Friday, September 01, 2017

Learn to Paint in Watercolor with 50 Paintings Review & GIVEAWAY

Scottish artist Wil Freeborn has created a complete course on how to watercolor in his new book Learn to Paint in Watercolor with 50 Paintings: Pick Up the Skills, Put On the Paint, Hang Up Your Art. It's a 144 page Flexibound – released February 1, 2017 from Publisher: Quarry Books. Following an overview of the basics Wil leads 50 painting exercises incorporating the fundamentals of watercolor painting. His book is centered around the idea of painting what is in your environment. The exercises are cleanly laid out by objective, material, color palette and demo. Wil shares his creative process with step-by-step commentary and photographs. The subject matter includes simple still lifes, landscapes, cityscapes, animals and figures, portraits, people. Wil favors a 2B pencil, size 6, 8 and 12 round brushes, a 14" x 10" watercolor block and watercolor pans though he encourages you to find what works best for you. This how-to art book is packed with material that will help newer painters discover the unique properties of painting with watercolor. Get your copy below!

Contents
Welcome to my world

Chapter 1: Getting started
Basic Kit
Choosing your colors
Color mixing
Paper
Washes
Color, light, and atmosphere
How to keep a sketch book
Hints and tips

Chapter 2: Simple still lifes
Lively washes
Backgrounds for still lifes
Working with a minimal palette
Arranging a simple still life
Basic drawing for watercolor
Classic subjects, new approaches
Compose as you go
Watercolor with pen and ink
Sight sizing
Quick watercolor sketch
Hard edges

Chapter 3: Landscapes
Creating dynamic contrast
Washes for atmosphere
Simple wash with gradation
Creating a sense of distance
Masking areas of white paper
Bright colors in landscapes
Ideas for composition
Bold shapes
Finding interesting shapes
Pure texture and subtle washes
Working with one color
Reserving colors
Telling stories
Abstract patterns

Chapter 4: Cityscapes
Simplifying what you see
Exploring granulation
Sparkling sunlight
Symmetry and proportion
Painting multiple buildings
Perspective for beginners
Building up a complex scene
Finding your interpretation
Introducing a sense of scale

Chapter 5: Animals
Grouping subjects
Editing out
Expressive brushwork
Painting a museum specimen
Painting live animals
Working from photos
Three-color washes
Painting a marine subject
Landscapes with wildlife

Chapter 6: Figures, portraits, people
Adding figures to landscapes
Simplifying people
Painting quickly in situ
Grisaille 
Capturing movement 
Mixing media

Stretching paper
Glossary
Index

Credits

Excerpt from Chapter 5: Animals. Bunnies - Grouping subjects

Materials
Watercolour block, 355 x 254mm (14 x 10in) 
2B pencil
Size 8 and 6 round brushes
6mm (1⁄4in) flat brush

Colour palette
Yellow Ochre
Cerulean Blue
Alizarin Crimson
Quinacridone Magenta
Burnt Umber
Indigo

When you group a few subjects together, they can make interesting and dynamic compositions. Observe how animals relate to each other when they’re resting or at ease, whether it’s dogs, cats or even – as in this case – bunnies. The opposing curves of the animals’ bodies in this composition reminded me of a traditional Chinese yin-yang symbol.

1. Draw the pair of rabbits, keeping your lines light as always. Remember that the rabbits are three-dimensional objects, and think about where their forms curve away from you. This can be difficult, but it might help to check the shape of your own hand or arm for reference.


2. Use the larger brush to apply the main wash, a diluted mix of Yellow Ochre with a touch of Cerulean Blue and Alizarin Crimson. Cover the whole paper with this wash, except for the parts where the sunlight hits the rabbits’ bodies – leave these parts white.


3. When light passes through a thin part of your body, such as your ears (or your fingers if you hold them up to the sun), it glows with a bright pink radiance. This effect is called subsurface scattering, and it’s one of my favourite light effects. You can see it here in these rabbits’ ears. For their ears, use the smaller brush to apply a wash of Quinacridone Magenta. While it is still wet, drop a deeper Magenta mixture into it and it will spread really nicely.

