The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: A Treasury of Watercolor Secrets Discovered Through Decades of Painting and Experimentation

by Gordon MacKenzie

This special 10th-anniversary collection combines two of the best-loved North Light watercolor guides: The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook and The Watercolorist's Essential Landscapes. Clarifying and simplifying the various aspects of painting with watercolor, Gordon MacKenzie will encourage and challenge you with new possibilities. Rather than a list of rules, this is a collection of principles, concepts, and general information designed to expand your creative process. Mackenzie shares tips, techniques, ideas, and lessons for a sure path to creative fulfillment and better watercolor paintings.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, Drawing, How To, Research

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2010

Reviews

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures on my blog)

The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook is one large book. A 288-pages hardcover.

It's actually two books in one. It collects The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook and The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: Landscapes. In this 10th anniversary edition, you'll be getting 2 books for the price of one. A deal not to be missed because they are terrific books.

The book is a beginner's guide to learning watercolour painting. It's loaded with useful tips and techniques. The techniques discussed involve painting techniques and the general art application like understanding perspective, composition, balance, etc.

Information can be quite detailed at times. There's a chart comparing the paint quality across different brands, something I don't see in other books. There's also information on how you can construct your own palette, if you like to do it yourself (DIY). The examples are great and they are all hand drawn. And the many paintings included are wonderful to look at.

Highly recommended watercolour instructional book. Useful for reference as well.

[peach · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots to take away from this book. had a few cool techniques that i hadn't seen anywhere else in the introductory world of watercoloring. the beautiful illustrations shown alongside the techniques were a bit more intimidating than inspiring, but i know that's my personal problem.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very effective how-to for painting. I've read all the info, but will continue to refer back to it for years to come!

[Miloš · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Full with so many good advices and explanations.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an invaluable resource for watercolorists. For the 10th anniversary they have combined both of his books, so it is also a great value too.

[James Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a number of books on the subject of watercolor on my bookshelf. Some very good, others are a mixture of good and not so good. This book is exceptionally good. It seems to be two books. on page 141 a new book "Landscapes", by the same author, starts. There is little I disagree about and perhaps it is my lack of understanding that limits me, but: I don't dig his complex watercolor pigment charts very much. I'm sure there is something to be learned, but after studying them I still went back to my favorite Danial Smith pigments. I also don't ever go through the often recommended paper stretching process he illustrates. Instead I use heavy paper or paper on a block. Those are minor things. The book is otherwise exceptional in my opinion. I absolutely love his style of painting and many techniques and styles are explained in a way I have never seen before. He also happens to write well and it is not only instructive, but it is a pleasure to read his recommendations, encouragements, and philosophy. Page 179 "You do not come into this life as a team. You come as an individual--to explore, experience and grow your way through all of it has to offer. Making pictures is simply a way to express the perceptions, feelings and values of that individual point of view." The book is a treasure chest of such wisdom. I am an experienced watercolorist and I probably never thought I would purchase another book on the subject. However, when I looked through this one I knew I had discovered something that would help me and encourage me to paint and interpret my environment. The "Dates read" below want a "Date finished." That doesn't apply here to me because I'll be rereading this books from time to time for years to come.

[Phearsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really comprehensive. Will read and experiment again another time!

[Katee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential book to any watercolor painter. I will always refer back to it.

[Donna Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, learned a lot from it whe I I beginning watercolors

[Gerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the best watercolor book I’ve ever read. It does not only talk about the materials and techniques but also color & light, perspective, depth, perception, placement of foreground etc! This taught me so many things, not only just the basics. The author really makes you feel like he wanted to share everything he learned from painting and as an artist. He is straight to the point too, no mind games or unnecessary segues just to make a book long. I absolutely enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend this to every watercolorist out there! You don’t have to be a landscape watercolorist in order to read this book as the topics are mostly generalized and he just used his landscape paintings as examples. I’m also glad that they made this a 2 books in one because the second book gives more depth and information that is very useful for painting.

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a clear and methodical build-up of terms, tools, and techniques pertinent to the watercolor artist with numerous examples, this book is indeed an "essential" one, especially for artists looking to begin exploring watercolor. More than a cut-and-dried "how to" book, however, the author/artist/creator also explains some of the nuances of making art in this very flexible medium, and provides insight into the philosophical underpinnings needed to create truly expressive and fulfilling art. The second half of the book explores the application of principles from the first half as they pertain to landscapes.

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is one of the best instruction manuals on the techniques of watercolor painting. The artwork itself is what you would expect from a book about watercolor painting, unfortunately. It doesn't delve into any abstract or contemporary styles and therefore feels dated, or perhaps, casual. However, the techniques and instruction covered are invaluable for the watercolor beginner. Nice reference manual to keep throughout your career.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it focuses on watercolors, this is very much a worthwhile read for any artist. It covers many of the basic principles of arts, gives ways to practice them, and reminds you of not just composition, but the many, many ways you can go about creating your piece. If nothing else, it's a good reminder for when you're looking for some inspiration or just to get back to the basics.

[Kristen Gebbia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a treasury of watercolor techniques, but also a joy just to flip through and admire. As a beginner watercolor “artist” I find the information easy to process and follow, yet see so much that will only come to me with practice. Love love love this guidebook.

[batya7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic instruction. Excellent instruction.
Mr. MacKenzie uses a lot of negative painting techniques, utilizing masking and frisket.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best instructional watercolor book I've read. Author covered everything. It's perfect!

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent guide. tons of info. def will be keeping it handy.

[Jason Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book full of techniques for watercolorists. Takes you from basic techniques all the way to more complicated processes. It will definitely be on my bookshelf.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great revenge book

[Linda Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice, hints and examples from an expert in watercolor. This is a must read for the landscape artist.

[Megangoldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This conversation is fascinating, but the unspoken desires hanging in the air are even more thrilling. Perhaps we can translate them with a touch of something more?

[Meriam Kadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure trove of painting techniques and inspiration. Highly recommend for artists

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good lessons about watercolor painting for the absolute beginners.

[Shweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Recently I have started dabbing into watercolors again and as much as I like to follow the tutorials online, I really wanted to understand color theory and something that can explain the wet in wet washes better. I remember someone sharing a single page of this book which explains the flow of watercolor and I loved it. I am glad to report that the book itself doesn't disappoint. It has great in depth detail about tips, tricks and techniques of watercolor as a medium and also gives you pointer on how to create your own composition. I really like the book and will checkout more books from the author.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I should have read when I first started doing watercolour.
It really put things in prospective.
Maybe a bit dated in some areas but still a invaluable reference to have on the shelf.
Easy to read and examples are easy to follow.
I will/am going back over it again and again to learn more as I paint.

[Rhea Shelden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a massive book, two in one in fact. Clear, beautiful illustrations and thorough descriptions. I highly recommend it for new and experienced watercolorists alike. This book reviews beginning watercolor basics, has step-by-steps and added details. It goes on to review more advanced information such as bad fugitive pigments to avoid, paint comparisons, brushes, color charts, even experimental techniques that are fun to try. Excellent addition to the artists library.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough watercolor guide with beautiful, inspiring examples. The descriptions of techniques are specific and well-written.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Has a lot of landscape tutorials which I am not into landscapes, but good pointers, tips and suggestions . . . . I would make it a read to any watercolorist out there.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this one. It's a great watercolor resource, especially for beginners.