Texture and Detail in Watercolor

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for watercolor artists.
Review: His book has wonderful techniques in painting old things. I particularly use his book when I am painting rusty metal and old buildings. I read through his book to refresh my memory at the beginning of a new painting. It is an invaluable book in my library.

Rating:
Summary: Textural Detail Feast!
Review: This book's emphasis on texture techniques has been a boon for my own paintings. I was growing bored with my paintings because all the areas were painted with the same techniques. When I got this book I sat down with my watercolors and watercolor pad and began to practice many of the texture techniques the author explains.

There are chapters devoted to paper surfaces (hot, cold, rough, handmade, etc), various brushes (kolinsky, synthetic, bamboo, toothbrushes, flats, rounds, riggers, etc), miscellaneous materials (salt, sponges, plastic wrap, etc.) and pigments. All are discussed from the point of view of trying to exploit the properties each has for creating unique and convincing textures and details. Each chapter is packed with paintings and accompanying analysis of how the author achieved a particular effect. Unlike most painting books it does not use the painting-in-progress method of explanation. Instead, each painting is shown on one page and the opposite page has a detailed discussion of the various steps the author took. Interspersed at times are close-up photos showing details on some of the more interesting textural details. The subjects are everything from rusty iron, rotting wood, rough stonework, adobe brick, rough bark, pottery, etc. And all of it as applied to landscapes with rusty farm equipment, ponds or lakes with watersogged wood, closeups of buidings, trees, grasses or other plants.

The pro is that this means a lot of paintings demonstrating a wide variety of techniques are displayed and explained. The con is that you don't see the paintings in various stages of completion which some readers might feel would be more helpful for their learning style.

Overall I believe this book achieves exactly what it set out to do - i.e. explain in detail a large number of textural detail techniques. It doesn't wander off into discussions on composition, values, light, etc. It is very tightly focused and therefore can go into much greater depth on the subject than more wide-ranging watercolor books.