Customer Reviews

Watercolor Painting For Dummies

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4 star:		(2)
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Watercolor Painting for Dummies is a great book for both beginners and artist who just need to brush (no pun intended) up on the fundamentals of w/c painting. If you're looking for a book to give you all the information you need because you are just beginning, this is it. This book is chock full of everything you need to know and everything they teach in art class.
Another good thing about this book is you don't have to start from the first chapter and read from there (unless you are a beginner).
And there are several projects you can paint "along" with.
This is a good book to have and refer back to again and again.

Wow! Most art books are like the ones you remember from college--sky high prices and nothing but print. Art books need pictures, and this one has plenty of them in color--no guessing as to the artist's tecnique. You can use it as a reference, or start from scratch. It gives you sources for everything you need. A must have for any artist's library.

As a recent retiree I am picking up on the things I have been wanting to do since I was a child. Drawing and painting were two of the most important. "Watercolor Painting for Dummies" is exactly what I was looking for. It begins at the beginning.

I had been struggling to teach myself watercolor, and was making a mess! I paint in oils, but learning watercolor was another whole world, and I needed help. Then, I spied "Watercolor Painting for Dummies," by Colette Pitcher. I had previously ordered other books, which were good, but oh, my, this book is OUTSTANDING!! Her tips cover all the problems one may have, and her demonstrations are wonderful! I am not only reading the book all the way through, I am studying it, page by page,underlining in red what I need to do, and underlining in blue what I should not do, and am learning so much. For instance, I didn't understand the reality of "Bias" in paints, i.e., where some blues contain a bias of yellow, and some reds contain a bias of blue. I learned through this book that you don't want to mix a blue paint with a bias of yellow, with a red paint that contains a bias of blue. Now I understand why I was getting dull, muddy colors! Her tip about having a wet sponge to dab your brush on, to get rid of excess water has saved not only my paintings, but many towels, also. The way I honestly view this book is like finding gold on my doorstep, because that's what it has done to my understanding of the do's and don'ts of watercolor! This book is just excellent not only for beginners, but for those well-seasoned in watercolor. As you can tell by my raves, I am wild about this book and cannot recommend it enough! Get it - you'll love it! Julie

I'm new to watercolors and decided to buy some books that would teach me the basics. In search of recommendations I joined the very excellent Wet Canvas discussion group, worked my way through a lot of the material on the scholarly Handprint.com web site, and checked out multiple reviews of watercolor books on Amazon. My conclusion: there a lot of books on watercolor painting with 10 people having 12 recommendations. Having gotten seven books on the subject (yes, I went a little overboard) this is the best book for beginners in my opinion. It is very clear, written with a sense of humor, and has very practical exercises to follow. Are there better books out there for beginners-maybe? But you are better off doing some reading and a lot of painting, rather than the other way around. Every other book I have makes specific recommendations on what colors to buy. Unless I missed it this book does not make such recommendations. A good thing, since no two books recommend the same colors to start with. Inside the book's front cover is the URL for the "Dummies Cheatsheet" where a beginnier will find very helpful information about color selection. So, start with the first few sections of this book, then buy some basic supplies, have fun painting, and go from there.

Watercolor Painting for Dummies is an ideal book for the beginner or someone like me who has painted for years and needs to refresh the mind occasionally. This book covers just about anything a watercolorist needs to know especially if one isn,t able to take workshops.

I have a degree in Art and have bought many books over the last 3 decades. This is a great book with many helpful tips and techniques. I always glean a few good things from every book and this one provides a few more. I highly recommend it for beginners and intermediates. It is never too late or too early to learn something new when it comes to Watercolor. It is a tough medium to master and any and all tips will help to achieve a level of success and motivation to help you master your own paintings.

learning with this book is like bitting in a cake every time you turn a page ...and you want more and there IS more !
informations are plenty, easy access and so clear, simple ...it makes you feel the artist you are !
opportunities to practice are there available and well detailed to succeed.
This is ONE book you need to read/get/have , no hesitation !
thanks so much for all the work done to give access to this wonderful media !
what's next ? ...

One of my fellow students recommended this book at a recent art class. I am really glad I bought it as it has become a nice reference in my watercolor library. Good tips and shortcuts and lots of help for the new watercolorist. I started with watercolor pencils and now working with watercolor paint, and it was helpful for both. Full color illustrations help & inspire.

If you are a beginner and can only afford one instructional book, this is it. Colette Pitcher offers such a range of advice that you will walk away with tons of knowledge and will also get your moneys worth. I highly recommend this book.