Watercolor Painting: A Complete Guide To Techni...

The best beginner book on learning to paint is "How to Paint: A Complete Beginner's Guide to Watercolors, Acrylics, and Oils" (available at Amazon). It's an excellent introductory guide if you are new to the world of painting and includes lessons for oils, acrylics, and watercolors. A great guide for those looking to expand their repertoire or get out of a painting rut is "Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist" (available at Amazon).

Watercolor Painting: A Complete Guide to Techni...

Of course, the results can also be surprisingly not wonderful. When using salt with watercolor, you're never going to be completely in control, but there are a few things you can do to gain the best results possible.

Listed are the steps for the process I used in the video above:1) Paint underlying watercolor colors.2) I allowed the page to dry until the moisture sheen on the surface of the paper was just beginning to disappear, but you can vary this to get different effects. (More on this below.)3) Sprinkle salt in desired areas.4) Allow paper and paint to completely dry. (Very important!)5) Lightly brush away salt. Be careful! When removing the salt, it's all to easy to sand or scratch the surface of the paper.6) Continue painting the rest of the scene.

Author & artist Leslie Frontz has over four decades of experience working as an artist. She guides you through a series of exercises with a focus on the most crucial semi-universal concepts in watercolor painting.

Simple watercolor painting for beginners. A beach scene painting with just two watercolors. Step by step guide covering basic topics such as paintings skies and clouds, sand, the sea, people and birds.

We compiled this complete guide on different mediums you can use in creating your art to present a short recapitulation of various art mediums throughout art history. We also focused on essential questions you need to answer before you start searching for an ideal medium for your artwork. Whether you are making your first steps in the world of art or are an accomplished artist seeking a fresh artistic expression, you need to choose your medium wisely.

The beauty of a watercolour painting lies in its diaphanous layers, delicate strokes, and luminous washes. However, the very features that define the beauty of the medium can make it difficult to master. This complete guide to understanding the relationships between colour, value, wetness, and composition unravels the mysteries of watercolour to help your practice evolve.

