Reviews & Recommendations Subscribe to the Watercolor & More e-newsletter to be notified of updates to this website by sending an e-mail with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Art Books: Author: Jane Freeman (2007) This is a beautiful book, filled with wonderful artwork, clear instructions and helpful color charts. Whether she's painting a flower, a crystal vase, a lace doily or woodgrain, Jane's artwork is rich with texture. In this book, Jane reveals the glazing techniques she uses to build up layers of transparent watercolor. But it's more than glazing that makes her artwork sparkle and Jane graciously shares her approach to composition, backgrounds, darks and shadows, as well. In addition to learning from Jane, the book includes painting advice from Arleta Pech, Susan Harrison-Tustain, James Toogood and numerous other artists. Chapter Six is packed with over a dozen step-by-step painting demonstrations. Published by North Light Books. | No Experience Required!: Water-soluble Oils (No Experience Required) An Easy Guide to Getting Started in Water-Soluble Oils (2005) by Mary Deutschman provides a basic introduction to this relatively new painting medium. For the artist who has never used water-soluble oils, Deutschman provides clear instructions on how to apply the paint and clean the brushes. She then launches into a series of "skill building exercises" and demonstrations that cover color, composition, still life, landscapes and people. The book is well-illustrated with vibrant images and step-by-step instructions. If you're thinking about trying water-soluble oils, this book will get you going in the right direction. Published by North Light Books. | Fill Your Watercolors With Nature's Light (2001) by Roland Roycraft is truly an inspiration for artists. A fellow-artist loaned me this book (thanks, Kathleen) and it is delightful. A reference for painting landscapes and flowers, the book highlights "seven simple elements to structure your painting" and a dozen step-by-step demonstrations. Roycraft brings out the light in a variety of ways, including masking to protect areas of the paper, painting around or negative painting, and wiping out paint from dark backgrounds. And if you're ready to experiment and increase your understanding of composition, explore Roycraft's teaching on fragmentation and diagramming. Published by North Light Books. Find this and other books for artists in The Bookstore for Artists. | Make Your Watercolors Look Professional (1995) by Carole Katchen provides a wealth of advice from seventeen successful professional watercolor artists. Katchen explores their approaches to mastering materials, technique, design, value, color, subject and mood. I appreciate that these artists share specific information, right down to the brand of paper they used and why they selected that brand. The book is filled with step-by-step illustrations and concludes with “22 Tips from the Pros”. My favorite is Tip 12: “Experiment. And expect a great big pile of used paper. Don’t be afraid of wasting paper. You learn a lot more by ruining a painting than by trying not to make any mistakes.” If you want to take your painting to the next level, this book will be a useful tool. It has been around for a while, so perhaps you will find it in a local library or at an online used bookseller. Published by North Light Books. Carole has a great website - check out her Techniques page. | Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light (2004) by Elizabeth Kincaid is filled with tips and techniques to enhance your paintings. The book covers familiar art instruction topics, but with a helpful emphasis on creating luminous artworks. My favorite chapter heading is "Composition: Choreography for the Eye", a section in which she provides advice to strengthen design. Kincaid's own art is beautiful and she provides many illustrations to explain her methods. This book is a resource artists will return to frequently for problem solving and inspiration. Published by North Light Books. Find this and other books for artists in The Bookstore for Artists. | Progressive Painting: Your Creative Journey (2006) by watercolorist Ellen Jean Diederich is a small paperback book packed with insight and generously illustrated with beautiful images. Diederich gently guides artists through the process of embracing creativity, discovering design, and exploring the elements of a painting. From this foundation, she then offers practical ways for artists to prevail through the process, deal with rejection and negative attitudes, and discover a style of their own. I have been a fan of Diederich's work for a long time and am constantly amazed at the way she "sees" and paints a scene. She will inspire you in your own creative journey. Learn more about Diederich's art and books here. | Watercolor Wisdom: Lessons from a Lifetime of Painting and Teaching (2003) by Jo Taylor, AWS is for any painter who wants to mature as an artist. On its surface, this book addresses topics frequently covered in art instruction books, such as color, composition and technique. However, Taylor goes much deeper than that, challenging the reader to "the more advanced goal of achieving personal expression while creating a piece of art with universal appeal." She does this by focusing on "the structural language of art." The book is filled with illustrations, value