Customer Reviews

Big Brush Watercolour (David & Charles Techniques in Watercolour)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A word to the wise is sufficient. That's why you don't need those small brushes to express those details in your painting. Paint freely and spiritfully with Ron Ranson is one thing a painter should try. A very good book for innovative painters.

I've had a hardback copy of this book since it came out in 1989 in the UK and have used it a lot. It has a chatty, down-to-earth style, but also contains lots of very basic, useful hints for beginning watercolorists. Even if you don't want to use the hake brush he recommends, you can still learn lots and loosen up your style. One of my favorite books, if not my favorite artist!

Another book by a modern master, Ron should've called this the "Technique Bible". He keeps no secrets, and shares all knowledge in a very informal and down-to-earth style. Opening one of his books is like greeting an old, dear friend, and this one's no exception.

He details everything, from his choice of a few brushes to what to do with them. Everything for a beginning watercolorist is here, and a few tricks for the intermediate to advanced, also.

A well-written and well-illustrated book.

I agree with some of the former reviews. For instance Mr. Ranson has a wonderful writing style and clearly enormous knowledge of watercolor. His paintings are wonderful and the free loose style is what led me to buy this book. I agree with other reviews that there is a lot of information in the text. But I find that I need step-by-step instructions that go along with illustrations in a book of instructions. I ordered this book having only seen it in the library, but never tried to work with it. In it we are warned that it is hard to get used to a hake, but there are no exercises or illustrations for how the technique of painting with a hake should be done. The painting demonstrations are often vague. And it is sometimes unclear at first reading which text goes to which illustration. For instance the text and the illustrations on pages 62-64 are confusing. I'm not sure I am following which illustrations go to which text. One place we are told that when a sky wash that has been painted is still fairly damp the reflections are put in. There is information about how the reflections were painted, but if I am right about which illustrations are being discussed, it hasn't been mentioned when the trees that provide the reflections were done. The text is like a very good lecture series, but it is often not enough to let the reader learn by copying.
The section on color is great. It was exciting to learn just how much I could do with only seven colors, and those seven colors.
I may not have given this book enough time, but I don't want to allow myself to become so discouraged that I give up the big brush system so I have ordered an earlier book of Mr. Ranson's hoping there will be more help with using the hake and clearer step-by-step illustrations of his actual painting method.

This book delivers the skinny on fast and loose watercolor painting. Ron's fun and direct manner evokes a much needed direction for the beginning and intermediate artist. I particularly enjoy his taste of subject matter and mode of application.

This is that kind of books where you will find the same things you can find in a lot of painting books. How to mix the colours, the paper categories. I thin is a waste of time, and of course of money.