Ready to Paint Postcards: Mountains

Lesley Linley has a background in Graphic Design but she learned about watercolour techniques entirely from books. Having discovered a love for the medium, she found she enjoyed sharing her skills and a career in teaching Adult Community Education began. Teaching left little time for her own painting until she moved to Skye. Here she opened a studio in order both to run classes and workshops for local people and visitors from the UK and overseas, and to spend more time painting for pleasure. Since returning to her home county of Derbyshire she has become a member of Peak District Artisans and exhibits with the group. She also continues to run workshops and give demonstrations. Lesley has featured in Skye Makers magazine and Paint & Draw magazine, and has written articles for Leisure Painter.Find her at: www.lesleylinley.co.uk

Lesley Linley is a master of washes and granulation and although the images in Ready to Paint Postcards: Mountains are simple, they also provide a lesson in simplification as well as the use of colour to define shape. You probably won't want to follow every exercise, but you might well marvel at the considerable technical expertise that has gone into them. As the days warm up, why not treat your creative self?

• Introduction 6First steps with Watercolour 8The Postcard Projects 16Summer Sky 24Colourful Clouds 28Colour and Distance 32Waterfall 36Rock Textures 40Sunlight and Shadows 44Reflections 48Mountain and Sea 52Wavelets and Ripples 56Chill Peaks 60Snowy Summit 64Ridgeline 68Silhouettes 72Bright Water 76Wreath of Mist 80Outline drawings 84Index 96