Painting Watercolors That Sparkle with Life [Hardcover]

Cindy Agan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

She shows readers exactly how to re-create these popular subjects, with;
- Advice for boosting creativity and inspiration
- Detailed illustrations and examples
- Guidelines for connecting with viewers
- Tips, tricks and techniques for painless painting
This is the complete guide to creating art that sparks emotion. It's the perfect choice for artists of every level who want more heart in their art!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cindy Agan's watercolor paintings have enormous appeal and following. Her work has appeared in the books Splash 6 and Splash 7, as well as numerous international exhibitions. She lives in South Bend, Indiana.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1 edition (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581803753
• ISBN-13: 978-1581803754
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply The Best!!, August 7, 2005

By 

C. M. Barcello (Wales, U.K.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting Watercolors That Sparkle with Life (Hardcover)

Having bought many watercolour books over the years and not getting far due to poor instructions I decided to paint in a more forgiving medium. Then I saw the cover of Cindy Agans book. I was blown away with the painting on the cover - it looked so realistic. I couldn't believe it was watercolour. So I decided to have one more go at watercolours. In this instance you can definately tell a book by its cover!. Cindy Agan has obviously put her heart and soul into her book - sharing all she has learned, by trial and error over many years (being self-taught) she holds nothing back from the reader. Her colour swatches, hints and tips alone are worth the price of the book. I've been able to follow all the demonstrations with ease. I am so pleased with my end results and feel confident to now paint portraits, animals, flowers, etc. This book is my 'Bible' - I love to read parts of it every day. I highly recommend this beautiful book. Cindy Agan - Thank you!! Please, please write another book a.s.a.p. You have brought joy to my life.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any serious watercolourist, August 6, 2005

By 

Anne Hudec - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting Watercolors That Sparkle with Life (Hardcover)

I have owned this book for over a year, and it is a mainstay for me, which I constantly refer back to again and again. The author is a tremendous teacher (and an inspiration with her beautiful work), and her approach is easy to understand in her step-by-step demonstrations. I therefore strongly disagree with Pricilla Goodwin's critique that this book was unhelpful, and left out essential steps in the painting process. You can tell by the many other critiques that readers have used her step-by-step process to paint a subject successfully for the very first time, and that says everything to me.

The author covers all of the challenging subjects in this book from fur to grass to flowers, to backgrounds, as well as covering techniques such as glazing, masking, and feathering among others. She also discusses the emotions an artist must deal with when facing criticism when presenting their work, which can be a tremendous challenge for many. I cannot think of a single point that the author did not cover in this well-thought-out book, and I have been painting and studying watercolour seriously for the past 6 years. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to achieve realism in their paintings. My only disclaimer is this: as with any book, you can buy it and let it sit on your shelf, and it won't do anything for you. That's usually when people blame the book instead of themselves for not achieving their desires of improvement. However, if you buy this book, read it, and practice from it you will be very pleased with the results you have achieved with the help of this gifted artist. I hope that we will see more books from Cindy Agan in the future!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painting Watercolors That Sparkle With Life, August 6, 2005

By 

Mrs. J. P. Hazle (Tiverton, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting Watercolors That Sparkle with Life (Hardcover)

Being entirely new to painting (I joined an Art Class in Sept2004) I bought this book in November and to my delight found the step by step instructions clear, concise, & totally comprehensive. My first project was to follow the demonstration of painting the Black Cat, which I adapted to copy a photo of Penny once a member of our family. When a friend of an artist saw it she exclaimed "You feel you can reach out and stroke the fur". This book has been so useful to me and is one I can refer to time and time again.