Watercolor Artist

Packed with page after gorgeous page of illustrations demonstrating tried-and-true techniques, inspirational ideas and the most up-to-date information about must-have painting tools and materials, watercolorists find everything they need in WATERCOLOR ARTIST to help them create stunning art...from start to finish.

Editor’s Note

Watercolor artist

Lynn D. Pratt

New + Notable

A New Way of Painting • WILLIAM HENRY HUNT’s innovative technique and many-faceted skills made him a transitional figure in 19th-century watercolor.

What’s your best advice for ensuring a positive plein air experience?

Inspiration / in Bloom • Bring a fresh take to your flower paintings with tips and insights from four watercolor artists— Brent Funderburk, Carolyn Lord, Kathleen Alexander and Soon Y. Warren—who never fail to find creative excitement in the subject.

Kathleen Alexander / The Road to Realism

Start With Good Reference

Soon Y. Warren / Beauty in Every Bloom

The SPACE BETWEEN • RICK SUROWICZ doesn’t ban negative space to the background of his paintings. Instead, the artist uses it to push edges, build layered scenes and explore relationships between objects.

Meet the Artist

The FORGOTTEN ONES • Frank Eber’s primary goal in painting child workers from the past and young refugees of today is to make sure you notice them—and remember.

A New Spin

The Lewis Hine Project

Artist’s Toolkit

Been Through the Mill

Meet the Artist

Letting It Happen • MICHAEL HOLTER’S paintings have a loose, playful energy that spans genres from landscapes to figure-filled cityscapes.

Meet the Artist

Pacific Grove Light

Artist’s Toolkit

SQUARING UP • THANKS TO AN INTUITIVE GRASP OF DESIGN AND RESTRAINED USE OF COLOR, EACH OF JOSEPH ALLEMAN’S PAINTINGS PRESENTS A MYSTERY WAITING TO BE SOLVED OR A STORY WAITING TO BE TOLD.

SENSIBLE DESIGNS

Meet the Artist

Grab and Go • For ease of use and portability, gouache makes a perfect plein air sketching medium.

My Materials

Juniper in Gouache • With my minimal painting kit, I’m always ready for a quick sketch.

A Field Guide to Painting Flowers • Organize your plein air supplies and painting process to interpret outdoor scenes more successfully.

Plentiful Poppies • If you’re just starting out in plein air painting, I suggest you begin with a simple subject such as a pot of flowers with a dramatic shadow. Find a spot where you can get comfortable and stay a while.

Seeing Beauty