Customer Reviews

Zoltan Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The best part of this book is Zoltan Szabo's explaination of watercolor paint. He explains transparent colors, opaque colors, reflective colors, sedimentary colors, staining colors, and nonstaining colors. I've read many books on watercolor painting and this is the first one I've seen that explains the nature of the paint. Also covered in this book are many techniques of applying paint. Several exercises are included.

I found this book practical, easy to use and have already put many of the techniques described to good use. I am just sorry I didnt get this book a long time ago. If this doesnt add challenge and improve your painting, not much will.

I am a mexican water-colorist. The book has proven very useful and I recommend it to any one wishing to explore this territory. I would like to know if a translation into Spanish is available or is being considered in the future. The techniques are perfectly applicable and there is a dramatic progress as one follows the recommendations given in the book.

I had the best results from Mr. Szabo's watercolour books. I could actually follow the instructions and come up with something that I wanted to frame.

This is one of the best watercolor lesson books I have. It is very organized and detailed into how to use various techniques to achieve certain outcomes. Example: Using the brush handle or using a palette knife for scraping and also lifting out color. Not only does it show you how to do this, but it also discusses the use of opaque vs transparent colors in relation to using these techniques to achieve a desired effect.

Here is an outline of the chapters and content:
CHAPTER 1. Qualities of TRansparent Watercolro Pigments Transparent colros, opaque Colors, Reflective colros, Sedimentary colors, staining colors, Nonstaining colors, Dominance, Palettes
CHAPTER 2
THE RULES OF REFLECTION:
Ten easy to use rules that will help you paint reflections accurately, including reflection angles, color, value, perspective, and characteristics of waves.
CHAPTER 3: COMPOSITION and DESIGN
THE illustion so Space, Graphic Symbols, Path of Vision, Planes
CHAPTER 4
BASIC TECHNIQUES AT A GLANCE
Charging a Wash, Lost and Found Edges, Wet and Blot Lifting, Back Runs, Brush Handle Scraping, Using a Palette Knife, Lifitin Out Color, Luminous Opaque Colors
CHAPTER 5
WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES FOR PAINTING
Background Forest, Birch Trees, Brush Handle Trees Charged Washes, Cobweb Colorful Darks, Cummulus clous, Dramatic Clouds, Falling snow, LFlowering Trees, Frost on Trees, Flazed Tree Bark, Heavy Fog, Ice on Trees, Jagged Granite Rocks Lifted White Trees Mist Negative Shapes, apalette Knife Trees, Pine Branches Puddle Reflections Rock Setting Rolling surf Rolling Snow Banks Rough Tree bark Rounded flacial Rocks Setting sun Shadows on snwo Simplified Planes Smooth Tree bark, Soft Lifted Trees, Status clouds sunlight on snow sunlight on wood sunlit Mountain Tops Tree iompressions Trees in Heavy Snow Warmly Lit Snow Weeds Wet into Wet Evergreens Winter Island Wispy Clouds young Spruce in Snow

CHAPTER 6
PAINTING DEMONSTRATIONS: A STEP - BY- STEP GALLERY:

Flowers: Glazing with Staining Colors
Icy Creek: Glazing and Lifting
Shadows on Wood: Staining Texture and Lifted Sunlight
Autumn Colors Controlling Edges
Misty day Wet-Into - Wet reflections
Fallen Timber: Emphasizing Texture
Fisherman's Shacks: Negative shapes as Focal Point
Snad Dunes: granulating Washes
Forest rapids: wet-into Wet Technique
Mountain Meadows: Palette Knife T4echnique
Trees: Idealized Design
Quiet Harbor: Contrast and Reflections
Daffodils: Backlighting

The book is essentially in three parts. The first part is a very comprehensive introduction to watercolor material and theory including painting reflections. The second demonstrates some unusual techniques to obtain particular effects. Some are more effective than others however they are original. The third part of the book is a demonstration of complete paintings. Overall I found the book useful although I doubt that I will use many of the techniques. Many of them are only applicable to winter scenes. The painting style is fairly loose. It's a useful reference to have when you are seeking some new directions in your style of painting or looking for some ideas as to what to paint next.

This is one of the best watercolor lesson books I have. It is very organized and detailed into how to use various techniques to achieve certain outcomes. Example: Using the brush handle or using a palette knife for scraping and also lifting out color. Not only does it show you how to do this, but it also discusses the use of opaque vs transparent colors in relation to using these techniques to achieve a desired effect.

Here is an outline of the chapters and content:
CHAPTER 1. Qualities of TRansparent Watercolro Pigments Transparent colros, opaque Colors, Reflective colros, Sedimentary colors, staining colors, Nonstaining colors, Dominance, Palettes
CHAPTER 2
THE RULES OF REFLECTION:
Ten easy to use rules that will help you paint reflections accurately, including reflection angles, color, value, perspective, and characteristics of waves.
CHAPTER 3: COMPOSITION and DESIGN
THE illustion so Space, Graphic Symbols, Path of Vision, Planes
CHAPTER 4
BASIC TECHNIQUES AT A GLANCE
Charging a Wash, Lost and Found Edges, Wet and Blot Lifting, Back Runs, Brush Handle Scraping, Using a Palette Knife, Lifitin Out Color, Luminous Opaque Colors
CHAPTER 5
WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES FOR PAINTING
Background Forest, Birch Trees, Brush Handle Trees Charged Washes, Cobweb Colorful Darks, Cummulus clous, Dramatic Clouds, Falling snow, LFlowering Trees, Frost on Trees, Flazed Tree Bark, Heavy Fog, Ice on Trees, Jagged Granite Rocks Lifted White Trees Mist Negative Shapes, apalette Knife Trees, Pine Branches Puddle Reflections Rock Setting Rolling surf Rolling Snow Banks Rough Tree bark Rounded flacial Rocks Setting sun Shadows on snwo Simplified Planes Smooth Tree bark, Soft Lifted Trees, Status clouds sunlight on snow sunlight on wood sunlit Mountain Tops Tree iompressions Trees in Heavy Snow Warmly Lit Snow Weeds Wet into Wet Evergreens Winter Island Wispy Clouds young Spruce in Snow

CHAPTER 6
PAINTING DEMONSTRATIONS: A STEP - BY- STEP GALLERY:

Flowers: Glazing with Staining Colors
Icy Creek: Glazing and Lifting
Shadows on Wood: Staining Texture and Lifted Sunlight
Autumn Colors Controlling Edges
Misty day Wet-Into - Wet reflections
Fallen Timber: Emphasizing Texture
Fisherman's Shacks: Negative shapes as Focal Point
Snad Dunes: granulating Washes
Forest rapids: wet-into Wet Technique
Mountain Meadows: Palette Knife T4echnique
Trees: Idealized Design
Quiet Harbor: Contrast and Reflections
Daffodils: Backlighting

Any watercolor instruction by this artist is worth every penny! Although his major style is abstract expression style, his techniques can be applied to realistic works as well. Zoltan Szabo's demonstrations are both thorough and brilliant. I have all his books, and enjoy referring to them on a regular basis.,

I would recommend this book to any watercolorist of any level. I will use it as a reference book in my library.

Well, it was a nice book, nice paintings, some nice watercolor tricks...but it just didn't inspire me..something was missing.
Maybe it was the "cold how to do" approach, that came up all through the book and the lack of originality. Im sorry to say i was disappointed.