Painting Sunlit Still Lifes in Watercolor [Hardcover]

Liz Donovan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

Liz Donovan's watercolor still lifes are infused with the sparkle, color and movement of sunlight. The effects of light and shadow are, in fact, as interesting as the objects themselves! Follow along with the step-by-step demonstrations in this book to learn her effective (and often surprisingly simple) techniques. You'll see how to capture the rich, sunlit textures and colors of a variety of popular still-life elements, including lace, an oriental rug, satin, velvet, patterned fabric and flowered wallpaper; clear and colored glass, reflections in a mirror, stems in water, brass, copper and silver; rich wood grains and marble textures; apples, pineapple, peony, iris and various types of leaves. You'll also find advice on every aspect of painting still lifes - such as creating dramatic sunlit effects in your studio, setting up your arrangement, and designing a sparkling composition unified by light and shadow. Four complete painting projects - with every step explained, from arrangement to final touches - show you how to use all the skills you've learned, to put together gorgeous still lifes alive with light.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is one of the best in a recent spate of books that uses sunlight as the unifying theme. Donovan contends, as do most realist artists, that light is the most important part of a painting. In 33 demonstrations, she explores sunlit lace, glass, silver, wood, fruit, and flowers. Refreshingly, she is one of the few art instructors who admit that certain effects of texture and shape are nearly impossible to learn from a book. Such honesty is typical of the style of this fine work. A good companion to Patricia Monahan's more general Light in Watercolour (LJ 7/96).
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1st edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891347321
• ISBN-13: 978-0891347323
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfull Book For Still Life Painters, October 27, 1998

By 

hamsterdance (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Sunlit Still Lifes in Watercolor (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. After discussing the materials and some basic watercolor techniques the following chapters provide demonstration projects to apply the techniques. Ms. Donovan's paintings are a nice balance between washy-style watercolors and hyper-realistic.

She really shines on the demonstrations of painting reflective surfaces such as silver, glass or brass and also woodgrain and marble (which was a wonderful surprise since I'd never seen marble discussed before in any other watercolor book I own).

She also discusses composition, the effect of lighting and set up of your own still lifes for maximum impact.

I have done several of the projects and plan to do all of them. My own paintings have improved since applying the concepts and techniques the book demonstrates.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Splash!, August 25, 2000

By 

Margaret Lynch (Chicagoland, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Sunlit Still Lifes in Watercolor (Hardcover)

Liz Donovin is not only a beautiful artist, she's an excellent teacher. I study watercolors exclusively, and mostly from books. Her examples and color diagrams are truly worth a thousand words each, and her text is tightly knit into lines of priceless information, insight and instruction. Liz generously shares her secrets of mastering light, texture, and color. That's just for starters. I could go on and on. My husband ordered the book as a gift for me, under the condition I take my twice borrowed, overdue copy back to the library before I put us into hock! I did return it...but it was a long farewell! Thanks Liz, and BRAVA!

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book for watercolor enthusiasts., January 23, 1999

By 

Cindy ([e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Sunlit Still Lifes in Watercolor (Hardcover)

In my opinion, Liz Donovan is an outstanding watercolor artist. I love the emotion that she captures with each painting. Just looking through her book, inspires me to paint. Throughout the book she gives multiple tips on creating that perfect look. This book is a good choice for the still life artist who wants to try his/her hand at watercolor.