The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook

I was surprised to see another book by Gordon MacKenzie. What more could he say that he had not said in his first book? Plenty! In fact, I consider this book to be much more valuable than the first. This book focuses on landscape painting and is divided into three parts: tools and techniques, composing landscapes, and landscape elements. It begins with an expanded paint quality chart comparing more paints by more manufacturers. Sweet! I can pick and choose the best paints with confidence now. But the best part of the book for me was the information on painting the essentials--water, skies, rocks, and trees. I expected this book to be good, but it was great!

Gordon MacKenzie's new book is a worthy addition to his "The Watercolorists Essential Notebook." If you are looking for a lot of pretty pictures to copy, this is not it. If you want to become more proficient and creative as a watercolorist, this is your treasure! Regardless of where you are on the pathway in using watercolors, this book holds valuable instrucion for your self improvement. It can be a life-long guide as you strive to produce better and better work. DON'T MISS IT!

As professional portrait artists who specialize in pastels,oils and watercolors, we ordered this book at the same time that we ordered Nita Engle's book on Experimental Techniques. So it was hard to separate the two and look at what each offered without comparing them as the authors are artists of two different skill levels. However, this particular book has much to offer in a less dramatic fashion than Nita Engle's book. It is solid, reliable and the perfect companion for the watercolor enthusiast who is working with less energy but equal enthusiasm! This one has provided pleasant reading, a light, chatty manner and some definite tips based on the author's many years of observation. It is the kind of notebook that we all wish that we would keep of our efforts and MacKenzie has proven that he is a diligent observer of everything! He puts his skills to work in a casual manner and because it is effective, we chose to rate it on its own merits.

I love this book. In the 2 weeks since I purchased it, I have read it cover to cover twice,in addition to picking it up for reference frequently. Mr. Mackenzie covers the gamut of watercolor painting in such a way that no other "how to" authors do. I particularly like the encouragement he delivers...since I tend to be very critical of my own work. I found his tips on techniques extrememly informative, and the illustrations are wonderful. I also appreciate his sense of humor (I can relate to the cartoon of the lady with the bulging eyes and the magnifier)! Mr. Mackenzie gives sound, down to earth advice, and he makes me wish I lived down the road from him...(so I could take private lessons)! Thanks, Gordon. Jacquie

If I were to reduce my not-inconsiderable watercolor reference library to just one book, this would be that book. It blew me away! Gordon MacKenzie covers everything from which brushes to use for what and how to select your paints based on ingredients (a matter of growing importance) to compositional principles. I've had the book less than a week and, honestly, have referred to it practically every day for one thing or another related to painting. The book is laid out in an orderly and progressive format which made things easy to find when I went back. It is filled with photos of his work and delightful illustrations and sketches. The writing style is comfortable and enjoyable. I particularly liked that the captions on his paintings told how he achieved various effects, both in technique and composition. The only thing I found missing was a section on portraits, my particular area of interest. However, the principles and information Mr. MacKenzie shares applies equally well to all subject matter. The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook is well named and likely to become my standard gift to painter friends, if my enthusiasm hasn't persuaded them to buy it for themselves!