studies, design exercises and step-by-step demonstrations. Taylor is a first-rate teacher who clearly wants her readers to succeed as artists. Published by North Light Books. Find this and other books for artists in The Bookstore for Artists. | Design & Composition Secrets of Professional Artists: 16 Successful Painters Show How They Create Prize-Winning Work (2001) is a helpful book published by the editors of International Artist. Each featured artist provides an essay describing his or her approach to design and composition. This is supplemented by numerous images of the artist's finished paintings, detailed captions, and instructional diagrams and value sketches. Even if you are only browsing the book, you'll find each artist's key points highlighted in a "Design plans" sidebar. I liked this book because it challenged me to explore new ideas in composition, such as Peter Folkes geometric designs and Myfanwy Pavelic's more intuitive portrait compositions. | Painting Beautiful Skin Tones With Color & Light in Oil, Pastel and Watercolor (2001) by Chris Saper assures artists that they "can paint realistic skin tones that glow with life". Saper's own paintings illustrate that "glow" and she carefully shows the reader how to accomplish the same effect, building upon the crucial foundation of drawing, value, color, composition and edges. This book provides a wealth of step-by-step demonstrations, a discourse on the determinants of skin color, and strategies to organize the painting process. Expect this book to be a helpful reference tool for artists serious about painting portraits. Published by North Light Books. Find this and other books for artists in The Bookstore for Artists. | How to Succeed As an Artist in Your Hometown by Stewart Biehl (1991) is a book directed to serious artists who live and work in small towns and rural areas. The book is packed with practical advice on how to please the small town buyer, how to promote and sell paintings, tips for pricing artwork, commissions and more. Read the book to discover what Biehl considers "one of the secrets of succeeding in a small town". This book has been around for a while, so you might find it in your library or a used book store. If you're seeking to grow as an artist and earn recognition and sell you art in your hometown, you'll refer to this book often. Published by North Light Books. | Watercolor and Collage Workshop: Make Better Paintings Through Mastery of Collage Techniques (1986) by Gerald Brommer is the place to start if you are serious about adding collage to your watercolor paintings. Brommer fills the book with easy to follow instructions, hundreds of illustrations and loads of inspiration. Take a look at this book if you want to add texture or strengthen the composition of your paintings. You'll find creative ways to depict rocks, water, foliage, snow, fog and buildings. Brommer is not only the expert at collage, but a fine teacher. Published by Watson-Guptill Publications. | Please e-mail Janice if you are publisher interested in submitting a product for a possible review. Watercolor & More is pleased to affiliate with Amazon.com to provide links to purchase select recommended titles. |
| Art Instruction DVD/Video: Mastering Yupo: Techniques for Synthetic Paper by George James opens wide the possibilities for painting on Yupo paper. James clearly has a grasp on the properties of this slick non-absorbent paper and maximizes those characteristics. I especially like his bold use of color and thick applications of paint. James has also found a way to avoid the streaks that usually result from brushstrokes to Yupo paper. Facial tissue is his secret, but you'll have to watch the video to see how he uses it. James own style is loose and leans towards the abstract, but his techniques can easily be applied to a variety of painting styles. Watch George James and give Yupo a try! This video is available at Creative Catalyst Productions, Inc. For another approach to painting on Yupo paper, visit the Yupo demo on this site. Acrylics: The Watercolor Alternative by Charles Harrington shows viewers how to use watercolor painting techniques with the more permanent medium of acrylic paints. Harrington presents two landscape demonstrations, both very easy to follow and enlightening. Using transparent, translucent and opaque color applications, the artist creates background trees with a loose wet-in-wet method, while employing dry brush and spattering techniques in the foreground. The end results look and feel like a watercolor paintings, but the dry paints won't run even when a glass of water is poured over the paper! Available from North Light Books in DVD, VHS and book form. Art Magazines:
International Artist claims to be "the fastest growing artist magazine in the world." And I can see why. This magazine is packed with 160 pages of good things: images of art from all over the world, step-by-step instructions, portrait news, a monthly competition, and a regular awards roundup. Just as a smile is understood in every language, so visual art is a great connector of people from diverse cultures, languages and backgrounds. I enjoy the connection this magazine provides artists. Find inspiration in watercolor, oil, acrylics, chroma, pastels and colored pencil. Articles by well-respected artists, including John Lovett and Harley Brown. Published 6 issues/year.