  

4. Now start painting the rabbits’ bodies, using a flat brush and the same wash as in step 2, remembering to leave the highlighted parts unpainted. A flat brush can change the appearance of your washes. For example, if you want to accentuate flat areas of colour a flat brush can help. Apply the colour in layers to add more depth and slowly build up the forms. Deepen the tones as you work by adding touches of Cerulean Blue, Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Umber to your original wash. Paint the eyes with a wash of Indigo and Burnt Umber, leaving a tiny spot for the highlights.


5. Keep adding depth to the washes to increase the sense of three-dimensional form. For the shadows under the rabbits, use a wash of Indigo with a touch of Alizarin Crimson. Don’t try to control your application of the paint too much – allow it to pool and form edges naturally. This will contribute to the character of your painting and create a lovely, loose effect.

Learn to Paint in Watercolor with 50 Paintings is available worldwide at Quarry Books, a division of the Quarto Publishing Group USA. Check out their unique catalog at Quarry Books. Quarto has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until September 17, 2017. Prize includes shipping. Canada & the USA only. Good luck!



Photo I took of Wil's watercolor painting travel kit on page 13.

38 comments:

  1. id love the cocktail book i drink a lot of them

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  2. Body by Steve Parker looks like a great book to have!

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  3. Creative Sprint, I need a jump start to unblock!

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  4. I would also like "Hidden Histories". Thanks for the giveaway.
    Marilyn

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  5. Learn to Play Sax by Ollie Weston would be a perfect book for my Grandson! He is really interested in learning to play a Sax!!

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  6. I also like their book The Art of Painting Animals. The West Highland White Terrier on the cover looks like one of our dogs.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  7. I would love to give or receive: "Studio Of the South: Van Gogh In Provence"!

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  8. I would like to try The Houseplants Books!

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  9. My brother is a physics major and I love giving him puzzles. Brain Bend by Mister Mourao would be a different kind of puzzle. He might give the colouring pages to his daughter but I hope he would try at least one.
    MPaula

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  10. I would like to receive Art on the Rocks.

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  11. Coloring New York Jazz by Tomislav Tomic looks interesting

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  12. I would love to receive: "The Organic Artist" by Nick Neddo. Here is the link: https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781592539260/The-Organic-Artist.html

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  13. Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, Revised and Expanded by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann

    would be nice as I just got a slowcooker

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  14. The Art of Drawing Dangles by Olivia A. Kneibler
    This book looks kind of fun.

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  15. I would love to own the Brain Bend by Mister Mourao book
    Marlene V.

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  16. Another book i would like is
    The Sex Bible For People Over 50 by Laurie Betito

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  17. I would love to get the book Drawing for Joy for my daughter. she iss 10 and my artist.

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  18. QuartoCooks COLLEEN PATRICK-GOUDREAU
    Joy of Vegan Baking, Revised and Updated Edition

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  19. I like the book The Art of Painting Animals.

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  20. I'd love to gift Sketch and Go: 5-Minute Fashion Illustration by Emily Brickel Edelson to my bestfriend who is in a fashion program right now!

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  21. I would like to receive Jimmy Skunk for my granddaughter. Sounds really cute.

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  22. Another book I would like is The Complete Mushroom Hunter, Revised by Gary Lincoff. Would love to know if the mushrooms I see on my walks are edible.

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  23. I am trying to improve my eating pattern every day. So I would be interested in the book Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

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  24. Sanbo traditional orgami design

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  25. My children would enjoy Geology Lab for Kids by Garret Romaine!

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  26. Route 66 Roadside Signs and Advertisements by Joe Sonderman

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  27. Route 66 Roadside Signs and Advertisements by Joe Sonderman

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  28. I think my Dad would like this book as a gift: The All New Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores by Steve Ettlinger and Phil Schmidt

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  29. Another book I would love to receive is the "101 Organic Gardening Hacks by Shawna Coronado". Thanks!

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  30. I would like Folk Art Fusion by Heather Galler.

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  31. Following via GFC: smurfette/lisa brown

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  32. I would give the: Colour-by-Number: "Birds by Walter Foster Creative Team" to my niece, she would love it ;)

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  33. I would like to receive Broth.

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  34. Cooking with Nonna by Rossella Rago.

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  35. I think "Let's Go Bowling" would be fun to read. vidomich(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. I would like to give Broadway Baby: The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things to my daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'd love to receive 'Learn to Weld.' It's next on my list of things...

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