Light and Movement in Watercolour || Jake Winkle

Jake Winkle’s paintings are all about colour. These can frequently be surprising as, for example, in the front cover image of the boxing hares, where reds, blues and greens are used to give shade and depth as well as to impart vitality and movement.

It takes a little practice to get your eye accustomed to his style, which at first sight appears very loose. Well, it is very loose, but there’s more detail in there than you first realise and you’ll eventually begin to appreciate the way in which carefully placed and graduated blocks and splashes of colour are used to define shape and depth. The trick is in the juxtaposition of advancing and receding hues that give an almost 3-dimensional appearance. Look again at those hares: if they were done any other way, they’d be a magnificent image, but they’d be static and flat.

Not all Jake’s work is quite as avant-garde as this, but the sense of colour is always there, even if it’s sometimes more subtle, as in his more tranquil landscapes as well as interiors and flowers. The book is mostly about how Jake paints, although there are four demonstrations included so that you can have a go at a guided attempt at his style for yourself – and I’d certainly recommend that you try this.

This is without doubt a challenging book, but it’s also a rewarding one. As ever with a highly individualistic style, you wouldn’t want to copy it completely, but it’s certainly worth considering the way Jake uses colour and seeing if you can’t incorporate at least a few of his ideas.

Breaking The Rules of Watercolour || Shirley Trevena

When I wrote about Shirley Trevena’s previous book, Vibrant Watercolours, I had a riff about how watercolour was supposed to be a demure medium. I won’t repeat it here, but my point was that Shirley had taken a traditional medium by the scruff of the neck and brought it right up to date. It was therefore a pleasure to read the introduction to this rather magnificent new volume and discover that this is basically her manifesto. The quote, “I would love to have had [Queen Victoria] in my class so that I could have given her permission to let rip with her colours” conjures up a wonderful image!

And that’s basically what this book is about, what the rules and the risks are: colours, but also how they sit together and relate to each other through positive and negative shapes. Shirley isn’t an abstract painter and, if you turn the pages, you’ll never be in any doubt about what any of her subjects is, but you can immediately see that it’s all about much more than just representation. Conveniently, the cover illustration makes my point. The title is Scottish Waterlilies, but that really doesn’t matter. You need to look at the way the colours are placed, how the pink of the flower stands out against the green leaves, and how the deep blue of the negative shapes of the water defines all the rest of the elements of the picture. The result is bold and yet subtle at the same time.

The structure of the book is that Shirley analyses ten of her paintings, using each one to make a specific point: “More paint, bigger paper”, “Breaking the rules of perspective”, “Happy accidents”. She’ll show you where the idea came from and how the image was developed, what colours and materials were used and how the effects were achieved. There isn’t a demonstration in sight, though, and if you were looking for instruction on how to copy the piece, you’d search in vain because this isn’t a book that will teach you how to paint, it’s a book that’ll teach you about painting, about how to see, how to think and how to translate that into working with the materials you have. It’s a difficult thing to pull off because most artists think visually and have great trouble expressing themselves in words. Shirley, though, has the gift for both and this is a book which will teach you more about art than pretty much any other.

It also helps that it’s been superbly produced and is a joy just to handle.

Painting Light in Oils || Peter Wileman

Books on oil painting are always thin on the ground, so a new one is to be welcomed; all the more so when you get one that combines the analytical approach that characterises a lot of Batsford books with a handy selection of step-by-step demonstrations into the bargain. In both approaches, Peter Wileman offers a lot of painting wisdom and the fact that he paints in a surprisingly wide variety of styles will widen the appeal of what he has to say.

Overall, the book has a logical progression from the customary introduction to materials and techniques (one day, could someone just say, “I use paint and brushes, just like everyone else” and leave it at that?), through subject selection and the different effects of light, to the practical aspects of outdoor painting as well as studio practice. Light, of course, is the centrepiece of the book and Peter is particularly sound on how light varies according to weather, time of day and season, what to look for and the various ways of capturing its effects. Much of this is the sort of thing that seems obvious until someone explains it and there are a lot of “oh, yes” moments here.

If I have a complaint it’s that several of the illustrations appear to have been reproduced from 35mm transparencies or less than totally high resolution digital images. This is always a problem when the author has sold their work and is relying on their own records and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, but there are several places when I found myself yearning for just a bit more detail in some of the paintings.

