Nature in Watercolour

Take a walk through the seasons with Waltraud Nawratil in this vibrant guide to painting nature in watercolour.

Discover new and traditional watercolour techniques: textural effects, backgrounds, exciting colour combinations and much more to create 30 stunning watercolour paintings that bring the natural world to life.

Paint your way through a luscious landscape of flowers, fruits and trees, including a vibrant vase of impatient spring blooms, dreamy waterlilies floating on a still pond in summer, a golden forest and a copious autumn harvest, and ending with an exuberant pink poinsettia complete with frost-tipped leaves, which marks the coming of Christmas and the closing of the year. Each painting is worked in watercolour in the author's loose, delicate style.

An ideal introduction to watercolour painting and an unmissable guide to developing technical skills with plentiful inspiration for creating your own works of nature-inspired art.

Book Contents

Opening reflections 6

Materials + Equipment

Painting surfaces 10, Brushes 10, Accessories 11, Paints 11 

Technique Focus

Composition: Flower meadow 14, Details: Poppy flowers 18, Chance: Blue and purple flowers 22, White: White daisy 26, Contrasts: Birch trees 30, Focus: Sunflower 34

Projects 

Spring Message 40, Flowers from the Wayside 42, Summer is near — Poppies & Dandelions 44, Lime Tree in the Spring Light 46, Apple Tree in Blossom 48, Sun-dappled Spring Forest 50, A Profusion of Spring Flowers 52, Spring in the Mountains 54, Shaded Woods 58, Early Summer Meadow on the Forest Edge 60, Summer Harmony 62, Down by the River 64, Daisy Stars 66, The Ripening Grapes 68, Cow Parsley with Poppies 70, Dreamy Waterlilies 72, November Mood 76, Flaming Forests 78, Colourful Autumn Bouquet 80, Fiery Canopy 82, Autumnal Apple Harvest 84, In the Warm Autumn Light 86, The Forest is Colourful 88, Fading Summer 90, A Bouquet of Christmas Roses 94, Winter by the Lake 96, Rosy Red Amaryllis 98, Tree in a Snowstorm 100, White Flowers in Winter 102, Pink Poinsettia 104

Gallery and final words 106

About the author 110

Acknowledgements 111