"Enough control is what we're after in a watercolor. Complete control escapes us forever."Nita EngleNita Leland's Watercolor & Watermedia Book ListAgan, Cindy. Painting Watercolors That Sparkle With Life North Light, 2004. Working with photos, Agan uses pre-mixed colors to paint striking images of dogs and cats, flowers and children's portraits. Stresses emotional involvement and expression, motivation.Albert, Greg. Basic Watercolor Techniques. North Light, 1991. Good basic book on materials and techniques.Anderson, Catherine.Basic Watercolor Answer Book. North Light, 1999. Some handy techniques in watercolor.Andrews, Don. Interpreting the Figure in Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 1988. Free technique, wonderful color.Arthur, John. Realist Drawings & Watercolors. New York Graphics Society, 1980. 50 contemporary artists--an outstanding collection.Batt, Miles. Complete Guide to Creative Watercolor. Creative Art, 1988. Not the best organized book, but packed with good information.Bays, Jill. The Watercolourist's Garden. David & Charles, 1993. A beautiful little book for flower-garden painters.Beam, Mary. Celebrate Your Creative Self. North Light, 2001. More than 25 exercises to unleash the artist within.Becker, David. How to Sketch With Watercolor North Light, 2003. Learn to get the idea down quickly.Becker, David. Watercolor Composition Made Easy. North Light, 1999. Composition ideas that work in all media.Beckwith, M. & Lorie Liebrock. Creative Watercolor: Step-By-Step Guide & Showcase. Rockport, 1995. Excellent examples of experimental watermedia paintings with some techniques demos.Betts, Edward. Master Class in Watermedia. Watson-Guptill, 1993. This is a classic and one of my favorites. Includes contemporary design in several media.Betts, Judi. Painting: A Quest Toward Xtraordinary. Aquarelle, 1999. Another clever, creative book.Betts, Judi. Watercolor: Let's Think About It. Aquarelle, 1984. Clever, creative book.Blockley, John. Getting Started in Watercolor. North Light, 1987. Free-flowing landscapes in watercolor & ink.Blockley, John. Watercolor Interpretations. North Light, 1985. A wonderful book, good basic techniques and more.Bourdet, Susan. Painting the Allure of Nature. North Light, 2001. Sharp-focus watercolor with songbirds and flowers. Brandt, Rex. Watercolor Techniques & Methods. Van Nostrand Rinehold, 1977. The twenty basic lessons adapted from the Winning Ways of Watercolor for easy student and studio use.Brett, Bernard. A History of Watercolor. Excalibur, 1984. From prehistoric cave paintings to the Abstract Expressionists. Fascinating history of my favorite medium. (Can't you tell?)Brommer, Gerald. Emotional Content: How to Create Paintings That Communicate. Internatinal Artist, 2003. The key question is "What do you feel?" Brommer's books are always filled with useful tips and techniques. Brommer, Gerald. Understanding Transparent Watercolor. Davis, 1993. All of Brommer's books are excellent and this is no exception. Great examples.Brommer, Gerald. Watercolor & Collage Workshop. Watson-Guptill, 1986. Primarily watercolor and rice-paper collage techniques--excellent book.Brooks, Leonard. The Many Ways of Water and Color: Watercolor, Acrylic, Casein, Gouache, Inks, Mixed Techniques. North Light, 1977. An early mixed-media book that I've always enjoyed.Brotherton, Naomi. Variations in Watercolor. North Light, 1981. Simple, direct watercolor techniques--well done.Brouillette, Al. The Evolving Picture. Watson-Guptill, 1987. Watercolor techniques with acrylics, beautiful work.Bulgin, Sally, ed. The Artist's Problem Solver.. North Light, 2001. Practical solutions from ten professional artists for painting in watercolors, oils, pastels and acrylics.Campbell, Judith. Watercolor Painting on the Trail: A Hiking Artist's Handbook. Appalachian Mtn, 1993. Equipment, techniques, helpful for plein air (outdoor) painters.Carbonetti, Jeanne. The Tao of Watercolor: A Revolutionary Approach to the Practice of Painting. Watson-Guptill, 1998. Wet-in-wet techniques with a little philosophy on the side.Carr, Betty. Seeing the Light: An Artist's Guide. North Light, 2003. Shows you how to create depth, form and atmospheric light in watercolor and oil paints. Chuan, Chieh Tzu YUan Hua. Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting: 1679-1701: A Facsimile of the 1887-1888 Shanghai Edition. Princeton, 1978. The classic text in Oriental brush painting, history and technique.Clark, Timothy. Focus on Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 1987. Clark's personal approach to watercolor.Cobb, Virginia. Discovering the Inner Eye: Experiments in Water Media. Watson-Guptill, 1988. This one is a favorite, but hard to find. Especially good in abstract design.Cooper, Carol. Watercolor: No Experience Required. North Light, 2004. An easy guide to getting started in watercolor. This is a good basic book that doesn't confuse beginners with fancy techniques and tricks.Cooper, Mario. Painting With Watercolor Watson-Guptill, 1971. Very simple, direct techniques in brush handling.Cooper, Mario. Painting Flowers in Watercolor Watson-Guptill, 1972. Brush-handling techniques are very easy to learn with this book.Cooper, Mario. Watercolor by Design. Watson-Guptill, 1988. Lots of good information, demos.Cossman, Howard. Drawing and Painting Cats In Pencil, Ink, Markers and Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 1984. Studies of cats in different media.Couch, Tony. Watercolor: You Can Do It. North Light, 1996. Good basic book. Helpful demos in landscape