Watercolour Companion

Matthew Palmer is a renowned demonstrator of watercolour painting, and his classes are particularly popular with beginners. He is also a best-selling author, with over 110,000 copies sold. He has been painting seriously for over 20 years and specializes in landscapes, still life and animals. He has his own studio at his home in Derbyshire, UK and teaches hundreds of people each week, as well as running watercolour workshops and holidays. He has many personal exhibitions, participates in several art shows and appears regularly on television as well as on his own internet-based art show at www.watercolour.tv

It's always a good sign when a book feels welcoming before you even get to the content. This small-format hardback fits nicely in the hand and has just enough heft to make you feel that it's taking both you and its subject seriously. An elastic closure betokens a vade mecum that'll accompany you everywhere.But enough of the form, what of the function? At heart, this is basically a hints and tips book. There are plenty of basic ideas, simply presented, for handling a variety of subjects: trees, flowers, animals, buildings, water - the usual gamut - as well as technical matters such as colour selection and mixing, which are handled rather well. A handy viewfinder is included too.

• Painting basics: Getting started 6, Preparing paint 8, What are key mixes? 10, Water and flow 12, Test your strength 14, Brushes and brushmarks 16, What paper? 18, Selecting colours 20, Adding more paints 22Planning successful pictures: Using the picture finder 24, Finding time to paint 26, What to paint 28, Skies and light, Clear sky 30, Fresh cloudy sky 32, Evening sky 34, Key mixes for shadows 36, Sunset 38, Silhouettes 40, Moonlit sky 42, Stormy sky 44, Rainfall 46Flowers: Masses of flowers 48, Daisies 50, Foxgloves 52, Poppies 54, Carpet of bluebells 56Trees and woodlands: Trees in your paintings 58, Midground trees 60, Mixes for spring foliage 62, Cherry blossom 64, Distant woodland 66, Key mixes for summer foliage 68, Palm tree 70, Trees in rows 72, Key mixes for autumn foliage 74, Branches 76, Woodland 78Building and mountains: Buildings in the landscape 80, Stonework 82, Doorways 84, Architectural accuracy 86, Rocks and cliffs 88, Mountains 90, Snow-capped peaks 92Water and the sea: Key mixes for the sea 94, Waves and sea spray 96, The beach 98, Reflections 100, Boats 102People and wildlife: Key mixes for skintones 104, Figures in your pictures 106, Adding a sense of life 108, Stag in wood 110, Small animals 112, Animals in the landscape 114, Kingfisher 116Watercolour secrets and special effects: Falling snow 118, Fixing cauliflowers 120, Splashes and splatters 122, Leaf stencils 124, Beams of light 126Glossary 128