Transform your paintings from ordinary to extraordinary - with light! Want to paint light-filled watercolors that reach out and draw viewers in? In this book, award-winning watercolorist and teacher Susan Bourdet shows you how. Through simple concepts and detailed step-by-step demonstrations, Susan demystifies the process of successfully depicting light in watercolor. You'll learn how to: • Create convincing light effects and rich shadows • Depict different light angles and times of day • Render light on a variety of subjects, from feathers and fur to flowers, water and textures • Take reference photos with exciting light and combine them into a believable composition that speaks to your viewers It's all the information you'll need to capture the magic of light in your watercolors! Includes 23 step-by-step demonstrations!

Weber shows you how to mix and load paint, shape your brush and apply a variety of intriguing strokes in nine easy-to-follow demonstrations.

The irrepressible nature of children makes them charming subjects for paintings, as well as a real challenge to actually paint. In this book, suitable for artists working in all of the most popular mediums, Jessica Zemsky shares the lessons she's learned in her many years of painting children, including:- Nine step-by-step demonstrations that illustrate her personal techniques- Special guidelines for portraying children being themselves--at play, with siblings or pets--rather than in formal portraits- Advice for everything from finding natural poses to rendering the varied textures of children's skin and hair- Tips for working in watercolor, acrylic, gouache, oil and pastel- Plus delightful anecdotes and firsthand lessonsJessica Zemsky and her artist husband share a cabin studio in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana.

From soft, atmospheric effects to powerful images, this guide provides artists with the insight and instruction they need to illuminate their paintings with the magic of light.

Paint along with Marilyn Simandle as she inspires us to explore the full potential of light and shadow watercolor techniques in this informative step by step guide. In collaboration with Lew Lehrman, this book provides demonstrations in design, white space, and dynamics of color. A must for any artist wishing to create works alive with intensity.

The eye-arresting images in this original contemporary art book feature two popular mediums, painting and photography. Although the art is inspired by the Long Island landscape, its visual appeal in artists’ interpretations of locations is universal. Paired with the dialog of the artists, the narrative becomes an intimate conversation with the reader. Combining life, loss, serendipity and art, it portrays two artists, whose conceptually similar work evolved independently until social media brought them together. Their collaboration continues to produce treasures of stunning, memorable beauty. The improbable pairing of Holly Gordon, photographer from Bay Shore, Long Island, and Ward Hooper, painter from Northport, Long Island, is a symbiotic match. Their artistic relationship is an affirmation of the human spirit in an age where most can’t seem to detach from objects. These two contemporary artists discovered a serendipitous connection to the earlier American artistic and personal alliance of Arthur Dove and Helen Torr, whose work was inspired by the same Long Island locations. The past thus joined the present, deepening Gordon and Hooper’s bond, both personally and geographically. In Gordon and Hooper’s intimate relationship there is a sense of empathy, connection, and mutual discovery that is invincible. Ward Hooper and Holly Gordon understand that the meaning of their journey extends beyond themselves. Their camaraderie and brilliant exposition beckons others to do the same and thereby reach their own heights in art and life. The transformative journey that unfolds centers on art as a positive force that ultimately unites two creative spirits. I found the imagery captivating and the text inspirational. Learning about how these two people from different art disciplines came together to help heal and enrich each others’ lives (and create wonderful imagery throughout the process) made me appreciate my life and relationships even more. The book may even encourage you to create something new, or collaborate with someone you already know...or someone who is out there waiting to be a part of your “Light's Journey.” -- Andrew Darlow, Photographer, Educator and Author ......A love story of friendship and renewal. Holly and Ward were meant to meet to discover their connection through art and nature. Two wonderful artists exploring life together through the warmth of colors, brush and lens strokes and subjects they created separately at different times and then together revealing their deep passion for life, friendship and art. --Charlee M. Miller, Executive Director, Art League of Long Island, Dix Hills, N.Y. Parallel Perspectives: The Brush/Lens Project gives us seamlessly created images that work on many levels: They pay attention to tiny details yet pulse with large swaths of vibrant color. They look like paintings — but they could be photographs, and vice versa. These are eye-arresting scenes, a visual harvest of the natural beauty that surrounds us, creating lasting sights that celebrate what talented artists have always quested for: the light. Holly Gordon finds images and builds digital layers that blend an unflinching assessment by a documentary photographer and environmentalist with a painterly sensitivity; Ward Hooper’s loose brushstrokes capture the ever-shifting light and shadow through watercolors that are as elusive as the light. Their collaboration continues to produce treasures of stunning, memorable beauty.—Annie Wilkinson Blachley’s features and cover stories have been published by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and national and regional newspapers and magazines. She is a copy editor and columnist for the Long Island Press and writes several monthly columns for Long Island Woman Magazine

"No other medium is as magical and enjoyable as watercolor." So says artist and author Michael Reardon. In Watercolor Techniques: Painting Light and Color in Landscapes and Cityscapes, Reardon covers it all, from answers to beginners' most vexing problems (What is the proper ratio of pigment and water? How do I lay down an even wash? Why do my paintings look so washed out?) to understanding the trifecta of perspective, value, and color. He shows how to paint whites that sparkle and shadows that glow and how to conjure the atmosphere of a particular place and time. Painters of all skill levels will see--and feel--the difference in their work. • Packed with expert advice for infusing scenes with light and color • Includes special tips and techniques for painting architectural subjects • Illustrated with inspiring paintings of scenes from around the world • 8 start-to-finish demonstrations show key concepts in action "Light, as it glances off a facade, glimmers off the water or gleams off polished marble, is always inspiring. Color, with its infinite array of hues, is always irresistible. Searching for ways to make them harmonize and tell a story can last a lifetime."