Customer Reviews

Watercolor Secrets: An Inside Look at the Techniques of Award-Winning Splash Artists (Splash S.)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recommend this book highly. I teach watercolors and got lots of new ideas such as masking out the whites but then using saturated color all over the rest of the painting, WoW! Not a boring page in here.

The "Splash" watercolor series is known for showcasing skilled watercolorists, but this new "Secrets" format takes the idea forward in a very useful direction. For each artist, "Secrets" adds a significant section about the artist's technique, with illustrations and commentary. Biographies an photos of the artists are also interesting. Not entirely a how-to-do-it book, but much more than just a gallery of images. I would recommend the book for intermediate artists who understand the basics of watercolor and want to expand their techniques.

Length:: 0:57 Mins

Watercolor Secrets is an extension of the Splash series of art books. It's the making-of book that showcases the various techniques of various Splash artists.

The book's a hardcover spiral bound with 144 pages. The beautiful cover art is from Fealing Lin.

The techniques featured are accompanied by step-by-step photos of paintings in different stages of completion, from start to finish. I always find myself wondering how those beautiful paintings are created. Well, this book is the answer. Each step is accompanied by detailed artist commentary. They are really generous with sharing ideas.

Besides the demonstrations, there are a few other pieces of stunning work included in each artist's gallery. The short artist biographies are nice and there are interesting photos of their workspace.

This is an inspiring and insightful book.

Recommended to intermediate and advanced watercolour artists. Beginners can also get the book to see the wonderful versatility of watercolour as a medium.

The list of artists included are:

- Robin Berry

- Donna Jill Witty

- Fealing Lin

- Cindy Brabec-King

- Judy Morris

- James Toogood

- Guy Magallanes

- Catherine O'Neill

- Donald Patterson

- Mark De Mos

- Margaret M. Martin

- Judi Betts

- Pat San Soucie

- Paul McCormack

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

A variety of techniques explained in depth. Very informative. Some of the examples

are of interest to me because of techniques similar to what I wish to accomplish.

I was extremely happy with this book. Rachael Wolf does a wonderful job putting these books together and like her Splash books, this one was excellent. I especially liked the insight on each artist's process and the step by step. I have long been a fan of many of the artists in this book so it was especially gratifying.

I thought the book was very informative and had some great ideas. You can never read too much about technique and tricks to help your work improve. I would recommend it to all levels of artist including beginners

The sender was kind enough to make sure the product would arrive in mint condition. The gift wrap was also a nice surprise! The book itself shows step by step instructions--almost like a storyboard for "how to watercolor." It's been both helpful and inspirational to me. All in all, it makes for an excellent addition to my collection(:

Having recently moved to a new community, my watercolor painting suffered. I'd lost my painting buddies and teacher. I love the Splash series, so was expecting more of the same with Watercolor Secrets. There was something magical in the book for me. Wonderful paintings followed by step-by-step instruction that was easy to understand and follow. It was what I needed at the time to reignite the creative passion within me.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wonders about getting the right edge or how to make their creations "sing".

If you already get several of the watercolor magazines - these are just repeat articles.