Experimental Flowers in Watercolour || Ann Blockley

Comparisons are horrible things because you inevitably land up belittling one of the elements or damning the other with faint praise. Artists hate them because, they will insist, their style is their own and not derivative or a synthesis of someone else’s.

So, having got all that out of the way, I’m going to make one. However, this is about my reaction to this extraordinary new book and nothing to do with the contents, which, I’m trying to say, are unique. I haven’t been as excited by a new book as much as this since John Blockley’s Watercolour Interpretations of 1987 or perhaps Charles Reid’s Flower Painting in Watercolour, which goes all the way back to 1979. I’ve been a fan of Ann’s work for a long time and own one of her earlier, and largely conventional, flower paintings. I’ve also been impressed at the way she has, in both books and videos, been able to explain her creative process and working methods in a way that the amateur can follow and yet which is much more than just a piece of art instruction.

There have been hints for some time that this book might be what’s coming and Watercolour Textures, her previous book, showed a willingness to experiment with landscape and to create works which were images for their own sake without being enslaved to representation. Here, as the title implies, Ann returns to the subject she’s perhaps best known for and just lets creativity rip. There’s no dispute that these are flower paintings: they’re recognisably flowers and even someone as non-botanical as I am can tell one variety from another, and yet they’re not botanical illustrations or flower portraits in any way. This is a major step forward in Ann’s development as an artist and the establishment is going to have to take notice, as we have some serious work here.

I think it’s fair to say that this is not a book for the beginner, or even for the faint-hearted, but if you’ve been intrigued by the way I’ve reacted to it, go out and buy yourself a copy. As an example of what art can do, it’ll blow your mind. It’ll also stimulate your own creativity in all kinds of new ways. It’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen and I’m still wondering whether to lumber it with the title of Best Art Book Ever.

	Experimental Flowers in Watercolour Book (Hardback) with Ann Blockley

The Essence of Watercolour || Hazel Soan

This is one of those books that’s hugely difficult to review because you turn the pages muttering, “gosh, that’s fantastic” as you go and it can be quite difficult to pick out exactly where the instruction comes in.

However, further study reveals a rather clever structure and Hazel shows you how to use a wide range of techniques including transparent versus opaque colour, the limited palette, layering, brushwork and so on. But the thing is that there are no demonstrations, no break-out hints, in fact, nothing to suggest there’s any instruction going on at all and the reason for this is that Hazel’s approach is to teach by example. It’s all, “look at this, try that, explore …”

It’s all hugely inspiring and well, to be honest, exactly what you’d expect from Hazel. She has many fans and this isn’t going to disappoint any of them.

	The Essence of Watercolour Book (Hardback) with Hazel Soan

Adventurous Watercolours || Jenny Wheatley

I’ve been aware of Jenny Wheatley’s work for almost as long as I’ve been involved with art publishing, so it comes as something of a shock to realise that this is her first book. As such, I think it’s reasonable to describe it as “long-awaited” and it’s to be hoped that it will achieve the success of the other overlooked artists that Batsford have started bringing to a wider audience.

Jenny has an assured style that relies heavily on colour, using often quite muted washes over a background tone. It’s one of those styles that’s so idiosyncratic that it’s hardly to be recommended that the amateur should try to copy it and this is, indeed, certainly not an instruction manual. However, if you’re intrigued by some truly original work and want to know more about how Jenny approaches her subjects, that’s exactly what you’ll get here. For those who want to explore further, as well as the quite detailed discussions of Jenny’s working methods, there are also several step-by-step demonstrations that show exactly how she builds up her multi-layered images.

As his name now appears on the cover, it’s worth mentioning the input of Robin Capon, who has been behind a lot of the Batsford output of recent years and provides the words that go with the pictures. It’s down to him that so many people whose talents are mainly in the visual field have turned out to be quite so articulate when it comes to be putting pen to paper.

All in all, this is a book which is going to fascinate the serious student of watercolour.

Buy it onAmazon

600 Watercolour Mixes || Sharon Finmark

Books on colour mixing are both ridiculously easy and ridiculously hard to review. On the one hand, you can see at a glance whether they’re any good but, on the other, you rack your brains trying to work out how you’ve arrived at your conclusion. And, into the bargain, there have been dozens in the past few years and, let’s be honest, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. It really is like watching paint dry!

