Spectacular light effects made easy!
Like children mesmerized by the magical glow of fireflies, artists are constantly fascinated, sometimes obsessed, and often frustrated by our quest to capture the elusive spirit of light in our paintings.

If light is a driving force in your art, Dramatic Light is a must. No other book breaks down the challenge in such a straightforward, engaging, downright fun kind of way.

Dramatic Light features 21 light effects that will thrill you to your toes, each epitomized in a start-to-finish painting demonstration. These step-by-step lessons show how to capture the subtle drama of everyday light: sparkling glass, sheer curtains, moonlit skies, shimmering water, cityscapes and landscapes. You'll find both watercolor and oil projects, illustrating simple concepts that apply to both mediums.

Make Your Paintings Sparkle and Shine!
From the intoxicating dance of sunlight through glass to the spiritual glow of daylight at the end of a forest path, Patrick Howe's paintings come alive with a powerful and engaging sense of light. With his friendly, laidback teaching style, Patrick shares his simple approach to capturing light's most beautiful qualities. Demonstrations and lessons on transparency, transluceny, luminosity and reflection show you how to see and paint light in its many forms.

Once you've been armed with the know-how in this book, you too will find yourself always on the look-out for 'light shows' rich for the painting. For inspiration, an intriguing gallery of reference photos in the back of the book illustrates some of the best ways to find painting ideas.

Light the Way
Other books on painting light spend an awful lot of time on the build-up. With the promise of 'light' at the end of a long, boring tunnel, they take you through page after page of theories on color, value and composition. In contrast, impatient souls (like me!) will love this book for its simple, head-on approach.

In addition to teaching you the painting 'secrets' behind a variety of classic and unusual lighting effects, this book will help you find greater joy in the process itself. It's akin to the difference between having fireflies in a jar, and gazing across a field transformed into a sparkling sea. Who knows' You may even be tempted to take up your brushes and try to capture the magic!

See inside this Book