Watercolour in 10 Steps

When I decided to teach myself to paint with watercolors, I dove in head first buying cheap brushes, cheap paints, and how-to books that contained pretty pictures, but not much how-to. Fifteen books and two years later, I now know that there is no avoiding the cost of good paint and brushes, and really helpful books are few and far between. Watercolor in 10 Steps was the first book that helped me move beyond frustrated floundering and paintings that I wanted to hide in the back of my closet, to paintings that (while not ready for a gallery) are good enough to show my friends without cringing. After an introductory chapter that explains the basics of blending paint colors, brush strokes, papers to use, etc., this book provided the detailed photos and steps I needed to paint two surprisingly attractive still lifes of fruit and flowers, and a beach scene. By the time I finished the lessons in this book, many of the other books I'd purchased and set aside made more sense to me. If you are new to water coloring, this book will help get you off to a good start. If you're frustrated with the progress you're making using watercolor books that are ill-suited to beginners, and you're about ready to move to acrylics or knitting, this book might just restore some of your early enthusiasm and give you the confidence to keep going.

The author lays out a very comprehensive plan for the beginner to learn watercolour. The Contents are: before you begin Step 1 Exploring Colour Step 2 Preparatory drawing and sketching Step 3 Tone Step 4 Watercolour layers Step 5 Texture Step 6 Lost and found edges Step 7 Energy and Light Step 8 Editing Information Step 9 Creating Drama Step 10 Composition Taking it further The chapter "Before you begin" is about choosing the right materials -everything from the basic palette to paper and she explains it all in detail. The author demonstrates different strokes you can make with your brush and there are photographs to show you. There is a small section on other painting tools from sponges to toothbrushes - an interesting mix. Also in this section is the basic palette, taking care of brushes etc. The first chapter focuses on understanding and combining colour, goes over colour theory and different applications of the paint (Wet in wet, wet on dry, dry brush, spattering and there are colour illustrations throughout). Chapter 2 onwards are step by step illustrations and guidance on how to begin basic still life projects. The first project is an apple and there are four pages illustrating the whole process from sketching it to choosing the right paint and where to apply it. The book progresses from the simple still life of an apple to grapes, bananas, a jug and then finally combining it all in one painting. The author writes in a practical, upbeat way. It is very inspiring! I am a newcomer so this is perfect for me. The colour illustrations throughout make it really easy to follow. You can't go wrong with this book if you are new to watercolour.