The Watercolor Flower Painter's A to Z: An Illustrated Directory of Techniques for Painting 50 Popular Flowers

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous book of floral how-to; very useful and beautiful
Review: I bought this book based on the cover alone; I was planning a new series of sunflower floral paintings and the cover just spoke to me. The book has, as the title says, fifty types of flowers, organized alphabetically by Latin name, and a method to paint each. This method is more or less realistic, but not super-realism; the technique is loose enough. The back section contains recommendations for composition using crystal, vases, bouquets and other floral motifs.

What I got out of the book were very helpful palette suggestions PLUS a discussion of the flower structure and how to paint it. What I did with it was to paint in MY style, which is more loose and expressionistic, and use these ideas for springboards for my own technique. I knocked off the study for the series of sunflowers-paintings-to-be and was VERY pleased with the result. This book helped me achieve my goal in the painting.

Of course, I enjoy just reading the book for the pure pleasure of the author's beautiful technique. If you do floral watercolors, this is, in my opinion, a must-own volume. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Tried and True Techniques
Review: I found this book to offer a number of useful pointers on techniques to use when painting a number of common and not-so-common flowers. Brush techniques, suggested color pallets and so forth were set out clearly for each of the plant specimens shown in the book. Use of these techniques and examples will help to add life to your botanical paintings whether you prefer a "botanical illistration" or a more painterly approach to watercolor.