Customer Reviews

The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a model of concise instruction, wise advice, deceptively simple exercises, and compact design. Like they say on TV: if you buy just one watercolor book, make it this one.

Dewey gives equal emphasis to materials, theory, technique, the principles of design, and simple practice. He sees the whole art. He begins with an overview of paint manufacturers, brushes, papers and other supplies, and closes with an invitation to try mixed media and a step-by-step explanation of how to do a large studio painting. There are penetrating discussions of color theory and mixing paints, on selecting the palette for each painting, and on building a painting from value sketches.

The technical advice in this book is exceptionally accurate and easy to understand. The four pages explaining how to paint washes avoid the errors or omissions common in most other books. All topics are illustrated with pictures that add information rather than decorate the page. Dewey includes several traditional techniques that other methods don't mention: pen and ink wash drawings, value design sketches, using a sketchbook, monochrome paintings, color chords for color design, the "color" of gray, and much more. The book is so compactly organized that many gems of advice are tucked in the picture captions; the book can be studied repeatedly and still teach something new.

Dewey has painted the student lessons and technical examples displayed throughout the book. The more advanced lessons build on simple but beautifully designed demonstration paintings (my favorite is the still life on a patterned rug). Everything comes together in a harmonious vision of watercolor art, a reference and inspiration for many hours of happy experimentation and learning.

I primarily wanted a book full of watercolor pictures by a contemporary artist plus instructions on how some of them are made. I had settled on about 3-5 books of which I intended to buy only one. Took a drive to Barnes and Noble, saw them all and I must say I was impressed by this one. Watercolor aficionados would have mostly heard of this author and artist. Amazing collection of pictures of not only the artist but his own selection of watercolor art from other major works with illustrative details of those art work. The only drawback I notice is that the details are restricted to current context and not much is said about that picture. I would have appreciated that kind of description. This is definitely an error which the author might want to take up in his next edition. Else... this book has great tips and instructions. When a learning artist thinks, "Damn it... how do I get that effect ?". This is a book that can be confidently consulted. Anyone looking for encyclopedic details on what the watercolor is all about and wishes to learn it all and get all the 3 credits from his/her couch from just one book aint going nowhere. This book is a superb reference. I guess the author did what he wanted to do. I did buy this book. B&N is $6 costlier but amazon charges that extra for shipping and it takes time.

David Dewey's text on watercolor is not just another vanity book showcasing one artist's personal work, but a thorough in-depth introduction to both visualizing & handling a most difficult medium. Nor does it pretend to be an easy does it 1-2-3 & your painting watercolors type of book. Rather it is layered & dense with information that could easily keep you preoccupied for a year or more worth of instruction. Start with the monochromatic exercises in the beginning of the book & follow them religiously till you know them blindfolded. Do the same with the invaluable content on color theory & the related exercises. The lessons provided will reward you with a mastery of the medium & help you to find your own voice in watercolor. This book is not another feeble attempt at learning to carbon copy of someone else's technique. The many examples of various watercolor artist's work & their analysis is excellent as well.

I find this book great for beginners as it emphasizes the fundamentals of art elements and techniques for any painting or drawing medium. I found myself understanding more of the concepts I was already familiar with and I also learned much about watercolor's relation to elements of art. I really love the way he explains color and how watercolor is especially perfect for expressing color more than other types of painting. I also love seeing the step-by-step process of how he achieves the end result of each painting and concept he's discussing. It gives detailed instructions but allows you to imagine and create unique paintings, as well. He also hints about the standards of watercolor techniques and basics, such as saying how wet on wet is good for the organic look or adding too much color removes light since watercolor is a subtractive process. Great book, and I read it cover to cover, taking notes along the way. Very basic.

I was recommended this book by a professor to use as my guide in an Independent Study in watercolors. I don't have any other to compare it to, so I'm just writing what I got out of it.

It has very good descriptions about types and brands of paints, papers, and brushes to start out with. There are also some chapters dealing with general composition and color theory.

I was more interested in techniques though, which I thought Dewey covered well. As a newcomer to watercolors, I was introduced to different types of washes, layering, lifting techniques, etc. I really liked the mixed media section which discusses laying watercolor with things like pastels or colored pencil.

It was nice to see a variety of work too. It's not all of Dewey's pictures (though I thought his stuff was pretty dang amazing).

After reading several books about watercolor, I found this book to be the best watercolor book on the market. It is the clarity and thoroughness of the explanations that make this such a valuable resource. I particularly found the section on color theory helpful. This is not a book with a few scattered tips against a background of gorgeous pictures of the artist's work. Rather, it is a master teacher reaching out to all levels of learners as he takes the mystery and confusion out of doing watercolors. If you were only going to buy one book about watercolor--this is the book!!

The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists

An outstanding book for the watercolor enthusiast. Dewey's chapters cover materials, subject matter and technique that even the advanced watercolorist can learn from. The book is a handy item to help both the practicing artist and teacher. Not so much a step by step study, but rather information that can be applied to the artists individual style and subject matter.

I have way too many watercolor books (buying WC books is addictive, although not as addictive as buying new colors). This book is one of my absolute favorites, and one I find myself returning to over and over. I am a very big fan of the entire "Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists" series, and I own their Drawing Book, Pen & Ink Book, Pastel Book, Acrylic Book, and Oil Painting Book.

All of the books in this series seem to follow the same basic format. The first third or so of the book cover materials in great detail. The emphasis is on the types of materials that you need, options available, and characteristics of specific brand names. If you're a beginning watercolorist lost among all of the brands of brushes, paints, and paper available then this will be a great resource. The middle 3rd of the book focuses on general techniques, followed by a series of discussions related to specific subject matter. The final third focuses on mixed media - and in my opinion this is the area where Dewey's books really shine. I think he's a great pastelist and uses pastels and watercolors together to do some amazing stuff.

I view this is a great book for folks that know at least a little bit about watercolor painting and are interested in getting into more depth and detail. I probably wouldn't recommend the book for absolute beginners, because I think absolute beginners would find the book a little overwhelming. Some initial questions that absolute beginners might ask (like "What colors should I have on a basic palette") aren't really addressed until pretty deep into the book. For an absolute beginner, something like Jack Reid's "Watercolor Basics: Let's Get Started" or Charles Reid's "Painting Flowers in Watercolor With Charles Reid" could be a better choice. But if you've seen enough of watercolor to know that you want to know a lot more about it, this book is a great resource.

As a long time painter and teacher, I use many books as reference for my students. This is one of the best for starting off right in water media and I use it as the primary text in my college class. It is a classic methodical approach to the basics of watercolor painting, with easy to follow yet challenging exercises. Please note - I advise all my painting students to first master basic drawing skills which are so helpful for success in painting.

I found this book very helpful -- a good introductory book on water color techniques and products. Lots of detail on the different materials and tools used in watercolor (paper type, brushes, paints, misc). The author discusses the uses of each and which products and brands he finds most useful/of the best quality. The author also discusses different techniques (with examples). The book is in color and the step-by-step instruction is useful for beginners or those of us that are a bit rusty. This book will also be useful for people that have never taken an art class as there is background info as well (the color wheel, values, etc.).