
First strokes
Expert advice – painting reflections
Developing the picture
Express yourself – white water
Master strokes – Frederick Edwin Church : Niagara Falls
Trouble shooter – leave the paper to dry
A few steps further
The finished picture |
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(Source – 2002 Index edition) |
