The Watercolour Artist's Guide to Exceptional Colour

Description

There are hundreds of watercolour paints on the market, with widely varying characteristics, appearances and names. This easy-to-use book cuts through the confusion and allows you to identify those that are best suited to your style of work and build a balanced palette of exceptional colours. Understand the composition and qualities of different formulations - from single-pigment paints to special hue mixtures, from grainy sedimentary pigments to lighter-bodied and transparent watercolours. Discover the pros and cons of organic and inorganic pigments; find out about the very latest synthetic pigments and iridescent colours; learn how to conduct your own lightfastness experiments. You'll also find information on choosing and using a wide range of creative palettes, each with an explanation of the colours and their qualities, advice on mixing, and a step-by-step painting demonstration. Previously published as The Encyclopedia of Colour for Watercolour Artists, ISBN 9781844482931

Jan Hart has been a professional watercolour artist and teacher for over 25 years. Based in Espanola, New Mexico, she runs classes and artists' painting vacations at her home studio as well as organising workshops in Seattle, Arizone, and Costa Rica. The spectacular landscape, light, and colours of New Mexico provide an endless source of inspiration for Jan's watercolours. Jan has a Bachelors degree in Chemistry, which is one of the reasons she so loves pigments, and indeed why she became a watercolour artist.

This is a reissue of The Encyclopaedia of Colour for Watercolour Artists that first appeared in 2007. You have to hunt around a bit for that information, but we won't dock any points as they've been honest. Although it has UK origins, there's an American feel, the author is American and you can't help suspect it was originally conceived for that market. There's nothing wrong in that, but you might want to be aware that some of the colours are quite bright and the portraits, landscapes and buildings have a transatlantic air. All that said, it went down well on its original appearance and the book has a pleasantly straightforward approach to a slightly nebulous subject that the author manages to pin down rather successfully. The basic premise is to help you choose what colours are best for your style of painting from the hundreds (even thousands) available, selecting from single-pigments to pre-mixed hues as well as those which granulate, those which are most transparent and a selection of the opaques. All this is done by means of simple spreads with example paintings which are explained and deconstructed with an analysis of the colours that were used. The progression is subject-based, so this isn't one of those books that straitjackets you into choosing your colours before you start to paint, surely one of the most pointless exercises there is. The almost complete lack of step-by-step demonstrations will please many readers and the book has a pleasant feel of serendipity about it as you flick through the pages. It's something to have around you and dip into for ideas rather than something to read through as an instruction manual, and all the better for that.-Artbookreview.net When I started reading this I thought I could remember it from earlier - it was previously published as The Encyclopaedia of Colour for Watercolour Artists. Its worth republishing as its a super book and the new title more accurately reflects the content in my opinion. It's an amazing book that ought to be considered the watercolourists Bible. I have learned so much about colour, from how its made to how to use in conjunction with other colours for best effects. In fact the colour aspect is useful and interesting for all artists whatever medium they use. The properties of colours over long periods are important and Jan explains how paints made from inorganic or organic can affect this. I found the explanation of how to read the information on paint labels really helpful. If you are concerned about longevity of colours and works this is information that is indispensable. The colour wheel she shows is excellent showing where various named colours fit in the colour spectrum, useful when you wonder what sort of yellow is isoindolinone yellow... The book covers which colours are transparent non-staining or staining, sedimentary and opaque paints, granulating paints and how to use these to exploit the special effects they have. The latter half of the book covers different subjects and how to choose not just the correct colours to enhance your subject but how to select the type of colour and which techniques to use to show them at the best effect. I found the section covering New Developments really interesting as it covers metallic paints, something I personally find very exciting and was really interested in reading about how these paints were developed. This incredible book is really interesting for anyone who wants to know more then just the basics, have such a range of information you'll want to dip back in to it again and again. If you only want one reference book about colour this must be it.-JeannieZelos.com This inspiring book considers a wide variety of paints, pigments and approaches. Jan Hart investigates many of the hundreds of watercolour paints on the market, exploring their widely varying characteristics. This is more than just a paint-mixing manual, as it gives information and suggestions about using modern watercolours, such as transparency and opacity, glazing, underpainting and reduced palettes, including tertiary combinations and spilt complementaries. It considers many of the new formulations, such as lighter-bodied paints, organic and synthetic pigments and new materials, from plastic papers to iridescent colours. This in-depth reference guide will give any reader greater confidence in experimenting with different materials and colours.-The Artist Takes the artist on a journey through the potentially confusing subject of colour mixing. Jan has been a professional watercolour artist and teacher for 30 years, and is currently based in Costa Rica where she runs classes and painting holidays. Jan explains the properties of pigments, from single-pigment paints to special hue mixtures, creating an understanding of when and how to use a range of creative palettes. Paintings by the author describe how to mix appropriate colours with plenty of step-by-step demonstrations. There is also a gallery of subject-specific works by other artists, with descriptions of colours and techniques uses.-Leisure Painter