Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner

10^th Anniversary edition

‘If you want to learn to paint, but don’t know where to start, start here.’ Artbookreview.net

The ultimate guide to watercolour painting for the complete beginner, from expert teacher, Matthew Palmer. This is a revised and updated edition of his beloved bestseller, which has now sold more than 100,000 copies.

Best-selling artist and tutor Matthew Palmer is renowned for his beautiful, detailed paintings and his ability to teach effective painting using simple, friendly, step-by-step techniques. This revised and updated anniversary edition celebrates ten years since this best-selling book was first published.

In addition to the time-proven instruction of the original it includes three brand-new projects, over a dozen new or updated exercises and techniques, over 30 brand-new finished paintings plus fresh tips that Matthew has learned over the past decade. The book contains:

• Key advice for every beginner, including a guide to paint and paper and a handy brushstroke comparison guide.
• Essential techniques including drawing (from life and from photographs), composition, easy perspective, using light and shade and mixing colour.
• Watercolour techniques including washes, layering, wet-into-wet, lifting out and using masking fluid, plus in-depth step-by-step projects for painting a variety of skies, trees, reflections and figures.
• Six simple step-by-step painting exercises, and six further step-by-step projects, including a seascape, snow scene and a mountain landscape.
• Pull-out outline drawings for all the step-by-step exercises and paintings (Matthew shows step by step how to transfer these onto watercolour paper)

The original edition of this book has already taught 100,000 complete beginners all the skills necessary to enjoy watercolour painting, and this revised edition includes plenty of new techniques, tips, and exercises to inspire many more.

Book Contents

Introduction 6

Materials 8

Easy drawing for painting 14

Composition 18

Easy perspective 22

Light & shade 28

Colour 34

Watercolour techniques 40

Painting skies 48

Painting trees 54

Painting water 62

Painting figures 66

Your first watercolours 70

Exercise: Simple landscape 72
Windmill step by step 74

Exercise: Simple seascape 84
Cornish Seascape step by step 86

Exercise: Snow scene 96
Village in Snow step by step 98

Exercise: Mountains and lakes 108
Lakeside Houses step by step 110

Exercise: Waterfalls 120
Bluebell Stream step by step 122

Exercise: All-rounders 132
King of the Lake step by step 134

Index 144