So, I’m not going to be excited about another one, am I? Except that I am, and I can tell you exactly why. For a start, this is by Sharon Finmark, not maybe the most prolific author, but a presence on the scene and someone I associate with the art rather than the mechanics of painting. In fact, what on earth’s she doing getting into colour blobs? And that’s where it gets interesting because, although there are plenty of said blobs, they don’t look like blobs. Hang on, what do I mean? Yes, what do I mean? Well, they look like something you might try out on a piece of practice paper as you go along, rather than a painstakingly constructed grid done to prove – well, ultimately to prove nothing. The other strange thing is that, although the title implies a heavy tome, this is quite a small book and only has 176 pages. I’m going to take their word for it that there are 600 mixes here, which is a lot, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

It gets better because the book is peppered with practical painting stuff like Overlaying in practice, Wet-in-wet in practice, Colour, light and shade. The usual approach is to organise everything by colour and then relate any token illustrations to that, as if anyone says, “I know, I fancy a bit of Payne’s Grey mixed with Cerulean Blue today”. Of course you don’t, you look at the sky and mutter, “Wow, I’ll have a bit of that, now, what colours do I need? A bit of wet-in-wet, mix on the palette or on the paper?” That’s the challenge of painting; it’s the finished result, the visual interpretation, the mastery of technique. Not the ruddy colour mixing, that’s just a means to an end.

So, here’s what this is. It’s a book about painting that comes at it via the practicalities of making up the hue and shade you want. It is, if you like, coming at its avowed subject backwards, which is entirely the right way to do it. If you have any other colour mixing books, throw them away and buy this, it’ll be the best favour you ever did yourself.

	600 Watercolour Mixes Book (Hardback) with Sharon Finmark

Collage, Colour & Texture In Painting || Mike Bernard

Mike Bernard’s style is unique and in this, his first book, he shows how he builds up images, starting with a paper collage and then working up the shapes and textures using acrylic paint, inks and other materials. The results are a stunning meeting of the abstract and the representational, with recognisable scenes that are nevertheless constructed from geometric shapes and strong colours that add an artist’s commentary to the finished work.

It’s important to look at the title of the book in full, because this is by no means something about collage itself as the technique is only part of the final result and both the book, and Mike’s style, are about using a number of different tools and techniques in painting.

There’s no doubt that this is a style of working that’s so individual that you’d never want to emulate it completely, but Mike offers many valuable insights into the way he works that you can use to stimulate your own creativity and provide jumping-off points to get yourself started in a wealth of new directions.

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Painting Accessible Abstracts || Laura Reiter

It was Laura’s previous book, Learn to Paint Abstracts, that started the current trend for books that go beyond representation and also proved that the concept of abstract painting, as well as some of the practicalities, can be taught.

In this much longer book, she has the chance to expand and to look at how far you might want to travel from reality (How Abstract Do You Want To Go?), the use of composition within abstraction, sources of inspiration and also ways of putting paint on paper or canvas.

Abstraction is much more than just painting random shapes (even if, sometimes, it’s hard to tell that!) and all the usual rules of composition, colour and perspective apply – indeed, they are often more important than in representational painting because the viewer’s normal sources of reference (a recognisable subject) are missing. It’s in this area that this book is particularly strong because Laura combines both the philosophical aspects of abstraction and the practical matter of using materials that applies to any painting. This is very much a book for the practising artist and deals with the concerns that will affect you, rather than dealing with just the concepts of abstraction which are as much the realm of the viewer. In short, it’s a book about how to paint abstracts rather than one about how to understand them.

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Botanical Sketchbook || Mary Ann Scott with Margaret Stevens

This is an intriguing guide to painting flowers and plants from the perspective of someone who is following a defined course (the Society of Botanical Artists’ Distance Learning Course). On the face of it, you’d be inclined to be sceptical: can you really learn anything by watching someone else learn; isn’t that idea the very definition of an oxymoron?

Without the capable hands of Margaret Stevens and the SBA, I’d say it probably was. The other thing that has to be said is that Mary Ann Scott, the learner, is a capable artist who, at the beginning, is clearly not short of ability and so we’re not subjected to 80-odd pages of not-very-good exercises while she gets her hand in. It’s possible to see the progression, but every illustration is something you’d be pretty pleased to have done yourself and that’s the book’s secret, the reason why you learn along with Mary Ann. The sketchbook of the title is the record of her work towards the Society’s Diploma.

This is a well thought-out and well structured book that doesn’t just explain the process of botanical painting, but also the process of learning it.

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