This richly illustrated, highly informative compilation of four of the successful "Watercolour Tips & Techniques" books explores the versatility and beauty of watercolours in depth, and shows how to create all the elements for successful landscape painting. With over 20 detailed step-by-step demonstrations and a wealth of information, the authors cover every aspect of this exciting medium in an easy-to-follow, inspirational way. Richard Bolton starts off with expert advice on all the techniques needed for creating good pictures, from laying initial washes to adding atmosphere and detail. Skies affect all the main aspects of a landscape, because they set the whole mood of a scene and Geoff Kersey follows on, showing how to capture a sense of place. Water is an important element and Joe Francis Dowden includes everything you need to know about streams, rivers, canals, seas and more. Finally, Janet Whittle shows how to paint flowers and plants in a whole range of different landscapes. This book is an invaluable addition to any artist's library, with the authors revealing secrets and offering excellent advice to anyone interested in this subject, whatever their skill levels. This book comprises material from "Painting Landscapes & Nature"; "Painting Flowers & Plants"; and, "Painting Skies and Painting Water".

Nov 09

This is another of Search Press's bind-ups of several titles from the same series. Once again, if you haven't already got most of the titles included, it's very good value.

For the record, what you get is:

Painting Landscapes & Nature by Richard Bolton

Painting Skies by Geoff Kersey

Painting Water by Joe Francis Dowden

Painting Flowers & Plants by Janet Whittle

The Tips and Techniques series is aimed at artists who already have a little experience and features specific topics and subjects for them to develop their style and technique. There are step-by-step demonstrations as well as analyses of completed paintings and the whole is nicely balanced.

* Artbookreview.net *

Jan 2010

Watercolour Landscapes Tips and Techniques is a great resource for beginner artists. It the combination of writing and demonstration from the four artists gives a beginner a useful insight into not only the work of different artists, but also a look at how they have adapted techniques to create their own style. More experienced watercolour artists will also find areas of interest as some techniques, for instance negative painting, require a little prior experience.

* Suite101.com *

Dec 09

This beautifully illustrated book is a compilation of four of the earlier successful watercolour tips and techniques books from Searchpress. It contains over 20 step by step demonstrations showing how everyone can achieve beautiful and successful landscape paintings. Its an inspirational book for anyone wishing to explore the beauty of watercolour painting and use it to its fullest extent to create wonderful fresh landscapes. Each artist covers various different techniques within their own specialty followed by beautiful illustrations of some of their works showing the methods they used within each. They show us their most used colours from their palette for their specialist subjects, and its interesting to note how these vary from artist to artist according to the genre they paint. There are some tips on other useful items for using with watercolours, that one may not have thought of using but will bring textural variety to one's work. Particularly useful is the help given on how to retrieve paintings that have gone awry. Its often believed that watercolour is a One Chance medium but these artists show us some favourite ways of rescuing artworks, very useful to both the beginner and more experience artists. This book gives us very detailed step by step instructions covering initial washes and how to lay them, what brushes to use and when down to the very essential final details that lead to the creation of beautiful and realistic landscapes the artist will be proud to own. An essential book for anyone wishing to create convincing watercolour landscapes.

* JeannieZelos.com *

Barry Herniman worked as a draughtsman and surveyor before emigrating to South Africa. He then took up a career in advertising and travelled throughout South America and the USA before returning to the UK in 1980. He worked with the Countryside Commission and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust before becoming a full-time student at the Gloucester College of Art and Technology where he gained a Higher Diploma in Information Design. He became a member of the Chartered Society of Designers in 1986 and formed his own graphics company in 1988. His first solo exhibition of watercolours was in Ross-0n-Wye in 1991 and he soon went on to pursue painting full time. He now travels extensively tutoring workshops and demonstrations and has had exhibitions in England, Canada and the USA. Barry won the Artist of the Year Award for the SAA in 2001 and the Harper Collins Award Patchings 2000. His hobbies include travelling, walking and playing the mandolin. Janet Whittle is a professional artist and qualified teacher who specialises in flowers and landscapes in watercolour and pastel. She exhibits regularly at the Westminster Galleries in London, and has also shown her work at the prestigious Mall Galleries and other international venues. Greeting cards bearing her work are widely available in Europe and the US and her prints are sold throughout the world. Janet Whittle has received awards from the major UK art groups, including the Society of Botanical Artists' Founder President's Honour in 1999, and the St. Cuthberts Mill Award for a picture of outstanding quality in 2001. Also in that year she won The Society of Flower Painters' Award for Excellence for their Jersey Exhibition. Geoff Kersey is an experienced watercolourist and is much in demand as a teacher and demonstrator. He lives and works in Derbyshire, where he has a studio, and he exhibits extensively. He has made many watercolour DVDs, contributes to various art publications and has written many bestselling watercolour books. www.geoffkersey.co.uk Joe Dowden turned professional in 1982 and has since written many successful books and has been published by David & Charles, Sterling and Search Press. He has sold out at numerous one man shows and has exhibited his work throughout Britain. He lives in East Sussex, UK. www.joedowden.com