Transparent Watercolor Wheel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "A wise writer once said something to this effect: "The most intimidating factor in writing is starting at a blank sheet of paper..." (more)
Key Phrases: transparent staining colors, transparent nonstaining colors, mineral violet, Transparent Watercolor Wheel, Daniel Smith, Color Matrix (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Featuring a detachable fold-out color wheel and clear guidelines, this unique book solves the problem of muddy blends, taking the guesswork out of mixing clean watercolors every time.

While the color groups of a standard wheel are shown, this wheel goes much further, organizing pigments into five categories: transparent nonstaining colors; semi-transparents; opaques; semi-opaques; and whitened and blackened colors. Detailed text explains how color groups interact, some resulting in dull blends, others producing luminous, transparent effects. Readers are treated to abundant examples, step-by-step exercises, and analyses of work by several of today's outstanding watercolorists

About the Author

Jim Kosvanec, whose award-winning paintings hang in important American and Mexican collections, lives in the tranquil artists' community of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823054373
• ISBN-13: 978-0823054374
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #448,730 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mud or magic--Kosvanec steers you safely through, December 12, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Watercolor is notoriously tricky. One moment, colors gleam from the paper like jewels. The next moment, a touch of the brush to a color yields nothing but muddy results. The mixing of the pigments is a true science mixed with art because the colors are actually chemicals that interact not only by reflecting light on their own, but also by interacting with other pigments, and reacting with the paper as well.

What to do when you want a particular color effect? Well, you can refer to this book. It has a color wheel organizing the pigments according to how they mix with each other to form secondary tints. Kosvanec gives examples of mixing greys, browns, intermediate tints that are guaranteed NOT to result in a blob of disaster on your painting. He gives quotes from famous artists who reaffirm the problem; one dab of just the wrong color and disaster results. He also includes some fabulous paintings, not only his portraits of native Americans, but those of other well-known artists.

I can't wait to try out Kosvanec's mixtures and suggestions on my next painting. I know I will be referring to this book over and over again.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some work, others don't, this one exceeds expectations, December 19, 2004

By	Zoe (SW, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Kosvanec's book title may not capture your attention, but his book certainly caught mine. He is thorough, clear in his presentation and has a firm grasp on watercolour. His watercolour wheel could become a standard and the one issue I have with the book is that this wheel is not a perforated pull-out. This would have made the book better than 5 stars because you could have a wheel hung up for reference and keep the book intact.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more mud when painting, June 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Transparent Watercolor Wheel (Hardcover)

James Kosvanec is a wizard. His understanding of transparent color is wondrous. Before this book I struggled with inconsistent results. My first painting after reading this book was clean and every color sparkled. If you want consistent results get this book.