Customer Reviews

Watercolor: A New Beginning: A Holistic Approach to Painting

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been wanting to paint with watercolor but all the books out there does not even describe how difficult the medium is. I'd follow the instruction only to find a dissapointing result that my painting looks nothing like the illustration. More over, many of the equipments (such as paper, brushes, paints) are all way too expensive to allow me for a 'mistake'.

Following the instruction in this book, there is no wrong way or result. In fact, it brings the fun back to the art, the main reason why I picked it up in the first place! There's plenty of time and exercises for experimentation and developing a feeling of how the watercolor works, rather than heavy logical technique of mixing colors, brushing strokes, etc. Best of all, this book only require minimum equipment with only 3 brushes and 4 tubes of paints!

I highly recommed this book for someone who is a beginner and sensitive about their art, like me. I'd recommend this also for children or adult who have been having a bad experience in painting/drawing in the past. It has surely encouraged me to paint some more, without guilt. A truly enjoyable book!

Ann Lindsay's holistic approach to water color has givien me a fresh chance to learn intuitively...and with delight...to adventure into unmapped terrain as a child does...to bypass those voices of fear and doubt...to nurture, to validate, and even to liberate creative impulses never before encountered... Ann Lindsay is a gifted guide and teacher, whose approach has been quite literally life-changing. Her book takes you by the hand and lays out the basic steps with simplicity and ease...no rights or wrongs...just experiments and explorations...followed with gentle, attentive questions about the experience. How did it go? What was fun? What happened that you liked? Or didn't? How did it feel? What did you see? The lessons follow upon one another beautifully, providing just enough structure to get going comfortably...with plenty of room to find one's way...to make wonderful discoveries about the process. This is a guidebook, and its value shines in the doing and in the trying out. Only after the journey had started did I realize how skillfully and sensitively I was being led. As a psychologist, I recognize that her integration of left and right brain processes makes absolute sense...as a spiritual seeker I believe the deep importance of her emphasis on connecting with the inner resource and listening to the voice of the heart...and as a beginning student of watercolor I know that her encouragement and her accompaniment have been just what I needed to break through those mighty barriers of inadequacy and impossibility. Entrusting myself to the processes in which Ann Lindsay invites us to participate continues to be an experience of discovery and joy.

I found this book, and Ann Lindsay's approach to watercolor painting, nothing short of transformative. The book leads you through a fun series of explorations while addressing ways to let go of the kind of negative inner judgment that inhibits so many of us from feeling we can try something new and creative.

The "lessons" build on one another introducing techniques in a playful way. For a while you think, "well, this IS a lot of fun, but is it getting me somewhere?" and then suddenly - maybe around lesson 4 or 5 - it is all starts coming together in very exciting ways.

The book is beautiful with absolutely clear step by step color illustrations and a wonderful writing style. I was so excited about this book, I gave it to a number of people and they have all also actually used it and become excited about it. Following this technique, I was able to begin painting things in watercolor that I really like in a very short time. I know that Ann Lindsay's approach really allowed me to get beyond the anxiety I had about whether what I was doing was "good enough" so that I could feel free to explore. I can feel the benefits of letting go of that self-judgment spreading into other areas of my life as well.

I'd highly recommend this book to anybody. A few of the people I gave it to work with children in schools and have told me that they have been using it in their work with some exciting results. Others I know with varying levels of previous artistic experience have all said they really enjoyed it and found it helpful. So get this book!

To anyone with great interest in trying watercolor painting, this is the book I would recommend. No drawing skills needed. It's not about whether or not you believe yourself to have the talent. If you have the desire, dive in and enjoy the journey. I have been painting for more than 10 years and I love this book. I am preparing to teach a watercolor class for beginners, and this is the book I've chosen to guide me. Lindsay expresses a lot of great points that help the reader to drop all that inhibits from the real joy of painting...learning. Even the great painters we ooh and aah at never stop learning as long as they are still alive and painting.

I bought this book because I wanted to explore my creativity with paint and didn't want to be intimidated by an overly technical book. This book turned out to be perfect. The author writes with so much love and respect for the individual as a creative being. She teaches things like technique, color, and drawing in a way that is free and fun. It is especially good for people (like me) who are very critical towards themselves, and who tend to get discouraged easily. Ann Lindsay is so good at encouraging the reader to view things positively, rather than critically. This book was such an inspiration I can't recommend it highly enough!

Ann K. Lindsay's book is a revelation! The title on the front cover reads "Watercolor - A New Beginning." And that's exactly what I experienced - a new beginning. After years of formal art training, this Advertising Art Director is learning a whole new way of seeing via Ann Lindsay's holistic approach. I've always loved and admired watercolor and never thought I'd be proficient enough at it. Ann's fresh teaching approach has totally turned around that negative thinking. This book is a 144 page one-on-one Ann Lindsay watercolor workshop! I recommend it highly.

I am a newcomer to painting and I found Ann K. Lindsay's Watercolor: A New Beginning to be extremely helpful! The book is full of information, presented in a way that those of us who don't have experience or education in art can understand. I found her teaching exercises to be both fun and useful. Linsay has a talent for encouraging the reader to tap into their own creativity, using water color as the means. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore the art of watercolor painting.

Ms. Lindsay can really explain the basic "how to" in a simple easy to understand manner. At the same time she helps you really enjoy the learning experience, removing the frustration that you usually get from "self teaching" books...

As everyone else mentions, this book is fantastic for beginners. In particular, I am only now, at age 28, coming back to the visual arts since giving up around 2nd grade when I realized how bad I was at drawing compared to some of my peers. I find that art books aimed at children work well for me, quieting my inner critic long enough to let me practice and improve. While there were plenty of those for drawing, I had trouble finding many for watercolors.

This book fills the gap. I never expected to find a book written for adults that was still gentle on my first halting efforts, but this one is as good as or even better than the art books for children at reminding me that every artist has to start somewhere.

Also, I recommend checking out the artist's website. She has a gallery of some of her lovely paintings there.

What a refreshing way to introduce a person to watercolor painting! As a lifelong teacher I can appreciate the step by step, non-intimidating approach used by this author, and as a newbie to painting, I love the comfort level engendered. I have bought my supplies and cannot wait to begin. This would be a great gift for someone.