Watercolour Boats and Harbours (Ready to Paint) (Paperback)

Artbookreview.net:Like Geoff Kersey's Trees & Woodlands in the same series, this little book is an excellent primer in its subject matter, even without the pre-drawn sketches that allow you to concentrate on getting the colour down on paper.The idea behind the series is that you have 6 re-usable tracings that allow you to get the drawing and the composition out of the way. This is, of course, no substitute for learning either of those techniques, and you'll have to do that in the end. However, by helping you avoid getting bogged down at the very start, these guides allow you to achieve a finished result you can justifiably be pleased with and which will encourage you to develop the other necessary skills as you progress - which you will because you weren't discouraged at the first turn.Charles Evans is an excellent teacher and he explains all the techniques you'll need clearly and economically. As part of a series which is growing in popularity, this can't be faulted. However, the information on the details of boats and harbours is so good that more experienced artists shouldn't pass it by as just painting by numbers. Myshelf.com: Have you seen Search Press' pioneering new Ready To Paint series yet? This is just the thing to start off tyro painters who want to get some practice with the painting part but aren't too confident about their drawing skills. Now you can get to grips with both, tracing and learning how to not only construct the painting, but see how simple drawing can be if you are only using it as a framework for painting. I did think initially that it would be rather akin to painting by numbers, but it isn't. It is about discovering the framework of a picture in a good number of photographed stages. As with most Search Press titles, there are enough of these stages to enable even a total beginner to see what is going on, complete with supportive descriptions. So it really does take you from tracing the outlines to the actual painting. Each picture comes with a useful list of which brushes and colors to buy, the size of the finished piece and lots of tips germane to the watery subject. There are six pictures depicting harbours in various different parts of England: including Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk, all popular locations for artists. This series is highly recommended for anybody starting out in watercolors who needs to see what their work looks like before they tackle the drawing aspect. Leisure Painter: Search Press has recently published a fourth book in its 'Ready to Paint' series. The title, Watercolour Boats & Harbours, suggests that it involves much difficult and complex drawing, as boats are by no means the simplest of subjects to draw but, as the author explains in his introduction, the book concentrates on the applying of watercolour and to this end it contains a series of six drawings on tracing paper (measuring about 16 x 11A in) for readers to transfer to their own paper, leaving them free to begin painting without the need for any time consuming creative drawing. After the introduction, the author lists the materials he used for this book - Winsor & Newton tube paint, four brushes (1A and A in, Flats, No. 8 Round and No. 3 Rigger) and Winsor & Newton 140lb Rough watercolour paper. He then describes the simple process of transferring the images to paper. The rest of the book is devoted to the author's step-by-step demonstrations. The number of steps varies from 28 to 40, according to the complexity of the subject. The author's style is strong and fairly detailed and he makes good use of tonal contrast and warm glowing colours. The book contains 48 pages and is well presented. It will appeal to students anxious to get down to the business of painting, but they should perhaps remember that drawing and creating compositions are equally important skills. Ray Campbell Smith

Boats and harbours make great subjects for watercolour, and Charles Evans makes painting them simple and striking. Pull-out tracings are included along with a clear guide on how to transfer them to your watercolour paper, so you don't need to be able to draw to paint these wonderful pictures. This title features a useful section on what materials to use will have you painting like a pro in no time! It contains five tracings, one for each demonstration. Clear, step-by-step pictures make painting easy and fun. It offers free bonus tracing.