Customer Reviews

Creating Textures in Pen and Ink with Watercolor

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent book... IF you don't already own "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" by Claudia Nice. The material in this book is entirely duplicated in the "Painting with..." except for the last chaper called "Fur and Feathers". Please do not buy this book if you already own a copy of "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink". I did and was disappointed that there was only one chapter of new material in this book.

Now, if you own the other book "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor" then I highly recommend this book as it has subject matter that was not covered in the "Painting Nature..." book.

If you don't own any of her books, then buy the "Painting with Watercolor Pen and Ink" ISBN 158180265X because it completely combines the material in both "Creating Textures..." and "Painting Nature..." books.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in pen & ink drawing. Instead of trying to explain techniques in detailed text, it shows you step by step with color illustrations. It is written for all levels & the instructions are easy to follow.

There is information on types of lines, value and contrast. A wide variety of techniques are also covered. These include, dry surface, damp surface, wet on wet, spatter, blotting, impression, stamping and salt & alcohol.

It shows how to draw & paint metallic objects (gold, silver, iron, rust), baskets, pottery, brick, stone, marble, granite, textiles, clouds, weather, earth textures, rocks, wood, trees, leaves, foliage, flowers, fruit, & eggs.

Another section includes instruction on drawing transparent objects such as glass, eyes and many varieties of water. There is also a section on animals covering butterflies, animal hair, scales & feathers.

A better title would have been, "Creating Textures in Pen & Ink, Enhanced with Watercolor." 75% of each texture comes down to "make a detailed ink drawing". The other 25% is enhancing that ink drawing with watercolor. The pen & ink predominates everywhere. If this is the style of drawing you desire (e.g., detailed drawings where pen&ink predominates), then you will probably give this book 4 to 5 stars. I was looking for watercolor texture techniques and was disapointed.

With that said, the drawings are very well executed and the instruction quality moderate. The author relies too heavily on step-by-step examples as a teaching tool. The addition of color greatly enhances the pen & ink drawings, with spectacular results.

As a new botanical illustrator working in mostly in watercolor I have often found rendering realistic fine detail and texture a difficult and frustrating task. This marvelous book introduces the artist to a new approach that produces detail and textural effects that are both effective and fairly easy to achive.

The illustations are beautiful and the explanatory text is clear, to the point, and easy to follow. The book is well organized; starting with the various pen and ink methods and how they can be combined with watercolor techniques. This is followed by the demonstration of how these techniques can be applied to achive realistic rendering of multitudes of surface textures from apples to zebras and almost everything in between..

I recently checked this book out from the library and found it to be an excellent resource for me, a student new to these media. I enjoyed the book and decided to purchase it. Amazon lists the book as out of print. Indeed this title is out of print. However, don't despair. This book has been re-released under the new title "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink."

The style of this book is of ink illustrations colored with watercolor. Very good resources to use as examples. I would call it more illustration than watercolor painting. If you like the style, it is a great resource. I keep it my library and pull it when I need it. Good for the well-seasoned beginner.

If you really want to learn how to use pen & ink along with watercolor than this is the book you need. She shows great detail and helps the artist, either beginner or advanced, how to improve on their paintings.

There is a lot of very useful information in this book. Many of the author's techniques are broken down so even the begginer can achieve some very nice work. Her pictures are beautiful and give the artist something to strive for. As a beginner I found this book very helpful and would highly recommend it

This is a fun book that can be used to inspire creative ideas using pen and ink with watercolor. It gives good illustraton on how to create different effects and texture thru this mixed medium. I think it is a good selection to add to your library.

I was able to get good use of "Creating Textures in Pen and Ink with Watercolor" from the very first day after receiving it (page 128 to be specific). Claudia Nice is a master of the pen and ink medium and the instructions and illustrations in her book make this an essential addition to any artist's library.
As do most technical books, she begins with a listing of materials needed to accomplish the techniques that follow, and some basic application techniques, pretty standard for any such book. Although I do not so easily dismiss the crow quill dip as she does, it is a matter of little disagreement. I find rapidographs somewhat limiting, but what of that? It is a minor thing, a matter of personal taste.
What follows the introduction is nothing short of extraordinary as she demonstrates techniques for achieving the textures of wood, stone, water, hair ... all exceedingly useful in that artists and illustrators are constantly called upon to produce them. These are practical techniques that every illustrator needs to know.
The table of contents provides a sampling of the kinds of techniques covered from the illusion of transparent objects, the glisten of metals, the textures of vegetation and how to create full landscapes. It is richly illustrated and the narrative is just detailed enough to inform but not so much as to be ponderous. Instructions are specific to each illustration, so this is an excellent quick-reference when you need a specific texture in your work, but I highly recommend reading it through first. The wealth of information presented here is such that you will put it to use immediately. I will be returning to it frequently in my illustration work.