Learn to paint with Anna Mason, using this inspiring, practical watercolor guide to botanical art Anna's vibrant, detailed and uplifting watercolors have earned her worldwide recognition. In this, her second book, she goes beyond flowers to explore her inspirations from across the natural world, including fruit, birds and animals. The book gives you a very personal insight into Anna's way of working; with clarity and warmth she will help you find inspiration, choose scale and composition, see things correctly and work with discipline and flow until you produce fabulous work of your own. Packed with advice and inspiring finished pieces, this gorgeous book guides the reader through Anna's method of working with a variety of beautiful step-by-step projects and exercises. It is suitable for beginners or for more experienced artists looking to refine their style or try some new techniques.

Anna Mason's exceptional floral artwork has won awards from the Royal Horticultural Society, International Artist magazine and seen her elected to the prestigious Society of Botanical Artists. In this book, she shares her innovative watercolour technique so that you can paint flowers in her clean, crisp style. The book covers every aspect of painting modern botanical-style portraits of flowers, from tips on gathering your reference to Anna's six stage watercolour process. There are instructions on setting up your studio and how to produce the detailed drawings. Each of the six step-by-step projects is accompanied by an outline drawing, tonal notes and useful colour swatches so that you can compare the tone and hue of your mixes to Anna's own. This all builds into a fantastic guide that will inspire and challenge the experienced watercolour artist, while drawing in and reassuring the complete beginner.

Billy Showell is a well-respected botanical watercolour artist, and her exceptional eye for detail and ability to re-create the form, texture, colour and patterning of a wide range of plants have earned her a formidable reputation worldwide. Her compositions are given a contemporary, sometimes playful twist, while retaining all the beauty and accuracy of traditional botanical paintings. In this inspiring and indispensable guide for botanical artists, she reveals the materials, methods and techniques she uses to attain her stunningly beautiful portraits of flowers, fruit and vegetables. There is expert guidance on tools and materials, working from life, observation, and drawing and painting techniques, as well as detailed sections on pattern, texture, and colour and colour mixing. With numerous step-by-step studies, close-up photographs and examples of Billy's exquisite paintings, this book is not only packed full of invaluable advice and information but also a visually stunning showcase for the work of this amazing artist.

Learn to find inspiration, plan your approach, and create stunning watercolour paintings inspired by the natural world. Anna’s vibrant, detailed and uplifting watercolours have earned her worldwide recognition. In this, her second book, she goes beyond flowers to explore her inspirations from across the natural world, including fruit, birds and animals. The book gives you a very personal insight into Anna’s way of working; with clarity and warmth she will help you find inspiration, choose scale and composition, see things correctly and work with discipline and flow until you produce fabulous work of your own. Packed with advice and inspiring finished pieces, this gorgeous book guides the reader through Anna’s method of working with a variety of beautiful step-by-step projects and exercises. It is suitable for beginners or for more experienced artists looking to refine their style or try some new techniques. “This book is glorious in every sense, from the beautiful cover to the absolutely stunning paintings throughout the book, this is something to bring joy on the dullest of days. . . . This beautiful book is packed full of helpful advice, how to garden, how to photograph, and how to paint from those photographs, how to understand colour, form and texture.” —My Creative Notebook “This engaging guide to painting a wide variety of natural subjects is packed with information and inspiration. . . . This is an intriguing, enthralling and thoroughly enjoyable book.” —The SAA Catalogue

Take an entertaining and educational tour of the four seasons and observe the many delightful mysteries of nature. Perfect for colorists of all ages. Captions.

Give your paintings more life - with light! The best watercolor paintings have a certain radiance, a richness of light, color and detail. You can bring these same effects to your own work with the help of award-winning painter Linda Stevens Moyer. With this book, you'll discover a layering formula for creating stunning watercolors that explode with light. Even if you've struggled previously with layering colors, you can achieve the results you want through these easy-to-follow instructions. Moyer takes you step by step through the entire process, beginning with the most basic aspects of watercolor, including: Mixing and using color Creating form and representing space Saving and regaining the white of your paper Building realistic textures Using photographs to inspire and develop your painting Layering with transparent watercolor to portray light Create paintings that dazzle. It's easier than you think.

NEW IN PAPERBACK Billy Showell's exquisite and technically brilliant watercolour flower portraits are beautifully presented in this highly informative, lavishly illustrated book. Packed with information on drawing and painting techniques, colour mixing and composition, it is an invaluable source of ideas and inspiration for anyone who wants to develop their flower painting skills, whether or not they have any previous experience.

Billy Showell is a well-respected contemporary artist whose watercolour flower portraits have earned her the respect of watercolour artists all over the world. Worked to the same degree of accuracy as traditional botanical paintings, Billy's compositions are given a more contemporary twist, combining her unique eye for design with her love of flowers. In this book, 40 flower portraits are presented, arranged in alphabetical order, each one accompanied by small studies, details, step-by-step instructions and the colour mixes used to accomplish the finished work. At the start of the book there are useful sections on the materials and equipment needed and the main techniques used, including wet-into-wet, colour blending, lifting out, layering glazes, dry brushing and colour mixing, and at the end of the book Billy gives her own unique slant on composition and discusses the importance of creating a sketchbook. Whether you love to paint, or simply love flowers, this book will delight and inspire you.

Colors of Nature is the perfect companion for anyone who is puzzled by the seemingly unpredictable behavior of the paints on their palette, as well as those who would like their watercolor paintings to look fresher and livelier. In this new paperback edition, the author has tested more than 150 artists' watercolor paints from six manufacturers, and the results of this exhaustive testing are included here, along with recommendations for the best colors in the palette sections at the end of each chapter. This beautifully illustrated book guides the reader through a world of colors and exquisite flowers and fruit, explaining simple concepts and more advanced color-mixing theory while exploring the serendipity and beauty of wet-in-wet watercolor painting.

For anyone interested in the challenge of watercolor here is a no-nonsense approach by a pro who loves the medium and loves to teach.