Tom Lynch's Watercolor Secrets: A Master Painter Reveals His Strategies for Success

Out of the dozens and dozens of watercolor books that I own this is one of the few that I return time after time for new insights on composition and technique. I've tried several times to get into one of Tom's seminars but scheduling conflicts prevented it. One day I'll attend and have him autograph my dog-earred, paint-splattered worn out old copy of this great book on watercolor painting! If you do buy it don't just read it and place it on the shelf...use it and abuse it... throw some paint on some paper and practice the techniques and you'll see the value!

This is my FAVORITE watercolor book! It is extremely comprehensive and very helpful. Not only does Tom discuss various watercolor techniques and show how he incorporates them into his paintings (spattering, use of resist, misting color out of spray bottles, sponging, etc.), he discusses design in an understandable way. He shows how he begins and develops a painting. He also shows how to salvage paintings that are accurate but don't seem to have much "life" or excitement. What I think I liked the most is the way he explains everything in a step by step way that is easy to follow and understand. He is very generous with his ideas and techniques - thoroughly explaining everything he does and how he produces such gorgeous paintings.Even if you weren't an artist, the book itself is beautiful. It is jam-packed with his watercolors on thick, glossy paper that makes it a delight for the eyes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever aspired to paint!

This is one of my favorite watercolor books. There are so many positive things to say about this book its hard to know where to begin. But I'll try to point out some of the things that I've found unique to this book from all the others I have in my collection.1. The "Salvage That Student Painting" demonstrations. Hands down this has got to be one of THE most interesting and innovative things I've ever seen in any painting book in ANY medium. Tom takes various student paintings, shows exactly where and why certain areas, techniques, etc aren't working. He then procedes to take it and transform it into a radiant painting using the many techniques and principles he's stressed in preceding chapters. It is literally the painting equivalent of the "before" and "after" photos you see of beauty make-over infomercials. The difference in these before and after paintings is enough to convince even the toughest critic that Mr. Lynch deserves the acclaim he receives.2. The "Impact Area" chapter. I have other books that have mentioned the need for a focal point but none has shown in such depth and detail exactly why one is needed, the benefits, how to use it to your advantage or how to go about it. I especially liked his advise and technique assignment for every day - the Impact Sketch. Your sketchbook becomes a tool for practicing and strengthening the skills taught in the various chapters.It's full of advice and tips. Things I'd not thought of before or had not seen quite so clearly as he states them. You get advice such as, "Think of the impact area as a separate painting-within-a-painting, and develop it accordingly. Then, as you work on the rest of the painting, always compare the secondary areas to the impact area, making sure it continues to be the brightest, most powerful, most interesting spot in the whole picture.". Or a chapter titled Expression and Mood with the advice, "The key to this whole concept is pick no more than two feelings that you want to communicate, then exaggerate them!" and "Sometimes the big 5 - technique, color, shape, value and impact area - should take a back seat to expression!"Throughout all of this are beautiful paintings - some followed step by step using his tips, tricks, advice, etc. Or others like the student paintings where you learn by seeing them get a beauty makeover. And some as just full glorious finished paintings. Each chapter is color coded you can flip to exactly the chapter and advice you need. There are also chapters dealing with value, color, techniques and shapes. The final chapter shows both demonstrations and a gallery of his unique paintings. Practically my only quibble with this book is that it doesn't have an index. Other than that one negative this is one of the best art books I own. The principles and advice can be used with any medium, not just watercolor. If you paint or draw - no matter what the medium - you will enjoy this book.

I've been to many watercolor workshops and have a rather large library of watercolor instruction books, so I think I can I can speak as a knowledgeable watercolor painter about a book on watercolor. Tom Lynch has produced the best book on watercolor painting techniques I have ever seen. When you attend one of his watercolor workshops, the information he gives out is simply to vast to assimilate in your mind. Most students ask if he is going to have a book out in the near future (this has been going on for years) Tom told us all that he would put out a book only if it was done the way he wanted it done. Now it's done! If you're interested in watercolor painting, get this book! The highest praise I can give a book is that 5 years from now this book will still be THE book for instruction and 20 years from now this will still be the reference book for watercolor instruction. It's easy to understand and it's filled with Tom's famous charts. DON'T MISS THIS ONE!