'I have reviewed a lot of books on painting for beginners but this series is the best to date. Very highly recommended for anybody who wants to learn watercolour painting.' www.myshelf.com
With 3 colours, 3 brushes and this practical advice, you can start painting water scenes in watercolour with just 9 projects.
Even if you have never picked up a paintbrush before, professional watercolour teacher and artist Stephen Coates will show you how to paint lakes and rivers in watercolour using just three brushes, three colours, a plastic palette and a watercolour pad.
Using just red, blue and yellow paint Stephen shows you how to paint nine realistic watercolour scenes. There is no off-putting colour theory or long-winded mixing information, just a practical absolute beginner’s course that shows the three colours in action. Build your skills through each of the nine easy paintings, starting from the simplest of scenes and ending with a more challenging, stunning picture you’ll be proud to have painted.
There are step-by-step photographs for each project, clear instruction and advice throughout, and handy tips and jargon busters. Each of Stephen’s finished paintings is shown at full size for easy reference, which you can even use to trace from for a stress-free painting experience.
This is a straightforward, economical, practical progressive course to painting lakes and river scenes in watercolour.
Stephen uses the following paints and brushes in this book:
- Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours - Raw Sienna, Light Red and Ultramarine.
- Brushes - Proarte Series 101 round size 2, Series 101 round size 8, Proarte 3/4inch Mini hake flat goat hair brush.
Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Using the colours 8
Using the brushes 10
Projects
- Derwent Water 12
- Swans on The Broads 16
- Highland Lake 21
- Autumn Trees by the Riverside 26
- Eilean Donan Castle 32
- River Tweed in Winter 38
- River Brathay 43
- Bridge over the Stream 49
- Brograve Windmill 56
Transferring a drawing 64
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About Stephen Coates
Stephen Coates was born in Sheffield in 1960. The son of a draughtsman, he was introduced to drawing at a very young age. He excelled in art at school but chose a career in retail, working first in the music industry for 16 years followed by another 16 years running his own catering business.
Over a period of 20 years, Stephen learned and specialized in watercolours in his spare time, and gradually developed his own style and unique brand of teaching. In 2011 he became a full-time professional freelance artist, and set up his own studio in Sheffield with the purpose of teaching others watercolour painting. From here he runs courses, workshops and hosts his own amateur art groups. Stephen also demonstrates his skills and shares his expertise at art societies all over England, and exhibits at a variety of national art shows.
Stephen has authored three how-to books on painting with watercolours The Watercolour Enigma (2018), Take Three Colours: Watercolour Lakes & Rivers (2019) and The Easy Guide to Painting Skies in Watercolour (2022).
Visit his website www.coatesart.co.uk
Leisure Painter
From the oopular Take Three Colours series comes Stephen's Coate's Water Lakes & Rivers. Using just three colours- red,blue and yellow- Stephen shows us how to paint lakes and rivers in watercolour. And it's not just the colours that are limited: a plastic palette and watercolour pad and three brushes are all you need to begin. The projects have been carefully chosen so that even the most novice painter will be able to achieve encouraging results straight away. Clear step-by-step photographs cover each stage of the process and the finished paintings are shown full size so that you can trace over them to further ease your journey.
Art Book Review
Take 3 Colours is a brilliantly simple idea thats been brilliantly presented. All of the authors so far have understood the brief impeccably and Stephen Coates is no exception.
The strapline is 3 colours, 3 brushes, 9 easy projects and its not just a superb way to get started with painting, but also an approach that strips your technique back to essentials if youre feeling its got just too complicated and that you may be over-working.
Paint Magazine
To build anew, you first have to take apart what was there and this delightful book will help you see the world through fresh eyes.
