Watercolour and Beyond

Discover a world of innovation beyond pure watercolour with over 60 exciting approaches and exercises from the master of watercolour landscapes, David Bellamy.

‘In this book I aim to illustrate ways in which to make your watercolours glow with excitement, offer you new methods of working, and at the same time make the whole experience great fun!’ David Bellamy

David Bellamy is a successful and long-standing authority on the landscape in watercolour. Throughout this book he shares his extensive knowledge and experience and encourages confident artists to explore the boundaries of watercolour and forge new creative paths for themselves through experimentation.

Alongside over 100 inspiring examples of David’s work there are more than 60 innovative approaches and exercises, with tips, visual examples and step-by-step technique, throughout the following sections:

1. Starting traditional (exploring pure watercolour): Approach the basics in a new way gain experience using just one colour, work with a limited palette, then tackle the striking results you can achieve with harmonious colours.
2. Developing your style: Through short step-by-step techniques and plenty of finished, fully detailed examples, learn how to combine watercolour with gouache and use additives, inks, collage, pastels, stamping, gesso, watercolour ground, different surfaces, and found materials to create atmospheric, innovative results, for example for suggesting distant rain or creating dramatic sunlight effects.
3. Interpreting and altering your subjects: Discover how to change the light or colours in a finished painting, introduce features that are not present or emphasise those that are, exaggerate perspective, or turn part of the composition into abstraction. Discover also how to alter, rescue and improve a painting where you may have a problem, or decide to change a passage on a whim.
4. Taking it further: The final section is devoted to projects which you might like to consider or what to do with your painting skills: personal projects that may relate to your family, your holidays, volunteer work, or perhaps involving the local community or a special cause.

Watercolour and Beyond is an innovative, practical book, aimed at equipping landscape artists of all abilities with exciting new ideas and techniques.

Book Contents

Introduction 6
Foundations: Exploring watercolour 10

Simplicity
What to paint 12
Technique: Washes 14
The power of monochromes 16
Texture 18
Working with harmonious colours 20
Moving into full colour 22
Technique: Wet-in-wet watercolour 24
Technique: Dropping in 26
Colour mixing 28
Technique: Glazing 30
Sketching and reference 32
Sketching in colour 34
Working outside 36
Composition 38
Technique: Using masking fluid 40

The artist explorer: Developing your painting style 42
Finding new approaches
Working on different papers 44
Technique: Pouring watercolour 46
Mixing media: Ink with watercolour 48
Technique: Sponging 52
Technique: Stamping 54
Improving your composition
Simple devices to enhance your compositions 56
Drama and energy in composition 60
Injecting atmosphere and drama 62
Light and space
Technique: Pulling out colour 64
Abstract shadow 65
Colour, tone and space 66
Technique: Negative painting 68
Creating highlights in the sky 70
Technique: Softening edges and strong lines 72
Water
Rivers 74
Gouache
Mixing media: Using gouache 80
Using gouache with watercolour 82
Figures
Character 84
Figures in context 86
Masking
Knifework 89
Depicting scree 90
Technique: Scumbling 92
Visual texture
Contrast in texture 95
Mixing media: Texture with Inktense watercolour pencil 96
Mixing media: Plastic food wrap 98
Technique: Super-granulations with granulation medium 102
Creative granulating 106
Physical texture
Mixing media: Aquapasto 108
Mixing media: Gesso 110
Mixing media: Watercolour ground 112
Watercolour ground with added objects 118
Collage 120
Tissue paper as a base 122

Fresh Directions: Interpretation and alteration 124
Creative interpretation
Pushing gouache to the fore 126
Ghosting background features 128
Creating a slightly looser approach 129
Creating patterns with found materials 130
Realistic features with watercolour ground 132
Altering the lighting 134
Shafts of sunlight and texture 136
Bringing techniques together 138
Alteration and rescue
How to: Create a completely new foreground 142
How to: Change the perspective 143
How to: Fix problems caused by wax resist 144
How to: Get rid of a prominent eyesore 146
How to: Make good from a disaster 148

New Routes: Beyond wall art 150
Illustrating family events
Boer Battles 152
Journal sketching
Bavarian Sunshine 154
Enhanced sketchbooks 156
Re-creating history
Steam at Aberedw 158
Index 160