Watercolor Techniques: Painting Light and Color in Landscapes and Cityscapes

A quote I love from the book "Watercolor painting is a lifelong journey. There are always new and rewarding challenges just around the corner". Well I can honestly say that Michael Reardon has successfully taken us along on the journey that has gotten him where he is today. He does not hold anything back to keep you guessing what colors or techniques he used in every painting in the book along with 8 thorough demonstrations. No other watercolor book I've read does that and I have a library full! He covers so many areas that are important to achieving all the qualities of a good watercolor painting but not only that, he does it with depth and light and mood. It is not a true beginners book that describes how to paint a tree for instance. Those books are good to have, but this one is a must for all stages of painting - beginners and advanced. Focal points, composition, value, color, mood, light, shadow, atmospheric perspective, regular perspective, techniques.....it's all in there and it's easy to understand. If you already know about watercolor you still would do well by this book.....it's probably not how you were taught so there are new things to discover......that's what a lifetime of growing in what you love to do is all about. I love the book.....it's not sitting on my shelf.....it goes around from room to room! The best part is you walk away wanting to incorporate these ideas into your own work to put your own unique style to your art....that is so helpful! Thank you for taking all the time and effort it took into writing this book... It's obvious it was so well thought out and done with excellence in mind......from a true master.

Excellent instructional book filled with tips and techniques to achieve luminous light shining through your watercolor.

very inspiring to learn to paint man-made structures, his paintings are mainly blue and orange, which works amazingly well

Excellent book for learning so many different ways of using colors for washes, lighting, contrasts for landscapes

As a watercolorist myself, I have long admired Michael Reardon's watercolor paintings, and was delighted to see that he had published a book. I highly recommend his "Watercolor Techniques" to anyone interested in watercolors! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing his process step by step, and his instructions are so understandable. He has clearly explained and illustrated each step, showing the painting as it progresses, from initial washes to the finished painting! He explains consistency of paint, grading a wash, color choices, leaving light in the painting, complimentary color choices, and so forth! I have recently added a few of his paint colors to my own palette. Whether a beginner, or like me, a "seasoned" watercolorist, I think you will find his book very helpful and enjoyable!

This is a terrific book. The information is very clear and there are numerous "demos". I find this book very helpful!

I wish I had this book when I first started painting, I wouldn't have wasted so much time wondering why my approach to watercolor wasn't working. Michael Reardon is one of America's preeminent watercolor landscape painters, and this book lays out his process, philosophy and vision quite superbly. Its clearly written, easy to understand, and builds on knowledge from each chapter to the next. If you are new to watercolor this book will guide you in the right direction. If you are an experienced painter it will help eliminate your weaknesses. The true strength of Reardon's book is his approach to conveying light and value, which is the lifeblood of any representational painting. Highly recommended!

Love it.

Opens up the horizon in reader's watercolor understanding, especially for those who are struggling in color mixing and muddy. The author emphasised limiting colors in pallete in order to achieve harmonic painting.

This beautiful book has changed the way I paint watercolor. He has the gift of explaining aspects of watercolor that I had heard about previously but never fully understood. I find his paintings beautiful and inspirational. What a treasure.

Ce livre est parfait, simple et pourtant allant au fond du,problème qui est la lumière en aquarelle. Tout est très bien expliqué. Je recommande .

Clear instructions and great demos for beginners like me. The selection of paintings demonstrated are not so complicated as to be difficult for beginners or those with just a little more experience. The author uses cadmium orange and cobalt blue often but these can de replaced adequately if not perfectly by other pigments.

Técnicas exploradas e explicadas de maneira clara. Passo a passo e abordagem ampla, um guia necessário para quem ama aquarelas.