painting.Crespo, Michael. Experiments in Watercolor: Twenty Ways to Learn by Doing. Watson-Guptill, 1988. Some interesting experimental techniques.Crespo, Michael. Watercolor Class: An Innovative Course in Transparent Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 1994. Organized systematic approach to watercolor at several skill levels.Crook & Learner. Impact of Modern Paints. Watson-Guptill, 2000. How paint chemistry and the advent of acrylics influenced 20th century painters.Dewey, David. The Watercolor Book: Materials & Techniques for Today's Artist. Watson-Guptill, 1995. A good reference--comprehensive.Dews, Pat. Creative Composition and Design. North Light, 2003. Packed with ideas and instruction.Dews, Pat. Creative Discoveries in Watermedia. North Light, 1998. Very exciting experimental techniques with detailed how-to-do-it instruction.Dobie, Jeanne. Making Color Sing. Watson-Guptill, 1986. A fine book, especially good on color mixing.Doherty, Sara M., ed. Painting Color (Best of Watercolor). Rockport, 1997. Nice picture book for gaining inspiration.Doherty, Sara M., ed. Painting Light & Shadow (Best of Watercolor). Rockport, 1997. More examples of good watercolors.Doherty, M. Stephen. Dynamic Still Lifes in Watercolor: Sondra Freckleton. Watson-Guptill, 1983. Emphasis on Freckleton's background and techniques--beautiful examples.Donovan, Liz. Painting Sunlit Still Lifes in Watercolor. North Light, 1997. Beautiful still-life book.Draper, J. Everett. People Painting Scrapbook. North Light, 1988. More on populating your paintings with people.Draper, Everett. Putting People in Your Paintings. North Light, 1985. General reference to using figures.Draughon, Stefan. A Passion for Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 2000. A very appealing book for beginning watercolor painters and others who want to be inspired.Dunn, Charles. Conversations in Paint. A useful notebook of fundamentals for painters.Eaglemoss Books. North Ligiht, 2003. 22 projects, all landscape subjects with detailed demos. Many fine examples on every page.Earnshaw, Adele. Painting the Things You Love in Watercolor. North Light, 2002. Tips & techniques for still life.Ellis, Ray and Walter Cronkite. North by Northeast. Search ABEbooks Oxmoor, 1986. Collection of watercolors of the northern coast of the US by Ray Ellis with commentary by Cronkite.Ellis, Ray and Walter Cronkite. South by Southeast. Oxmoor, 1983. Collection of watercolors of the southern coast of the US by Ray Ellis with commentary by Cronkite.Ellis, Ray and Walter Cronkite. . Oxmoor, 1990. Collection of watercolors of the West coast from Washington to California by Ray Ellis with commentary by Cronkite.Engle, Nita. How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects. Watson-Guptill, 1999. Nita Engle is a modern master. She describes her techniques in detail.Fellows, Miranda. 100 Keys to Great Watercolor Painting. North Light, 1994. Handy pocket guide to techniques.Ferry, David. Painting Without a Brush. Wellfleet, 1991. Try some unusual techniques.George, Ethel Todd. Painting Flowers With Watercolor. North Light, 1980. A very early book with simple techniques and useful information on flowers.Goldsmith, Lawrence. Watercolor Bold & Free: 64 Experimental Ideas and Techniques in Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 2000. A long-time favorite of mine. Ideas for freeing up watercolors.Gottsegen, Mark David. The Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded. Watson-Guptill, 2006.Green, Jean Drysdale. ArtEffects. Watson-Guptill, 1993. Textures and illusions, lots of creative ideas.Greene, Gary. Painting With Water-soluble Colored Pencils. North Light, 2002. Demos and illustrations of techniques.Guptill, Arthur. Color in Sketching & Rendering. Reinhold, 1949. A nifty old guide for architects.Hamm, Jack. First Lessons in Drawing and Painting. Perigree, 1988. A complete and easy guide.Harrison, Hazel. Encyclopedia of Watercolor Techniques. Penguin, 1999. Comprehensive reference--English-style.Harrison, Hazel. Watercolor School. Reader's Digest, 1993. A step-by-step guide for painting watercolors--English-style.Hill, Tom. Color for the Watercolor Painter. Watson-Guptill, 1975. Some good exercises on color.Hill, Tom. Painting Watercolors on Location. North Light, 1996. Lots of good tips on equipment for outdoor painting.Hill, Tom. The Watercolorist's Complete Guide to Color. North Light, 1998. Hill's personal approach to color.Holden, John. Watercolors. Nice little teach-yourself book.Holman, Karlyn. Searching for the Artist Within Bayfield, 2002. An inspirational and visual guide for your journey through watercolor.Hoopes, Donelson. American Watercolor Painting. Watson-Guptill, 1977. From the early 19th century to mid-1970s.Horgan, Paul. A Writer's Eye: Field Notes & Watercolors. Abrams, 1988. Beautiful sketchbook by a traveling writer.Howard, Rob. Gouache for Illustration. Watson-Guptill, 1993. The best book on gouache, but hard to find and apparently going out of print. Grab it if you can find it.Howard, Rob. The Illustrator's Bible: The Complete Sourcebook of Tips, Tricks, and Time-Saving Techniques in Oil, Alkyd, Acrylic, Gouache, Casein, Watercolor, Dyes, Inks, Airbrush, Scratchboard, Pastel, Colored Pencil, and Mixed Media. Watson-Guptill, 1992. Great studio handbook, especially for commercial art techniques.Howe, Patrick. Dramatic Light: Paint Eye-Catching Art in Watercolor and Oil. North Light, 2006. Patrick Howe makes painting light doable for most painters in watercolor and oilHRH Prince of Wales. Search ABEbooks Watercolours. Little Brown, 1991. Charming English landscapes painted by the Prince of Wales.Huntly, Moira. Imaginative Still Life. