This book was previously published in 2004 as The Encyclopaedia of Watercolour Techniques. I've never read that though so was delighted to get this new updated version that utilises advances in paints and pigments. It does what it says - its a real Treasury of different techniques to transform your watercolour paintings - useful for both beginners and more advanced artists seeking additional ways of applying paints. There's a short section covering materials and another towards the end on the actualities of creating a painting from an idea but the bulk of the book covers many different techniques, from the well known wet in wet and wet on dry to wax and mask resists, scraping back, and my favourites - back runs and blossoms, and running in ( they utilise the unpredictability of watercolours to its best and create some incredible images in my opinion) and many, many more that will enhance and make your artworks stand out and be noticed. In all thirty five different ways of applying paint are offered, covering a wide range of styles and each one carries suggestions for what type of subject works best with that particular method. Each different technique is explored in detail with accompanying illustrations and photographs with suggestions for further study. Many carry a step by step demonstration with easy to understand text, and showing further artworks using that particular technique. This is a well written and presented book that everyone interested in watercolours will enjoy - full of useful information presented in an easy to follow format.-JeannieZelos.com In an age when we're all being encouraged to recycle, I suppose it's inevitable that publishers start to raid their back catalogues in order to beef up their front lists. Usually, all this does is prove that, however good a book may have been in its day, unless it's a consistent seller on its own, it's usually best left to gather dust while the world moves on. However, in the case of Search Press and the Encyclopaedia series (which started life with Headline when they were a young, niche publisher), a little - and surprisingly little, too - redesign work has freshened what was already a good idea up no end. What I was implying before was that you can't breathe new life into a corpse. It's surprising, though, what you can do with some minor surgery, a shot of botox and a new hair-do. The basic layout here consists of three main sections: Tools And Materials, Techniques and Picture Making. The first two are pretty much self-explanatory, with things such as washes, drybrush and brushwork getting a double-page spread each with nice clear illustrations and extended captions that explain what you're looking at. The final section continues in much the same vein, but gets into more general areas such as choosing a palette, the use of body colour and how to create textures. The aim throughout is not so much to create a linear course that you can follow from start to finish, but rather to give you reasonably detailed (but not exhaustive) coverage of the techniques that others books may just refer to. It's something to have on the shelf for reference, but it's also entertaining enough, through the extensive use of illustrations, to be worth simply leafing through from time to time to see what catches your eye and, hopefully, sticks in your mind.-Artbookreview.net
