Painting the Allure of Nature [Hardcover]

Susan D. Bourdet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

Watercolor artists will find it easy to paint realistic, atmospheric nature scenes when artist Susan D. Bourdet takes them under her wing. She starts with the basics of watercolor nature painting, then illuminate the finer points from start to finish. It's just the kind of instruction they're looking for. They'll learn how to: Create a reference library of photos, sketches and field notes; Choose and mix colors; Combine reference materials to design realistic compositions; Master invaluable watercolor techniques, including 12 steps for successful washes; Render realistic birds, flowers, leaves and other foliage; Capture realistic textures of atmospheric snow, fog, bark, moss, lichen, rock, wood, cobwebs and weather; Create close-up compositions that suggest a story; Capture the essence of the seasons in four full-size step-by-step demonstrations; No matter what their skill level or experience, Susan D. Bourdet can help make every artist's watercolor work richer in personality, drama and realism.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Whether we believe in the Garden of Eden, in simian ancestors on the African plains, or in neither, nature has a powerful hold on all of us. Most artists have been drawn to nature in a usually futile attempt to capture its mysteries. Bourdet's title refers to painting of nature's power to entice a loftier goal than what she actually attempts, which is to paint one's emotional response to nature. Fortunately, she excels at this more modest goal. A gifted teacher and a fine artist, Bourdet guides us through the basics of sketching, field notes, using a reference library of photos, color mixing, and the realistic rendering of birds, flowers, leaves, snow, fog, wood, cobwebs, etc. She offers masterly technical advice in segments on, for example, avoiding mud on paper, not in the field. Wendy Jelbert's Painting Nature's Details (LJ 3/15/97) took a narrower approach, while Robert Reynolds and Patrick Seslar's Painting Nature's Peaceful Places (North Light, 1994) was more akin to folk art. Bourdet's book is more comprehensive and earthier than either. Highly recommended as a solid, inspiring take on illustrating and interpreting nature.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Susan D. Bourdet has been painting, studying and teaching watercolor painting techniques for the past twenty years. Her watercolors have received numerous awards, been featured in numerous exhibitions and currently appear in calendars by Bookmark. She is a member of The Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund and the Watercolor Society of Oregon. Susan lives in Jefferson, Oregon.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1 edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581801645
• ISBN-13: 978-1581801644
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Still Life
  • #87 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Landscape

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Capture the Intricate Details of Nature... with Watercolor!, November 25, 2004

By 

Andrea Acailawen (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting the Allure of Nature (Paperback)

I've always been captivated by the beautiful realism of nature art, but the majority of books I read that covered detail-style nature painting focused mostly on opaque media, particularly oils and acrylics. While I do enjoy both of these media, I've longed for a good book that captured the meticulous detail and inherent beauty of nature, in watercolor. This book is exactly what I was longing for.

If you love meticulous detail and realism in nature painting, and the soft, flowing feel of watercolor, but never envisioned putting them together, hold on to your paintbrushes! Susan D. Bourdet captures the incredible details and textures of nature with watercolor, while also embracing the soft, free-flowing beauty unique to this amazing medium. Better yet, in Painting the Allure of Nature, she shares her mastery of both subject and medium, to take the reader on a step-by-step journey through various techniques and breathtaking projects, one right after another.

The chapters in this book include:
- Materials, Preparations and Choosing Pigments;
- Ideas from Nature;
- Background Techniques for Nature Painters;
- Painting Flowers and Leaves;
- Painting Birds;
- Painting Nature's Textures; and
- Putting it All Together, Step by Step.

I found the chapters on backgrounds and textures to be particularly enjoyable as they really show the uniqueness of the medium, and how it can be harnessed to create incredible, realistic nature paintings. If you're interested in capturing the realism of nature with watercolor, this is the book you've been looking for. It is definitely one of the better books on the subject. I can't recommend it enough.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars watercolor art instruction, August 16, 2009

By 

Shameless Hussey (NotOnTheWater,USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Painting the Allure of Nature (Hardcover)

I'm gonna paint a bird. This book convinces me that its not really all that hard to do. I've ordered paints and can't wait for them to come in the mail.