Customer Reviews

Watercolor for All: A Practical Guide for Beginners & Improvers

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After seeing the number of painting books by Smith I took to him to be an authority. I found it straight forward and easy to follow. Lots of instuction and tips. A bit above the understanding level of my 7 year old daughter but perfect for me to graduate from painting by number. Seems to cover just about all one would neeed to know in order to take up the past time.

It is a very well written comprehensive guide to watercolor painting. It helps the beginner learn the art of watercolor painting . The paintings are invaluable tools to help you learn. It feels like it gives you a one-on-one lesson in art class. It is a fabulous book!

Graeat! Quite inspiring. Got me painting more than ever. A must have for anyone interested in painting. Love it!!!

I'm a beginning watercolor painter who is teaching myself by reading books and experimenting. Before reading this I read Ray Campbell Smith's Way with Watercolor and loved it but it was not a beginner's book covering all the basics. When I saw this I wanted to read what he had to say to beginners specifically, so I read this cover to cover.

Ray Campbell Smith is a painter of landscapes using fresh simple strokes. The advice he gives for how to paint watercolors reflect his personal preference combined with good practical advice. The book has a serious tone; it's not casual and touchy-feely as some other books on the market are. I personally like both types so am happy to get different advice from different artist authors.

After saying that you learn a lot through experience and regular practice he shares more. Beginners need to know "the proper approach is to analyze the problems posed and think out ways of overcoming them". (pg. 10) The most important stage of all successful watercolor painting is the mental translation of the observed image into watercolor terms and this is where skill and experience come into play." (pg. 10)

After general encouragement in the Introduction the chapters progress as it seems all beginner books do. He covers the topics of the paper and stretching, the brushes, using high quality paints, color theory, doing washes, and everything else that all the basic beginner books cover. The chapters on composition and perspective are basic information you may know from elsewhere but the author still peppers in tips and tidbits that make reading the chapters worthwhile.

Regarding materials I liked his classification of them into two categories: expensive necessities and expensive frills. He gives a lot of practical advice for us to consider when choosing colors and scenes, such as not using too many colors which can confuse a painting and ruin it. He believes that using the same or a few colors lets them "hang together". He feels that landscape painters should be subtle and understated to give a good visual effect.

The author shares his favorite paper, brushes, and paints. The issue with the recommendations of the brush sizes is they are correct for the canvas use he uses, so beginners need to keep that in mind. He advises to try different paper but to stay with your favorite so you can get to know it well. The same goes for the brushes. I completely agree with this advice.

I appreciated the encouragement and warnings to beginners such as to avoid picking a too complicated subject or picking a too-wide landscape, two common beginner mistakes. We are advised to look for good composition scenes rather than cliché things we think will sell. We are told to take time to get a feel for the subject, and to develop our personal style. Don't pick the obvious angle.

"When an artist has studied his subject profoundly and made an effort to look beneath the surface, his painting will have far greater depth. It will reveal something of what he felt and this can invest the most ordinary subject with magic." (pg 67) That is the type of excellent wise advice that is peppered through this book in between the more basic beginner's tips that you may have heard elsewhere, which makes reading this book worthwhile.

There is a lot of practical advice and I took copious notes. I learned a lot by reading this book and can't recommend it highly enough so long as you appreciate the style of painting that Ray Campbell Smith does.

I rate this book 5 stars = I Love It.

Though I've painted in watercolor for several years, landscapes were never very interesting to me..... until I discovered this book. The skies are wonderful and so is the water. Trees are simplified in their execution. The limited palette Mr. Smith uses appeals to me and will create wonderful colors for any outside scene. So, for me, the title of this book could also say "A Practical Guide for Beginners & Improvers & THOSE SEEKING NEW DIRECTIONS."

This better than as I was hoping for. After reading just the first page I started getting motivated to paint. Now that I've finished the book I can't wait to start!
I've even decided to devote time to cleaning out and organizing a room to turn it into an arts and crafts studio!