Take Three Colours: Watercolour Flowers

After graduating with a first-class degree in textile design, Julie King worked as an in-house designer of household textiles before freelancing for several years, creating fabrics, wallpapers and ceramics, all inspired by her deep love of flowers.A contributor to Leisure Painter magazine, Julie runs regular painting classes for adults as well as painting days in National Trust and privately owned gardens. Julie was awarded the Society of Botanical Artists Certificate of Botanical Merit, judged by the Senior Conservator at Kew Gardens, for her freestyle interpretation of an iris.Julie lives in Kent with her husband and their two daughters.

• Introduction 6, Using the colours 8, Using the brushes 10Projects 12Tulips 12, Japanese Anemone 16, Geranium 20, Buttercups 24, Poppies 30, Sunflower 36, Pansies 42, Passion Flower 48, Rose 56Transferring a drawing 64

Many readers will remember using watercolor paint in childhood, but fine-art watercolor is a whole different thing and can feel intimidating for someone just beginning. King recognizes this and starts with a minimum of equipment, the most basic techniques, and a very common subject: flowers. Using just the three primary colors of paint, three brushes, and one pad of watercolor paper, the novice painter can get started with a nominal investment in materials. Starting with a single tulip and progressing through nine increasingly complex flowers, King teaches the reader three techniques in each painting, encouraging confidence and mastery along the way, and adding up to a well-rounded knowledge base. For those who find the blank page daunting, King also includes instructions for using tracing paper and pencil to transfer the outlines of her finished paintings onto watercolor paper. Terminology is explained as it comes up in “jargon buster” feature boxes, and a preview of what the reader will learn in the following project is offered at the end of each set of instructions.