Paint Faster, Better, Looser...the Easy Way!
For any artist who wants to paint faster, better or looser in watercolor, this book is for you! Artist Pat Weaver shares the simple secrets and solutions to developing an exciting, direct painting style of your very own. Follow her plan to build confidence and skills while unleashing the spontaneous nature of watercolor in your work. Pat's fresh approach takes the frustration out of painting, making it exciting and enjoyable.
Back to Basics
Through many years of teaching, Pat has developed an easy-to-understand way of presenting painting principles, the fundamental building blocks of art. Her classes cut to the heart of what makes a painting work--foolproof concepts that have served great artists for centuries. Because of the power inherent in these ideas, even an apprehensive beginner will be capable of creating exciting works of art.
This book is pure, unadulterated painting in transparent color using your brain and your brush. It presents a refreshingly straightforward approach to drawing, design and composition, cropping, value painting, color mixing, those all-important edges and more.
Words of Experience
Throughout Watercolor Simplified, Pat addresses the most common problems she encounters as a teacher--like beginners' tendency to be conservative when it comes to spending money on supplies. 'Invest in the larger tubes of watercolors,' she advises. 'They last longer and you'll feel at ease squeezing ample amounts of paint onto the palette. Paint like you're wealthy; you'll be better for it.'
She also stresses the importance of planning: 'Just grabbing a piece of paper with no direction is planning for disaster. Know what you're going to do before you do it; have a plan and stick to it. You'll be surprised how much time and paper these steps will save rather than working by trial and error.' Even Pat, with years of painting experience to her credit, puts in the preliminary groundwork: thumbnails, value sketches, line drawings, etc.
Beginning chapters focus on how to:
* set up the perfect painting studio
* make the best use of your camera and lighting
* use a template to reveal multiple painting opportunities in a single photo
* locate your center of interest
* add vibrancy to your paintings by changing values
* select color temperature
* simplify color choices with limited palettes and triads
* learn to mix color directly on the paper
* develop strong drawing skills essential to good painting
* and so much more!
Nine Inspiring Painting Demonstrations
A final chapter features 9 painting demos, broken down into easy-to-understand steps, that show you how to tie all the concepts together. For most of the demonstrations there is a simple line drawing, a black-and-white value painting or pencil study, and a color palette, all determined before the actual painting begins. These are fun paintings to do; some more challenging than others, demonstrating a variety of subject matter--flowers, buildings, cats, dogs, rabbits and roosters. They embody lessons on seeing shapes, using complementary colors, linking shadow shapes, the use of white paper, extreme contrast, and more.
The book concludes with a gorgeous gallery of watercolor art--just the thing to spark your imagination and creative spirit.  See inside this Book
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