Art Book Recommendations
Title:
"The Watercolorist's Answer Book"
Author: edited by Gina Rath
Pages: 191
Description: Not sure which technique you need to improve your watercolor? Choose them all! The Watercolorist's Answer Book combines the wisdom, expertise and beautiful work of eight accomplished artists in one comprehensive volume. You'll find information on using and caring for materials, advice on basic and advanced techniques and useful tips for improving your paintings.
Title:
"Landscape Painting in Watercolor"
Author: Zoltan Szabo
Pages: 183
Description: Zoltan Szabo's Landscape Painting in Watercolor offers a wealth of information for both aspiring artists and seasoned painters. This comprehensive text, enriched by over 300 illustrations, 24 of which are full-page color plates, includes instructions and advice for creating fantastic watercolor paintings. Thirty-six step-by-step demonstrations and over 200 monochrome illustrations vividly guide the reader through every phase of painting the landscape.
Title:
"Learn Watercolor the Edgar Whitney Way"
Author: Ron Ranson
Pages: 144
Description: Edgar Whitney was one of America's premier watercolor teachers. During his time as an instructor he taught thousands how to paint in this challenging medium. In this book fifteen former students share the principles and techniques that Mr. Whitney taught them. This book is recommended for both the beginner and experienced watercolor artist.
(For more information on Mr. Whitney you can click on the link below:
https://rogallery.com/Whitney_Edgar_Albert/whitney-biography.htm)
Title:
"John Salminen - Master of the Urban Landscape: From realism to abstractions in watercolor"
Author: John Salminen
Pages: 192
Description: John Salminen is one of the most accomplished watercolor artists working today,
In Master of the Urban Landscape, Salminen shares over 150 pieces of his artwork, spanning his entire career. His early abstracts and recent plein air work in the book's Introduction set the groundwork for four chapters of remarkable watercolor paintings that highlight different aspects of his work: architectural form, organic form, human form and light and shadow. Throughout, Salminen shares the inspiration for his paintings, challenges he encountered and techniques he used to capture unique scenes from cities around the world.
Title:
Author: Timothy J. Clark
Pages: 144
Description: Timothy J. Clark discusses the basic techniques of watercolor painting and provides tips on light, shadow, color and subjects.
Title:
Author: Tony Couch
Pages: 175
Description: Introduces the basic equipment and techniques of watercolor, gives advice on composition, color, and value, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of sample paintings.
Title:
"Painting on Location: Secrets to Plein Air Painting"
Author: David Curtis, and Robin Capon
Pages: 128
Description: In this book British painter David Curtis shows you how to capture the moment, focus on the essential elements of a subject, and capture the mood
with speed and economy in your paintings
Title:
"Painting Beautiful Watercolor Landscapes: Transform Ordinary Places into Extraordinary Scenes"
Author: Joyce Hicks
Pages: 130
Description: Learn the Art of Seeing and tap into the beauty of the everyday! In Painting Beautiful Watercolor Landscapes, Joyce Hicks shows you how to transform ordinary landscapes into gorgeous, lush works of art.
You will learn to look differently at the world around you by slowing down and seeing beauty in the every day to find settings you can't wait to paint. Then, by learning to understand design elements and principles, use color, and make the most of artistic license, you'll gain the confidence you need to create light-filled watercolor landscapes. Finally, Joyce shows you how to add fine details to make the painting distinctly yours.
Title:
"Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings into Art"
Author: Joseph Zbukvic
Pages: 128
Description: Zbukvic guides artists through step-by-step demonstrations that clearly illustrate how to: identify a subject; plan a painting; control color and value; manipulate edges; add the right finishing touches.
With this book, artists can achieve a greater level of mastery with watercolor and deeper, richer painting.
Title:
"Sketchbook Confidential 2: Enter the secret worlds of 41 master artists "
Author: Pamela Wissman (Author, Editor), Stefanie Laufersweiler (Author, Editor)
Pages: 176
Description: A brilliant follow-up to the first Sketchbook Confidential, this book grants you access to 38 of art's most creative minds via their sketchbooks. Whether created in studios, subways or the middle of a farmyard, these sketches represent art in its raw form. Up until now, this work has been tucked inside drawers or on studio bookshelves. Now the artists lay it out for all to see, along with intimate musings on the art of sketching and how it helps them commune with a subject, find their path to a finished piece, or discover even greater rewards in the journey itself.