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983. Demos of different media and techniques.Huntly, Moira. Painting in Mixed Media. North Light, 1989. Ideas and demos in different media and subjects.International Artist editors. Work Small, Learn Big!: Sketching with Pen & Watercolor. International Artist, 2003. Compilation of sketches by 17 artists. Styles range from loose and spontaneous to highly detailed with many notes. Jackson, Paul. Painting Spectacular Light Effects in Watercolor. North Light, 2000. Clear instruction on painting special effects.Jameson, Kenneth. Starting With Abstract Painting and Abstract Work in Other Media. Watson-Guptill, 1970. An early book that helps understand abstraction.Jelbert, Wendy. Gardens in Watercolour. Batsford, 1992. Instruction on painting the lovely environment of a garden.Johnson, Cathy. Creating Textures in Watercolor: A Guide to Painting 83 Textures from Grass to Glass to Tree Bark to Fur. North Light, 1992. A real winner, loved by watercolor artists.Johnson, Cathy. Painting Watercolors(First Steps Series). North Light, 1995. Good beginner's book.Johnson, Cathy. Watercolor Pencil Magic. North Light, 2002. Good coverage on a variety of techniques.Jung, Kwan. Chinese Brush Painting Step-by-step. North Light, 2003. Easy-to-follow instructions and demos for this ancient art.Kan, Diana. The How & Why of Chinese Painting. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1974. Out of print, but one of the treasures of my library.Katchen, Carole. 200 Great Painting Ideas for Artists. North Light, 1998. Examples from different artists and media.Katchen, Carole. Figure Drawing Workshop. Watson-Guptill, 1985. How to make inspiring figure drawings in all media with examples from several artists.Katchen, Carole. Make Your Watercolors Look Professional. North Light, 1995. An informative Katchen book regardless of the title.Kautzky, Ted. Painting Trees & Landscapes in Watercolor. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980. A classic for landscape painters.Kautzky, Ted. Ways With Watercolor. Reinhold, 1967. This book helped me learn to paint. Values, brush strokes, landscapes.Kay, Pamela. Gouache: A Personal View. Sterling, 2000. One of few informative books on opaque watercolor. Kemp, Linda. Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines. North Light, 2004. A positive approach to negative painting. Knapp, Stephen. Creative Inspirations: A Collection of Drawing and Painting Ideas for Artists. Rockport, 1997. Exciting selections of contemporary paintings.Knapp, Stephen. Landscape Inspirations: A Collection of Drawing and Painting Ideas for Artists. Rockport, 1997. A beautiful collection of contemporary art.Kosvanec, James. Transparent Watercolor Wheel. Watson-Guptill, 1994. Kosvanec's system of working with color.Kunz, Jan. Painting Watercolor Florals That Glow. North Light, 1993. Solid instruction, beautiful paintings.Kunz, Jan. Painting Watercolor Portraits That Glow. North Light, 1989. Structure, light and flesh tones.Lalumia, Frank. Plein Air Painting in Watercolor and Oil. North Light, 2000. Equipment, colors and demos--good coverage of the subject.Lawrence, William B. Painting Light & Shadow in Watercolor. North Light, 1995. Excellent instruction in watercolor and design.Le Clair, Charles. The Art of Watercolor. Watson-Guptill, 1994. A comprehensive watercolor book including many fine examples.Leland, Nita. Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting. North Light, 1998. The best book on color for artists--trust me! More than 80 exercises and demos, plus wonderful examples by 65 artists. Look here for more information.Leland, Nita. Exploring Color Coloring Book. Moonflower Books, 2000. A color reference handbook and workbook for Exploring Color printed on acid-free watercolor paper. You don't need the book to do the workbook (but it helps) Look here for more information. Lidzey, John, et al. Color Mixing for Artists. Barrons, 2002. Minimum colors for maximum effect using watercolors, acrylics and oils.Lipscomb, Guy. Watercolor: Go With the Flow. Watson-Guptill, 1993. Good guide for the spontaneous technique.Lindsay, Ann. Watercolor: A New Beginning: A Holistic Approach to Painting. Watson-Guptill, 1998. Non-intimidating approach to watercolor painting.Little, Carl. Lawrence Goldsmith: A Life in Watercolor. Hudson Hills, 2004. In the top ten of my favorite contemporary watercolor painters.Loos, Ray. Watercolor Options. North Light, 1985. Painting different styles in watercolor.Lovett, Robert. The Art of Designing Watercolors. International Artist, 2002. "All you need to know to create more powerful paintings." Lots of demos and good advice.Lynch, Tom. Watercolor Secrets International Artist, 2000. A good source for artists who want to paint color and light effects. MacKenzie, Gordon. The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook. North Light, 2000. Quite a few good tips.Masterfield, Maxine. In Harmony With Nature: Painting Techniques for a New Age. Watson-Guptill, 1990. Many exciting experimental techniques.Masterfield, Maxine. Painting the Spirit of Nature. Watson-Guptill, 1984. One of the first and best experimental watermedia books.Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Fifth ed. Viking, 1991. A technical reference all serious artists should be familiar with.Mayhall, Yolanda and Ted. The Sumi-e Dream Book. Watson-