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 | | The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists by David Dewey ISBN-10: 9780823056392 ISBN-10: 0-8230-5639-2 ISBN-13: 9780823056392 ISBN-13: 978-0-8230-5639-2 Paperback 2000-09-01 Watson-Guptill Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The most thorough guide to watercolor materials and techniques ever assembled in a single volume, this is the book for anyone working with watercolors, from beginners to experienced artists looking to develop more professional skills. Starting with a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the tools and techniques required to master the art of watercolor, the book then presents detailed lessons in basic drawing skills. Design concepts are explored: line and shape, light and dark, perspective, and composition. All the major watercolor painting techniques are shown: methods for laying washes, preserving white areas, glazing, establishing form, creating textural effects, lifting color, masking, and using resists. With color the driving force behind the author's whole approach to painting and his distinctive "organic" handling of the medium, color theories and strategies are clearly explained and applied to a wide range of subjects-still life, figures, landscapes, and architecture-some of which pair watercolors with other mediums such as gouache, pastel, and collage. An ongoing reference source, this is a book that watercolorists will turn to again and again for guidance. | ||
Reviews | ||
Great book in a great series I have way too many watercolor books (buying WC books is addictive, although not as addictive as buying new colors). This book is one of my absolute favorites, and one I find myself returning to over and over. I am a very big fan of the entire "Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists" series, and I own their Drawing Book, Pen & Ink Book, Pastel Book, Acrylic Book, and Oil Painting Book. All of the books in this series seem to follow the same basic format. The first third or so of the book cover materials in great detail. The emphasis is on the types of materials that you need, options available, and characteristics of specific brand names. If you're a beginning watercolorist lost among all of the brands of brushes, paints, and paper available then this will be a great resource. The middle 3rd of the book focuses on general techniques, followed by a series of discussions related to specific subject matter. The final third focuses on mixed media - and in my opinion this is the area where Dewey's books really shine. I think he's a great pastelist and uses pastels and watercolors together to do some amazing stuff. I view this is a great book for folks that know at least a little bit about watercolor painting and are interested in getting into more depth and detail. I probably wouldn't recommend the book for absolute beginners, because I think absolute beginners would find the book a little overwhelming. Some initial questions that absolute beginners might ask (like "What colors should I have on a basic palette") aren't really addressed until pretty deep into the book. For an absolute beginner, something like Jack Reid's "Watercolor Basics: Let's Get Started" or Charles Reid's "Painting Flowers in Watercolor With Charles Reid" could be a better choice. But if you've seen enough of watercolor to know that you want to know a lot more about it, this book is a great resource. | ||
good introduction to watercolor techniques and materials I found this book very helpful -- a good introductory book on water color techniques and products. Lots of detail on the different materials and tools used in watercolor (paper type, brushes, paints, misc). The author discusses the uses of each and which products and brands he finds most useful/of the best quality. The author also discusses different techniques (with examples). The book is in color and the step-by-step instruction is useful for beginners or those of us that are a bit rusty. This book will also be useful for people that have never taken an art class as there is background info as well (the color wheel, values, etc.). | ||
If wishes were fishes... I wish I would have bought this book before I bought the supplies I did. I know that I would have saved a lot of guesswork and helped form my style faster and more satisfactorily. I am an amateur painter and will always be, so cost effectiveness is an issue. Even though I have brushes and stuff that I will not use (probably) I have the feeling with this book that I have an instructor at hand. Thanks guys! | ||
The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists After reading several books about watercolor, I found this book to be the best watercolor book on the market. It is the clarity and thoroughness of the explanations that make this such a valuable resource. I particularly found the section on color theory helpful. This is not a book with a few scattered tips against a background of gorgeous pictures of the artist's work. Rather, it is a master teacher reaching out to all levels of learners as he takes the mystery and confusion out of doing watercolors. If you were only going to buy one book about watercolor--this is the book!! The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists | ||
Helpful I was recommended this book by a professor to use as my guide in an Independent Study in watercolors. I don't have any other to compare it to, so I'm just writing what I got out of it. It has very good descriptions about types and brands of paints, papers, and brushes to start out with. There are also some chapters dealing with general composition and color theory. I was more interested in techniques though, which I thought Dewey covered well. As a newcomer to watercolors, I was introduced to different types of washes, layering, lifting techniques, etc. I really liked the mixed media section which discusses laying watercolor with things like pastels or colored pencil. It was nice to see a variety of work too. It's not all of Dewey's pictures (though I thought his stuff was pretty dang amazing). | ||