This beautiful book showcases the work of the members of the prestigious Royal Watercolour Society, including Ken Howard, Sonia Lawson and many other fine and well-known contemporary watercolour painters. Each artist discusses their inspiration and gives their best practical advice for working in this medium, offering a fascinating insight into the methods and techniques of the professional artists. Have you ever wondered how an artist starts a piece, what keeps them working at it, how they make marks and mix colour or when they know a painting is finished? This intimate exploration of the daily creative striving of the artist and their patient technical procedures will fascinate professional and aspiring artists, collectors and anyone with a general interest in painting.

First published in 1997, this volume will revolutionise the study of watercolour painting in Britain. The Royal Watercolour Society archive constitutes a major academic resource covering two hundred years of the history of watercolour painting in Britain. The rediscovery in 1980 of ‘the Jenkins Papers’, the early records of the Society, was a major find for the history of British art. The archives are substantial and remarkably comprehensive. Minutes of annual general meetings, Council and committees, are all intact; extraordinarily, the Society’s catalogues for its own exhibitions have also survived, with details of who bought the pictures and for how much. It contains biographical information on several hundred artists who practised throughout the United Kingdom from the end of the eighteenth century to the present day. Prepared by the archivist to the RWS, Simon Fenwick, this is not just a work of reference, but an absorbing book to dip into again and again. The Society of Painters in Water Colours, as it was then titled, was founded in 1804 to promote the interests of painters using watercolour and to provide a platform for members to sell their work. As such, its archives provide an excellent insight into the evolving debate on the status of the artists and their medium, and an authoritative account of the way in which watercolour paintings were sold, distributed and acquired. The substantial introduction by Greg Smith surveys some of the purposes and practices of watercolour from 1750 to the present day and highlights key issues, many yet to be examined, relating to the study of watercolour. His survey is arranged around a number of topics including the notion of watercolour as a British art, collecting and display, book illustration, architectural drawing, map-making and topography, antiquarian studies, decorative arts, printmaking, portrait miniatures and drawings, amateur practices and the changing status of the sketch.

In this second book in a series covering elements of the landscape, renowned watercolourist, David Bellamy shows how to paint skies, light and atmosphere and how choices involving these three key elements can affect a painting. Starting with skies, David Bellamy covers basic techniques, composition, clouds, special effects like silver linings, sunsets and shafts of light, and much more, then there is a step by step dramatic sky demonstration. Next comes light, with plenty of advice including warm and cool light, using glazes, cast shadows, light from different directions, painting the sun and reflected light, followed by a step by step demonstration featuring strong light and shadow. The atmosphere section covers haze and mist, fog, mountains in cloud, smoke and steam, rain, storms and tranquil moods, and is followed by an atmospheric step by step painting of a waterfall. David Bellamy's extensive travels and much admired painting style ensure that there are plenty of beautiful, inspiring paintings of skies, light and atmosphere throughout the book.

Hazel Soan's Watercolour Rainbow is an inspiring yet practical book on colour. She sets out to encourage and inspire all watercolour artists to make really radiant and colourful paintings. Hazel takes each main colour in the palette in turn and shows how to use the pigments to their maximum effect with lots of practical hints and tips throughout, as well as projects to show how the colours work in practice. All artists, whatever their level, seek advice on how to improve their paintings and this exciting book will inspire all watercolourists to use their palette to the maximum effect. The book includes: Colour Rules; The Pigments; Transparency and Opacity; Mixing Colours; The Yellows, The Reds, The Blues, The Greens, The Browns, The Blacks and Greys, The Whites; The End of the Rainbow.

Learn to paint the varied and dramatic coastlines of the world, with this guide from the expert teacher—includes four step-by-step demonstrations. Renowned watercolourist David Bellamy shares his passion for painting seas and shorelines in this inspiring and practical book. His extensive travels mean that seas and shorelines from all over the world appear in the paintings—and you can benefit from his knowledge and experience with advice on: finding subjects and painting the different moods of the sea rocks, crags and cliffs adding figures and animals into your artworks Also included is an in-depth look at the painting and sketching techniques required, so painters at every level can start creating their own beautiful seascapes.