How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects

by Nita Engle

Award-winning artist Nita Engle's breakthrough approach to watercolor shows readers how to combine spontaneity and control to produce glowing, realistic paintings. Her method begins with action-filled exercises that demonstrate how to play with paint, following no rules. Subsequent step-by-step projects add planning to the mix, demonstrating how to turn loose washes into light-filled watercolors with textural effects achieved by spraying, sprinkling, pouring, squirting, or stamping paint. Engle's approach, and her results, are dramatic and dynamic; now watercolor artists can create their own exciting paintings with help from How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself .

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four Nita Engle watercolors are included in Chris Unwin's "The Artistic Touch" (reviewed here). My friend and I hunted for the two we dropped our jaws at, and can't find either one for sale. Rocks & Sea is nowhere to be found. My friend, bereft, ordered this book. Me, too. The cover "Morning on the Yellow Dog River" is another painting we can't find. But we're student watercolorists: we knew what we wanted to paint (nature) and we now know how we want to paint. I am so darn lucky that my teacher, Barb Weisenburg, studied with Engle, and what I have been learning is to let the watercolor be itself. Nita Engle plays in water and instructs us to do the same. Observe, observe. Jump in the surf, wade in the swamp, take photos right into the sun to see how the light works. When an art judge, she writes that she looks for passion. The only way to bring passion to the workspace is to have seen and lived what you're painting. The awe, the breath snatched from your body by the view. Whenever possible, do preliminary painting on site. She reminds us that white paper is the light. Water moves in nature, and water moves on your paper the same way. That's how you make water live. Use tools other than brushes. And play, play, play. Roll the water around, push the paint with a knife or your thumb. Experiment. Have fun! One of the most helpful and generous insights is that she includes paintings she had to repair (rejected by the magazine publisher who assigned the art. Oy!) and she tells us why it was sent back to her, and how she saw what needed to be done, and did it. It's a book of joy. And delicious breathtaking art.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Engle’s paintings, and I’m excited to try some of the techniques. At times though, just having the written description and photographs meant I was confused about how to do a couple of the techniques. I’d love to watch her paint. But this is a close second.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MARVELOUS book defining exactly how to paint misty, watery or cloudy landscapes. Ms Engle purports how to turn the paper this way and that to get the colors to run to on their own -- hence getting the "Watercolor to Paint Itself". However, there are at least 50 excellent drawings of clouds, the sea, reflections in water, snow effects and ice effects. She deals with: stamping rock textures, grass, and with crumpled paper; making repairs; erasing a mistake; handling chalk, masking tape and mask (Mystic) to preserve the white of the paper. She also uses Q-tips, a toothbrush, flinging paint, salt, an electric eraser, and oddly shaped tools, and some experimental techniques in the last couple of chapters, which include outdoor work. The only criticism I have is in her design techniques. She does say to be successful it takes "twenty years and ten minutes." ! Since she lives in Canada (or did) and has done work for Reader's Digest, her qualifications are impeccable. I'm anxious to try her instruction, including carefully spraying water!

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a wonderful book full of extremely helpful tips for any aspiring watercolor painter! Since I've fallen in love with the technique, so I found the book inspiring and motivational. The techniques that I've tried so far are great, but there's so much more to experiment with.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone that has basic drawing and painting knowledge but wants to really get a feeling for watercolors (since the book doesn't really go into the basics of proportions, drawing techniques, etc.).

[Kåre · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesent get any better than this. Clear and also funny. Just the kind of technique that fits my way of doing things. I have read the book more than once and is going to read it again. I am going to try all the different advices too.

[Robin Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nita Engle is incredible teacher--clear in her approach and generous. I've studied with her 3 times. This book is a perfect reflection of her workshops and I highly recommend it.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been taking watercolour lessons for over 2 years and this book seems to be beyond my level of expertise.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book.

With those written by John Blockley, Jack Reid and Tony Smibert, it is at the moment a major source of learning and inspiration. I feel like she speaks the same language I do and "gets" exactly the way I want to paint. When she shows how she used the bottom part of one of her paintings as the sky since it just could not work any other way I had to laugh. What an amazing, fun teacher, I so regret having discovered her too late, I would have travelled around quite a bit to take a workshop with her. And here as well she helps when she says: there is no workshop, no talking about, no meeting, no group that can replace the solitary, consistent, relentless work of trial and error in your studio, you and your work. Amen to that Nita. Thank you!

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating techniques to make watercolouring paintings come to live, to be realistic; Nita specializes in nature paintings and shares great ideas and presents beautiful works

[Amber Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite of the many watercolour books I read over February. It's a bit too intermediate for me, I think, for now, but it's a book I'd definitely like to purchase at some point, rather than borrow it from the library.

This book is chock-full of techniques and helpful tips and beautiful pictures of Nita Engle's breathtaking paintings. What I found extremely valuable was a question she asks early on, to paraphrase: "What kind of art, if you had the all skill to do it well, would you like to create?" I had thought of art goals in terms of 'I'd like to make money at it' and some vague impressions of 'I wish I could draw or paint like x' but the actual product is not something I'd actually spent that much time thinking about it. Sort of the question you assume you know the answer to, and are astonished to find out it's less clear than it appeared.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting watercolor techniques. Good chapter on design. Beautiful paintings.

[Steen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely unique approaches to watercolor.