Watercolour Painting Step-by-Step

This is a practical and comprehensive guide for all watercolour enthusiasts, from the beginner who wishes to explore this popular painting medium to the experienced artist looking for inspiration and ideas. Starting with advice on materials, colour and composition, the book goes on to describe basic and more advanced techniques and the wonderful effects they can produce. Fourteen easy-to-follow, step-by-step demonstrations show the reader how to paint skies, trees, water, buildings and flowers, and each section is accompanied by a selection of inspirational paintings by the seven featured artists, in a rich variety of styles.

Originally published as ‘Working with Watercolour’, this book uses material from the ‘Leisure Arts’ series.

Author Biography

Jackie Barrass worked in international banking for many years, before deciding to devote more time to her interest in art. Her expressive watercolours and works in other media can be seen in galleries and exhibitions around Surrey and in Hampshire where she lives. She now paints under the name of Jackie Walker.

Richard Bolton is a professional watercolour artist who enjoys travelling and painting. He has written a number of successful art books from his visits around the world. He now lives and works in New Zealand with his wife.

Ray Campbell Smith is a prolific and versatile professional painter who specializes in watercolour. More than forty one-man shows have been held, many in the wide-ranging list of galleries which regularly exhibit his work. His work is represented in many collections in the UK and abroad. As well as contributing regularly to leading art magazines, he gives lectures, demonstrations and criticisms to art groups. He has made many highly successful instructional videos and DVDs and has written numerous books on painting, including several major best-sellers. Ray is on the advisory panel of the Society of All Artists in the UK. He has appeared on TV on several occasions, once painting a landscape in the company of Mary Nightingale, and he was recently voted Artist of the Year by the Society of All Artists.

Frank Halliday has demonstrated at most of the major art shows representing Winsor & Newton. He currently tutors on cruise ships for about six months each year, and has been painting his way round the world for the past five years. Frank runs four-day painting breaks from his studio in Norfolk. He also paints twenty-four painting per month for P&O to sell on their cruise ships and his work is in prestigious collections around the world. In his spare time he does demonstrations and workshops for art clubs and groups.

Wendy Tait was born in Derby and attended the Joseph Wright School of Art. As her four children grew up she began exhibiting both locally in the Midlands and further afield, always supported by her husband Harry. For many years, Wendy gave demonstrations and taught classes to art clubs and societies. Although she no longer teaches, she remains as busy as ever, enjoying writing and illustrating books and painting in several different media. Wendy has won various awards for her work, and has painted a set of stamps for the Government of Jersey depicting the four seasons.

Bryan A. Thatcher is a professional artist, illustrator and tutor who lives on Watford Heath in Hertfordshire. He studied at the London School of Graphic Arts and now specializes in watercolour, particularly in loose, flowing wet-into-wet landscapes, seascapes and harbour scenes. His rapid brush work makes his paintings vibrant and exciting. He is also an accomplished painter using oils with a knife. Bryan runs a number of courses, classes and workshops. He has also produced a series of successful tutorial videos on wet-into-wet painting and has written articles for various magazines.