Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting (Dover Art Instruction) [Paperback]

Edgar A. Whitney (Author), Art Instruction (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2001 | Series: Dover Art Instruction

Comprehensive, popular guide by renowned artist and teacher presents a full course of watercolor painting, from basics to creating landscapes; painting portraits and figures; drawing; following design principles; and matting, framing, and selling completed works. Two full-color sections show how to create 7 of the author's watercolors. 37 color illustrations, over 100 black-and-white illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (July 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486417425
• ISBN-13: 978-0486417424
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars overrated but still worth having, October 25, 2001

By 

drollere (Sebastopol, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting (Dover Art Instruction) (Paperback)

edgar whitney was perhaps the most influential american watercolor instructor of the 20th century, and this book (first published in the 1960's) is the popular and definitive statement of his painting principles. be warned: this is actually a book on visual design, with emphasis on the "six pattern schemes," the "rule of good form," the seven principles and eight elements of design, and so forth; technical advice is limited to wet in wet and texturing methods, and a fine chapter on drawing, the "foundation of all visual art." whitney's paintings -- which strike me as crass and histrionic -- may warn you about the level that "art" can sink to when it's based on simple formulas. but whitney is inspiring as a teacher, not as an artist, and his teaching is animated by a belief in the high purposes of art, the importance of craft, practice and scholarship, and by a disarming attitude of honesty and earnestness in everything he says. personally, i think the watercolor volume by skip lawrence (a whitney student) provides a better design introduction, but whitney's book is a classic -- fun to read, invaluable to refer to, and it may even improve your painting style.

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fundamentals of graphic design as applied to watercolor, September 20, 2003

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silversurf (Planet of Paint) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting (Dover Art Instruction) (Paperback)

I wish publishers would stop calling their books "Complete Guides" to a subject. No guide to watercolor-or anything else-can possibly be complete. This raises unrealistic hopes that the reader will soon learn are unfounded. However, I love this book, and recommend it to serious students of painting, despite the unfortunate and rather bogus title.

A better, though more cumbersome title, might have been "Introducing the Fundamentals of Graphic Design as Applied to Watercolor Painting."

While this book does not offer every possible bit of information you will ever need to paint in watercolor, it can teach you how to design your paintings thoughtfully and well. The author understood the fundamentals of design, and explained them clearly and logically. Many of his own paintings are included as instructional examples. I found them very helpful, although the black and white reproductions are not always easy to "read".

Some people like to paint intuitively and emotionally with no conscious consideration of design. If this is your preference, and you have no wish to consider other approaches, this is not the book for you. This is also not the best book for someone looking for in-depth lessons in color theory. There is some discussion of the general working methods and materials of traditional watercolor painting, but that alone would not make me recommend the book. Much of this information can be found in the many introductory watercolor books on the market today. These often have great visual appeal, with lush color reproductions, and lots of sparkling white space. But looks can be deceiving. While this rather plain-looking book will not win a beauty contest, get to know it well and you will find that it has hidden charms.

What makes this book so valuable to me is its emphasis on drawing and composition as the foundation of painting. If you share the author's faith in this foundation, but have not been able to master these subjects through your own efforts, this book can be an excellent (though not complete) guide.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting, May 23, 2001

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cat bounds (Southern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting (Hardcover)

Many great watercolorists of our day are proud to mention that they were students of Edgar A. Whitney. His "Principles of design" and "Elements of design" constantly show up in modern day watercolor technique books.

This book is a must for those of us who love watercolor. The graphics are, of course, dated, but that's a part of the charm of owning a book authored by one of the true masters of the media.

It's a good read, front to back, but you'll also find yourself returning to it again and again in your workshop or studio for reference.

Mr. Whitney has the reputation, not only of being a genius but also being a bit of a rascal in his workshops, pulling no punches in his critiques and also reveling in joking with his students. I was born too late to experience his workshops, but I treasure this volume of his words and wisdom