By Diane Phalen, North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio 1997.
Thumbs up. There is a great deal in this book on setting and composition. In the first section P focuses on tools, paints, and some basic methods: including various uses of papers, erasers, palette knife, and nail file, types of washes, glazing, dry brushing, blotting, spattering and several other techniques that are considered by some to be outside the sphere of "genuine" watercolor.
The next section of the book is a set of fourteen painting projects with palate, technique, and steps that the reader is to work through to develope better skills at watercolor and composing scenes of Americana.
The artist's style seems too comic book like for me, but the methods and discussions she presents are very useful.
Yes, I'll try to get this one for my library too.
Showing posts with label watercolor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watercolor. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
Capture the Charm of Your Hometown in Watercolor: Frank Loudin with Marcia Spees
Capture the Charm of Your Hometown in Watercolor: Frank Loudin with Marcia Spees; North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio 1998.
Two Thumbs Up!
Loudin presents six chapters on methods, tools, materials, composition, and presentation. His main emphasis throughout the book is to use the techniques he presents to tell a story with composition of elements in the watercolor.
Some of Loudin's work is available at his website. For good examples of what he demonstrates in this book consider "Gloria Minutia," "Piston Ring," "Katydid." While these works are not in the book, Loudin teaches the composition and techniques that will help aspiring watercolor artists to emulate them in creating their own works based on their own compositions.
L's introduction focuses on developing a story and accumulating photos, sketches, and other image scraps to use in a composition. L turns to techniques such as foregrounding, clutter, texture, and materials.
The first chapter is a very well illustrated discussion of creating the story, the nature of perspective and how to use perspective, using scale to create depth, how overlays can refine the composition: using tracing paper for elements in the overlays to identify the best placing in the composition; how mood is created through color values and color both with the whole composition or with elements like the sky.
L then presents three variations of a specific composition, summer, autumn, winter and takes the reader through an illustrated step-by-step building another variation of the composition. Through the guide L gives clear advice on techniques and special issues like landscapes, flowers and shrubs, puddles, vehicle tracks; pavement, road and ground texture. L then provides suggestions on other views for different compositions using other artist's works and different media.
This not all of what is in just the first chapter. The presentation and rate of information is well paced and makes great sense.
There are still five more chapters full of good information. Each chapter builds upon the previous with a wealth of advice and direction in building skills. The authors more than satisfy the title of the book.
I definitely want to add this to my library.
Two Thumbs Up!
Loudin presents six chapters on methods, tools, materials, composition, and presentation. His main emphasis throughout the book is to use the techniques he presents to tell a story with composition of elements in the watercolor.
Some of Loudin's work is available at his website. For good examples of what he demonstrates in this book consider "Gloria Minutia," "Piston Ring," "Katydid." While these works are not in the book, Loudin teaches the composition and techniques that will help aspiring watercolor artists to emulate them in creating their own works based on their own compositions.
L's introduction focuses on developing a story and accumulating photos, sketches, and other image scraps to use in a composition. L turns to techniques such as foregrounding, clutter, texture, and materials.
The first chapter is a very well illustrated discussion of creating the story, the nature of perspective and how to use perspective, using scale to create depth, how overlays can refine the composition: using tracing paper for elements in the overlays to identify the best placing in the composition; how mood is created through color values and color both with the whole composition or with elements like the sky.
L then presents three variations of a specific composition, summer, autumn, winter and takes the reader through an illustrated step-by-step building another variation of the composition. Through the guide L gives clear advice on techniques and special issues like landscapes, flowers and shrubs, puddles, vehicle tracks; pavement, road and ground texture. L then provides suggestions on other views for different compositions using other artist's works and different media.
This not all of what is in just the first chapter. The presentation and rate of information is well paced and makes great sense.
There are still five more chapters full of good information. Each chapter builds upon the previous with a wealth of advice and direction in building skills. The authors more than satisfy the title of the book.
I definitely want to add this to my library.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Complete Watercolor Course
Thumbs mostly down.
The Complete Watercolor Course: A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to watercolor. By John Raynes, North Light Books 2004.
The title of this work is misleading. I was looking for a thorough catalog of watercolor painting techniques, materials, tools, and examples. But Raynes does not present a complete or comprehensive survey of watercolor techniques. Instead, Raynes focuses on his preferred method of layering washes from lightest to darkest pigments using transparent paints.
Raynes' definition of watercolor would exclude the frescoes of Giotto and many other artists through the ages, including the Lasceaux cave paintings.
The first section of the book focuses on the materials: paints, palates, surfaces, brushes, drawing tools, and other accessories. Raynes includes a brief page on opaque watercolor paints and his reasons for thinking that they are not genuine watercolors.
The following sections lay out the basics of the layered wash, focusing on tonal values and color mixing theory, composition, line and wash; with a look at masks and resists, and four pages on the use of opaque pigments as mixed media.
The rest of the book is divided into short discussions on particular subject matter: still lifes, flowers, animals, skies, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, people, and using photographs.
There are two pages on just a few techniques that are not consistent with the Raynes' preferred layered wash technique with a four page work through example on using them.
The last section focuses on methods for fixing mistakes.
Raynes provides exercises for almost all of the topics he presents. I wasn't satisfied with the examples. And perhaps my dissatisfaction is a matter of personal preference. My preference has less to do with the method and technique Raynes was presenting and more to do with his own personal style in painting. While the author holds Turner as an example he fails to mention Durer, Bol, Abbey, Berryman or many other significant artists in his brief history of watercolor.
So the book fails me on two counts: it is not complete and comprehensive-neither technically or historically, nor do I find the exercises painted by the author attractive. I want to have help on more technique that can help me paint both realism and in the style of the French Impressionists. That's just my personal preference. But Raynes' style reminds me less of Cezanne and more of coarse architectural design watercolor.
The Complete Watercolor Course: A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to watercolor. By John Raynes, North Light Books 2004.
The title of this work is misleading. I was looking for a thorough catalog of watercolor painting techniques, materials, tools, and examples. But Raynes does not present a complete or comprehensive survey of watercolor techniques. Instead, Raynes focuses on his preferred method of layering washes from lightest to darkest pigments using transparent paints.
Raynes' definition of watercolor would exclude the frescoes of Giotto and many other artists through the ages, including the Lasceaux cave paintings.
The first section of the book focuses on the materials: paints, palates, surfaces, brushes, drawing tools, and other accessories. Raynes includes a brief page on opaque watercolor paints and his reasons for thinking that they are not genuine watercolors.
The following sections lay out the basics of the layered wash, focusing on tonal values and color mixing theory, composition, line and wash; with a look at masks and resists, and four pages on the use of opaque pigments as mixed media.
The rest of the book is divided into short discussions on particular subject matter: still lifes, flowers, animals, skies, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, people, and using photographs.
There are two pages on just a few techniques that are not consistent with the Raynes' preferred layered wash technique with a four page work through example on using them.
The last section focuses on methods for fixing mistakes.
Raynes provides exercises for almost all of the topics he presents. I wasn't satisfied with the examples. And perhaps my dissatisfaction is a matter of personal preference. My preference has less to do with the method and technique Raynes was presenting and more to do with his own personal style in painting. While the author holds Turner as an example he fails to mention Durer, Bol, Abbey, Berryman or many other significant artists in his brief history of watercolor.So the book fails me on two counts: it is not complete and comprehensive-neither technically or historically, nor do I find the exercises painted by the author attractive. I want to have help on more technique that can help me paint both realism and in the style of the French Impressionists. That's just my personal preference. But Raynes' style reminds me less of Cezanne and more of coarse architectural design watercolor.
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