Guides the reader through a complete, step-by-step tour of the watercolor materials and methods needed to create expressive, masterful portraits.

Charles Reid says you don't have to be a botanist to paint flowers beautifully. Rather than produce anatomical paintings, it's far more important to capture the quality, the feeling, and the spirit of the flowers. In this book, Reid turns his skillful eye and clear, helpful teaching methods to painting flowers in oil paints. Beginning with a detailed discussion of materials and palettes, you will go on to learn a bit about flowers and flower parts in general, as well as brush techniques like drybrushing, scumbling, and pointillism. Then, with plenty of examples and guided assignments, you will learn to paint a wide variety of leaf forms before moving on to specific flower types and arrangements. As the chapters progress, you'll learn to properly mix values and colors for specific effects; compositional lessons about boundaries, lessons on subject placement and horizons; and how to uses edges, lighting, and patterns to bring your flower paintings to life. From formal still-life arrangements to wildflower landscapes, this book has everything you need to know about painting flowers. Accessible to students of all skill levels, Flower Painting in Oil is ideal for intermediate or advanced students who are interested in studying the forms, colors, and textures of flowers. By learning to truly "see" flowers, you'll learn to paint them like never before. Readers interested in related titles from Charles Reid will also want to see: Painting by Design (ISBN: 9781626543218), Painting What (You Want) to See (ISBN: 9781626543782), Pulling Your Paintings Together (ISBN: 9781626543843), The Natural Way to Paint (ISBN: 9781626543829).

""The fluid, spontaneous, often unpredictable medium of watercolor is always a challenge--and for the watercolorist, the human form is the most challenging of all. This book shows how to paint nude and clothed figures in an easy to follow series of projects, from the first preliminary lines to the finishing touches of a completed watercolor. Direct language, clewar and specific step-by-step demonstrations, and over 170 illustrations, 56 of them in full color, combine to offer the reader a stimulating guide to painting the figure in watercolor."--Jacket.

If you've ever wanted to control your art so that you can paint anything—and paint it well—this is the book for you! The mediums are oil, watercolor, and contour drawing but this is a book about making good paintings, not learning a particular medium. The subject matter is broad, ranging from still lifes to figures and portraits, to landscapes. Again, the point is that if you can paint, you can paint anything! But you must never feel compelled to paint what is before you. You must feel free to paint not what you see, but what you want to see—the way you want it to look—and this book shows you how. Paint What You Want to Seeis a complete course in painting and "seeing." It even includes critiques of student work and problem paintings—you learn where the paintings went wrong and how they can be improved. There are also numerous assignments to practice at home, with examples of how to do them, and valuable lessons on the essentials of values, color, and composition. You will learn how to make a contour drawing, how to layer your washes until you get the right value, and how to use "local value" and color-values to make strong statements. You will also learn how to mix subtle colors such as greens, grays, flesh-tones, and darks; paint with analogous and complementary colors; paint light, shadows, and negative shapes; and see tubed paint in terms of value. Lessons on composition include directing the eye with edges; vignetting; placing darks and other colors; advice on handling patterns; integrating subject and background; subduing or emphasizing contours; and hints on loosening up your painting style. The book concludes with a review of famous artists' painting, with suggestions on applying their "lessons" to your own work. Painting What You Want to Seeis for artists of all levels of ability, particularly for intermediate and advanced students who already know how to paint and want to make better, more expressive paintings. The instructions are clear and simple, with numerous examples, excellent illustrations, informative captions, and many useful assignments to help you develop your own style. Except for sections on drawing and values, the entire book is in color. All in all, a most extraordinary book!

Shows how to integrate all the elements of a painting into an artistic whole, with examples in pen and ink, watercolor, and oil.

Problem Solved! Expert fixes for not-quite-right watercolors. As one of today's most sought-after workshop instructors, Charles Reid knows the most common stumbling blocks faced by artists and the best ways to overcome them. With expert advice on everything from drawing and design to fine-tuning figure and landscape paintings, Charles Reid's Watercolor Solutions will help you identify shortcomings in your paintings, fix recurring problems, and become a better watercolorist—no matter what your skill level. Inside, you'll find masterful insights from one of North Light's best-selling authors: • Advice for successful color mixing, tips to avoid overworking and other straightforward information you can take straight to your easel • 10 step-by-step demonstrations make the lessons easy to understand and implement • Student work with critiques that call out strengths, weaknesses and tips on how the paintings can be improved Whether your portraits feel contrived, your landscapes lack depth, or your colors look unnatural, this book holds the secrets to stronger, looser and livelier paintings.

A lifetime of watercolor expertise - at your fingertips! In Charles Reid's Watercolor Secrets, professional artist Charles Reid offers you an inside glimpse into his sketchbooks, sharing actual pages along with critiques and insights he's gleaned through years of practice. With each entry, you'll learn how to improve your own watercolor technique. Discover how to: Simplify your shadow shapes Create form using silhouettes Use edges to create a crisp or soft effect Prepare your supplies to paint outdoors Balance your use of detail by focusing on the essentials Quickly capture the essence of the environment in which you're painting Five detailed step-by-step demonstrations guide you in creating watercolor masterpieces of your own. With Reid's concise and encouraging explanations, you'll feel as if you've found your own personal teacher.