Title:
"Strengthen Your Paintings With Dynamic Composition"
Author: Frank Webb
Pages: 146
Description: Create compelling paintings by mastering compositional techniques!
While happy accidents may occasionally contribute to producing strong, eye-catching paintings, conscious painting is more important. According to author Frank Webb, "Composition is more important than fact, technique, or subject." To create compelling, expressive works, you must make the composition the foundation of your plan. This book provides example-by-example demonstrations of how you can achieve this.
The works of 24 professional artists included in this book give you an over-the-shoulder look at how to apply composition techniques. Armed with this information, you can paint a powerful picture and—just as importantly—analyze and improve a work that has gone wrong.
Title:
"Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (James Gurney Art) "
Author: James Gurney
Pages: 223
Description: James Gurney is the award-winning fantasy artist and the creator of Dinotopia. Renowned for his uncanny ability to incorporate amazing detail and
imagination into stunningly realistic fantasy settings, James Gurney teaches budding artists and fans of fantasy art step-by-step the techniques that won him worldwide critical
acclaim.
More than an instruction book, this is the ultimate reference for fans of science fiction and fantasy illustration. Though written with a focus on
illustration this is a great book for any beginning artist.
Title:
Author: Arthur L. Guptill
Pages: 255
Description: Arthur L. Guptill's classic Rendering in Pen and Ink has long been regarded as the most comprehensive book ever published on the subject of ink drawing. This is a book designed to motivate and instruct anyone who draws with pen and ink, from the professional artist to the amateur and hobbyist. It is of particular interest to illustrators as well as artists.
Contents include a review of materials and tools ; handling the pen and building tones; value studies; kinds of outline and their uses; drawing objects in light and shade; handling groups of
objects; basic principles of composition; using photographs, study of the work of well-known artists; on-the-spot sketching; representing trees and other landscape features; drawing architectural
details; methods of architectural rendering; examination of outstanding examples of architectural rendering; solving perspective and other rendering problems; handling interiors and their
accessories; and finally, special methods of working with pen including its use in combination with other media. The book is profusely illustrated with over 300 drawings.
Title:
Author: International Artist
Pages: 128
Description:Pen and wash is one of the easiest and fastest ways to build painting skills. Master painters commonly use it as a first step in more complex, complete paintings: to get down basic compositions and solidify ideas. In Work Small, Learn Big, an impressive list of artists from around the world illustrates the value and possibilities in pen and wash: Tony Couch on designing with pen and wash, Richard Plincke on building confidence, Keith Bowen on techniques to develop personal style, Judy Schroeder on experimenting with pen and wash, Don Getz on expanding picture-making ability with a travel journal.
Compressing the styles and methods of a broad array of artists into one volume, this book is full of ideas delivered in a beginner-friendly, illustration-heavy format.
Title:
"The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley,
Author: Heinrich Kley
Pages: 148
For anyone who loves loose, expressive pen and ink work this book is for you. Volume One focuses on Kley's ink drawings, and reprints for the first time a substantial selection of his illustration work for children's books and adult genre fiction, a side of Kley's career previously unexplored in other collections. This volume also includes a wide sampling of Kley's cartoons and magazine work.
Title:
Author: Valerie L. Winslow
Pages: 304
After more than thirty years of research and teaching, artist Valerie Winslow has compiled her unique methods of drawing human anatomy into one groundbreaking volume: Classic Human Anatomy. This long-awaited book provides simple, insightful approaches to the complex subject of human anatomy, using drawings, diagrams, and reader-friendly text. Three major sections–the skeletal form, the muscular form and action of the muscles, and movement–break the material down into easy-to-understand pieces. More than 800 distinctive illustrations detail the movement and actions of the bones and muscles, and unique charts reveal the origins and insertions of the muscles.