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First Steps Painting Watercolors (First Step Series) [Paperback]

Cathy Johnson (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)


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Book Description

First Step Series August 15, 1995
The absolute beginner's first strokes can now be fun and rewarding. First Steps offers friendly instruction that is clear, simple and encouraging.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: North Light Books; 1st edition (August 15, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0891346163
  • ISBN-13: 978-0891346166
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cathy Johnson, sometimes known as Kate, has worked as a naturalist, writer, and freelance artist for the past 30 years, and was staff naturalist and contributing editor for Country Living magazine for 11 years. She is a contributing editor to the Artist's Magazine and Watercolor Magic and has had a regular column in Personal Journaling magazine, where she wrote on a subject she feels passionately about -- realizing the importance of creativity in our lives. She has written and illustrated -- her own work and that of others -- for a number of national magazines, including Science Digest, Harrowsmith Country Life, Sports Afield, Country Journal, Muzzlelader, Women's History, Early American Life, Sketchbook, Woodworker, Woman's Day, Threads, Mother Earth News, National Wildlife Magazine, Sierra and others. Her writing and artwork have been included in a number of nature anthologies and art books.



She has written and illustrated 29 books, and contributed to a number of others, working with a variety of national publishing houses. Those include North Light/F&W, Time/Life, Sierra Club, Random House, Scholastic, Globe Pequot Press, Gibbs-Smith Publisher, Tehabi, Van Nostrand Reinhold, Walker Publications, Prentice-Hall Press, Penguin, Stackpole and others.



Many of these books have been published in editions overseas, as well, in Russia, Japan, Holland, France and England.



In 1993, she founded her own small publishing company, Graphics/Fine Arts Press, which primarily offers books of interest to the reenacting community or others interested in history and material culture.



Her paintings are included in a number of private and corporate collections in this country and abroad, including Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO; F&W Publications/North Light Books, Cincinnati, OH; Early American Life Magazine, Harrisburg, PA; The Kansas City Life Insurance Co., Kansas City, MO; and Newcomers Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.



Her original jewelry has also found its way overseas, to Scotland and Great Britain, and is included in the Images of the Archetype Collection in Glasgow, Scotland..



Her green man and fantasy paintings and sculptures are currently in a one-woman show online at http://www.greenmanreview.com/gallery-kate/index.html.



She is a longtime member of the Author's Guild and the Costume Society of America. She was chosen Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Burroughs Audubon Society in l987, and won the Thorpe Menn Award for Creative Writing (AAUW) for The Naturalist's Cabin; Constructing the Dream (Viking Penguin) in 1992.



Her website is http://cathyjohnson.info

 

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (19)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, July 22, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: First Steps Painting Watercolors (First Step Series) (Paperback)
A great book for the person who wants to try a new medium, or begin painting for the first time. Cathy Johnson's step by step instructional demos and great sense of humor make you want to get in there and just do it. The instructions are VERY clear and easy to understand--she never assumes you know what any given painting term means.
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent For Beginners, January 19, 2010
By 
Ganapathy Subramaniam (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: First Steps Painting Watercolors (First Step Series) (Paperback)
Of all the books out there on Beginning watercolors, this one ought to stand among the top.

This is a no-nonsense, direct, practial and applicable book.

Cathy Johnson, has covered a wide range of topics in a concise and apt manner that makes the most sense for the beginning watercolorist.

Here is what is covered in the book.

MATERIALS
Papers, Brushes, Palettes etc. are covered enough to get started.

THEORY
Colors, Values, Composition are briefly discussed, again enough to get going.

EXERCISES
This is a beautiful part of the book, some of the exercises are : Round brush Exercise, Flat brush, fan brush etc.. Some of them introduces to different materials tools such as palette knife. And there are a few interesting ones, which she calls "fear conquering" exercises. these are beautiful and essential, particularly useful to learn and understand watercolor. In these exercises she explores 'happy accidents' which is the key to successful watercolor.

TECHNIQUE
Various techniques are covered next such as Flat wash, graded wash , wet-on-wet,dry, wet on dry, and the Glazes.

SPECIFIC SUBJECTS
After the essential techniques are introduced, and one is familiar with how to use the tools and paint, we next move to specifics. A variety of subjects are covered, and the color palette is discussed along as these are taken up one by one.
Trees, foliage, grass, skies, water, surfing, falling water, snow, mountain, cliff, rocks, buildings, flowers, fruits, animals, and common things are some of the subjects that are dealt with.

DEMONSTRATIONS
The book concludes with a series of demonstrations of landscape and still life, such as Farm scene, boat scene, etc. wich are step by step, and applies the material covered so far in the book. This is the point when the learner can slowly take to his/her own wings and start creating their own paintings. There is one particular demo where the same scenery is painted using different palettes to create different seasons.

Overall, this is a very crisp and effective introduction to watercolors.
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44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What I was looking for, June 16, 2001
By 
edward filek (culver city, ca USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: First Steps Painting Watercolors (First Step Series) (Paperback)
I do not have an extensive art background. Without becoming arcane, the author gives sufficient knowledge and support TO GET YOU GOING. This is the right book for someone who wants to try watercolor but lacks the art background and/or the creative support one would get from an instructor.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Getting started with a new medium is excitingwatercolor makes it more so. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Watercolor Dictionary, Alizarin Crimson
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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