Marylin Scott is a professional artist who works across a wide range of media. She studied painting at the Guildford School of Art and the Royal Academy of Painting in London. She is a respected practical art author.

As someone who has enjoyed painting and drawing as a hobby in the past, I had been unable to keep up with it for quite a while and had, therefore, lost confidence. This book is ideal for helping me get back into my stride, especially as I had struggled a bit with water colour work in the past. The book contains many useful tips for anyone starting for the first time and for someone like myself who needs to go back to the basics. I would also think that the wealth of techniques described in the book would be further inspiration for any artist who, although already competent with watercolours, could enjoy experimenting with different styles and effects in their work. Initially I thought I would read through the book before starting to paint - but I couldn't wait! However, first efforts made me keep going back to the book for advice! I intend to work through it trying out the tutorials as I go along. The introduction about the different papers and paints available and the results you can expect from them was particularly useful for me. To show how long it was since I had last painted, I had to go out and buy a new bottle of masking fluid as my previous one had turned solid, despite the cap being tightly fitted. I am looking forward to many hours of fun ahead!

• INTRODUCTION 6GETTING TO KNOW THE MEDIUM 8Watercolour choices 10, Watercolour papers 12, Brushes 14, Water 17, Additional equipment 18, Choosing colours 20, Mixing greens 22, Mixing skin tones 24, Overpainting effects 26TECHNIQUES 28Basic techniques 30Washes 30, Graded and variegated washes 32, Dropped-in colour 34, Brushwork 36, Analysis: Brushwork 38, Blending 40, Reserving white paper 42, Masking highlights 44, Analysis: Masking fluid 46, Soft and scratched highlights 48, Lifting out 50, Wet-on-dry 52, Wet-in-wet 54, Analysis: Wet-in-wet 56, Hard and soft edges 58, Underdrawing 60, Altering and erasing 62Advanced techniques 64Backruns 64, Brush drawing 68, Analysis: Brush drawing 70, Drawing with a stick 72, Dry brush 74, Analysis: Dry brush 76, Glazing 78, Gum arabic 80, Body colour 82, Analysis: Body colour 84, Spattering 86, Salt spatter 88, Stippling 92, Scraping back 94, Impressing and indenting 96, Wax resist 98, Line and wash 100, Analysis: Line and wash 102, Mixed media 104, Squaring up 106Useful hints and tips 108Managing your watercolours 108, Travelling light 114, Paper and paints 116, Special effects 118SUBJECTS 120Landscapes 122Composition 122, Fields and flatlands 124, Rocks and mountains 126, Tutorial: Foreground figures 128, Weather 134, Trees 136, Skies 138, Tutorial: Using opaque paint 140Waterscapes 142Waves 142, Still water 144, Reflections 146, Tutorial: Sky and water 148Buildings 150Lighting 150, Atmosphere 152, Texture and pattern 154, Buildings and landscape 156, Interiors 158Still life and flowers 160Composition 160, Arranging 162, Colour schemes 164, Natural habitat 166, Garden settings 168, Botanical studies 170, Tutorial: Exploiting edge qualities 172People 178Figures in landscape 178, Portraits 180, Children and young people 182, The figure in context 184, Tutorial: Working from sketches 186INDEX 188CREDITS 192