Southwest Art defines itself as a magazine covering "Fine Art of Today's West." It is truly a beautiful and informative magazine for the practicing artist, as well as the serious art collector. I always go to the "My World" feature first to read an insightful interview of a successful artist who might disclose anything from unique studio elements to artistic techniques to range of sales prices for their artwork. I appreciate, too, getting photographic glimpses into the artist's studio. The "Artists to Watch" feature offers succinct introductions to artists whose careers are on the rise. Check out the magazine's website for more columns. And did I mention the beautiful art? If you are a watercolor painter, you'll definitely want to find the June 2006 issue. Published 12 issues/year.
Art Calendar is known as "The Business Magazine for Visual Artists". Each issue lists opportunities for artists to sell and exhibit their work, including awards, conference and trade shows, corporate art opportunities, fairs and festivals, film and video festivals, galleries, grants and fellowships, internet opportunities, internships, juried shows, competitions, museums, residencies and scholarships. While I was initially drawn to the magazine by its comprehensive market listings, I found myself returning to read the very practical articles written by artists. For example, the June 2006 issue has a helpful article entitled "Fairs and Special Events: 12 Tips for a Successful Show" by Connie Bowen, a pet portrait artist. Art Calendar publishes 11 issues/year.
Online Art Galleries:
National Gallery of Art offers online tours of its numerous art collections. Many of the guides for the Collections tours are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For in-depth study tours, select from a list of artists, artworks and themes. Explore the virtual exhibition tours for large-image views, close-ups and streaming-audio commentary. Smithsonian National Postal Museum Art of the Stamp features a novel collection of artwork covering subjects ranging from cartoon characters to science and technology. This site also gives a brief biography of the artists behind the stamps. The exhibit travels and is available for bookings. Storyopolis bills itself as representing the world's finest children book illustrators, editorial artists, and cartoonists. Indeed, the site contains an impressive array of artwork available for purchase. You can go to Studio City, California to view its current exhibition. Or go to the website and take a peek at lithos by Maurice Sendack, original watercolors by Chesley McLaren, acrylics by Mark Buehner, and mixed media by Noah Woods.
Art Products: Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus Fine Art Watercolors are so much fun to use. Just a few drops of the paint yield intense and brilliant colors on the paper. I especially like to use them on smooth paper surfaces, such as hot pressed watercolor paper and Yupo paper. Like other paints, they can be applied in a dry brush fashion or wet-in-wet. Their lifting, staining and blending properties may not be identical to pan or tube paints, but with a little experimenting, artists can find wonderful ways to use these paints. Click here to see a few examples of paintings done with these paints.
The Beginner's Watercolor eBook: Start Painting Today! 
Are you interested in watercolor painting but don't know where to begin? The Beginner's Watercolor eBook will show you where to start - everything from necessary supplies to basic painting techniques. You'll get step by step instructions on how to complete two painting projects, as well. This is an eBook, which means you will be able to download it directly to your computer from the internet. It's that easy! Read excerpts and find out more . . .
From the Art Galleries
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