Using the Japanese hake brush, obtainable from most art and craft shops, Ron Ranson demonstrates how, because of its nature and size, it forces the watercolourist to simplify the subject matter and thus distil the essence of a scene. He also discusses the dissecting and dramatizing of the subject.

This best-selling title will be relaunched in September 04 with a fresh new cover design. Ron Ranson has a huge following among amateur painters and skies are a fundamental element of any landscape painting, essential in creating atmosphere. Learning how to paint impressive skies can enable artists to produce landscape paintings that are full of vitality and atmosphere. In Learn to Paint Skies in Watercolour experienced teacher Ron Ranson provides plenty of practical advice on how to achieve this. He gives guidelines on techniques, colour and aspects of composition, as well as tips on working on location and in the studio. Contents include: * guidelines on choosing materials and equipment; descriptions of basic cloud formations; simple sky exercises; advice on creating atmosphere; using a camera to provide good reference; stage-by-stage demonstration painting

Renowned artist Ron Ranson shows how to pare a subject down to its key elements and use large brushes and a limited palette to paint beautiful pictures with the purity and simplicity that's essential to a good watercolor.

From the serenity of a color-streaked evening sky to the breaking light of a new day to the misty grayness after a rain shower, the ever changing sky dictates the whole mood and feeling of landscape painting. Master watercolorist Ron Ranson demonstrates how to capture the sky and improve the quality of your paintings, using a palette of only seven colors. He explains how to use a camera as a tool and photographs as a source to keep your work fresh, immediate, and spontaneous. A colorful gallery of finished paintings illustrates the results of the various techniques, and Ranson's constant enthusiasm provides plenty of encouragement. From clouds to sunlight to weather conditions, by successfully interpreting the beauty of the sky you will create more effective paintings every time you put brush to paper. A Selection of F&W's North Light Book Club. Studio Vista 128 pages (all in color), 8 3/4 x 10 7/8.

Artists seem compelled to try to capture the amazing variety of the animal kingdom; the challenge remains how to breathe energy into your paintings and make the animals jump off the paper. This deeply practical book offers an accessible introduction to sketching animals from life, to try to capture that essence. It gives instruction on how to approach drawing; covers ideas for materials and supplies to make sketching from life a joy; gives step-by-step demonstrations of different watercolour techniques; offers specific advice on using colour and painting, fur, feathers and features and gives ideas for mixed-media experimentation. Full of colourful examples and guidance, this new book explains how to transform your studies into finished artwork that are brimming with character. It encourages you to find the extraordinary in the everyday, as well as revelling in the breadth of nature. Taking a contemporary approach to traditional watercolour, the author shows how a few, well-chosen brushes of paint can reveal the soul of your subject.

A examination of time-tested methods used by artists since the Renaissance to make realistic pictures of imagined things.

Twelve art projects with step-by-step instructions and advice on materials, subjects, and methods.