The Natural Way to Paint: Rendering the Figure in Watercolor Simply and Beautifully

This book begins with a couple exercises intended to improve your ability at drawing people with pencil. All of these are ones I've utilized before in college art classes. These are followed by several exercises intended to improve your ability at drawing people with watercolor. All exercises focus on quick drawings. His paintings often use exagerated colors, to simplify the reader's task of figuring out what is happening. Together, these exercizes (and a lot of practice) are bound to greatly improve your artistic ability.Even if you prefer to do slow detailed paintings, the quick paced exercises are an invaluable tool to improve your ability to draw people.

I just recieved this book today. I read most of it as soon as I got it. And then I started painting right away. The directions are simple and easy to understand. And each lesson will give you satisfaction as you complete it. This book concentrates more on abstracts, shapes, and colors. If this is the style you are looking for this is a great place to start.

I was captivated by this book when I first flicked through it. The striking pictures of naked women probably helped but Charles' unique style really is what captivates. For example, one of my favorite pictures is of an old man fly fising. This book inspired me to first reproduce some of my favorite pictures from the book and then to do a series of paintings myself -- a good learning experience. The book is well illustrated (of course) and layed out, and would be a great tutorial in watercolor painting and/or painting people (clothed or otherwise). Charles also wrote a similar book on painting flowers (not of interest to me) and an older less colorful book on painting portraits -- which I was fortunate enough to pick up cheaply and new in a second-hand store. This book is the best of the three though.

this wonderful book demystifies the paintng of figures with watercolors. it is broken up into these sections: drawing, paints and materials, rendering the figure in three dimensions, features, integrating figure and background, and composition. throughout the book there are step by step lessons which are thorough and challenging. furthermore, the book is lovely to behold and the writer has a fabulous sense of humor! i spent my summer on the vineyard obsessed with this book and i've only just begun--it's packed! does anyone know where i can find this guy?

This is one of my favorite books. I am a amateur portrait painter using water colours. This book has learned me a lot about how to find a free personal and artistic style. Furthermore this book describes practically how to use and mix a small number of colours to make both highlite colours and shadows. For me this book has not been easy to read, - i have read it perhaps 5 times and find new details and ideas all the time. I fully recommend the book.Professor Robert Nilssen, The Norwegian University of Sciene and technology.