Watercolour Textures: An art guide from basic textures to advanced compositions

by Ann Blockley

Ann Blockley is a very successful artist, known for the innovative way in which she uses texture as a key element in her work. This book, in Collins Artist’s Studio series, looks at how she achieves her stunning effects and provides essential guidelines for the intermediate painter wishing to develop this aspect of their own painting. Creating texture in watercolour can be quite a challenge but this book provides a fresh approach to the subject. It focuses on a wide range of unusual techniques, some of which depart from the more conventional methods, revealing how to portray texture by a variety of means. Ann explains how to manipulate the paint by lifting out colour, scraping and scratching the paint, and by using additional materials such as wax, clingfilm, salt and metallic pigments. She also explains how the surface itself can play an important role in the effects that can be achieved, and experiments with acrylics, inks, gouache and collage as well as watercolour. In later chapters Ann looks at the creative process and provides insights into how to develop ideas, then concentrates on how to portray texture in specific subjects, such as flowers and foliage, animals, still life, buildings and landscapes. Practical exercises, projects, step-by-step demonstrations and studio tips are included, as well as the work of several guest artists – John Blockley, Moira Huntly and Shirley Trevena.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2007

Reviews

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ann Blockley's watercolors, especially her landscapes. This book was such a treat and filled with great ideas for how to create texture in watercolor paintings.

[Gerry Darlington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, very informative

Stunningly illustrated with her own and other artists' work, this is a wonderful exposition of Ann's approach and methodology. The book is not prescriptive, encouraging each artist to develop their own voice. Wonderful!

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO very many ideas and techniques to try. I did not know that you can do all these techniques or use so many different mediums with watercolours.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book...WOW, the pictures that this lady has done...how she ever did that with watercolor is way beyond me. Love the pictures of the dandelion puffballs..the detail is unbelievable. The book is worth buying just to look at the paintings.

[Kåre · Rating 3 out of 5]

De første kapiteler er uden det store pjat: Nogle teknikker beskrives relativt klart og med eksempler, der hverken er fjollede eller uforståelige. Bogen henvender sig til nogle, der har nogen erfaring bag sig, så det er lige mig.

Helt i orden fortsættes der med, hvordan disse mere eksperimenterende teknikker kan anvendes til forskallige motiver: blomster, dyr, still-life, natur.

Listen over motiver er ikke grundig nok til at overbevise som bog. Bl.a. mangler der kapitler om mennesker. Et om abstrakte former havde også højnet bogen.

Valget afspejler nok forfatterens egne interesser, hvilket er lidt ærgerligt, da hun ikke er nogen meget spændende kunstner. Lidt umotiveret hives tre kunstnere ind og gives plads til ikke rigtigt noget særligt klart. Måske er dette for at fylde sider ud. Eller for at skabe venskaber og vise sin fars ting frem.

Der sluttes af med et ok kapitel om landskab.