Archive for category Series: Problems & Solutions
Drawing And Painting Flowers: Problems And Solutions || Trudy Friend
Posted by henry in Author: Trudy Friend, Medium: Drawing, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: David & Charles, Series: Problems & Solutions, Subject: Flowers on March 20, 2007
The Problems & Solutions series from David and Charles is a format which is the preserve of Trudy Friend, whose approach works well on a wide variety of subjects and makes for an easy to follow guide to some of the trickier aspects of the area she is covering.
Trudy’s medium is watercolour with pencil which produces clearly delineated results that the reader should have no trouble following. At home with many different subjects, Trudy is particularly good on flowers and this is therefore a must-have book for anyone who is still learning this fascinating and varied subject. Most of the book is devoted to 2-page spreads which define a particular problem and then offer ways to work round it. In this book, this is mainly specific flower types or compositions and the solutions offer straightforward advice on dealing with petals, foliage, colour, contrast and so on by means of specific brushstrokes, layering of colours or the use of dark against light and more.
Because of its largely repetitive approach (which is its strength), the book might look at first glance to be difficult to get into. Flip through the pages and there seems to be a lot of detail and it’s hard to get your eye to focus quickly on any one thing. However, this isn’t how it works and, although it’s not something you necessarily need to work through as a structured course, each section needs to be followed through in some detail simply because of the amount of information that Trudy manages to impart in quite a limited space.
As well as the problem/solution spreads, there are also various exercises spread through the book such as the one stroke leaf shape, use of white paper and exercises in watercolour pencil, which will help you develop your technique further. Overall, it’s a tried and tested format that serves both the subject and the reader well and is presented with admirable clarity and economy. It’s keenly priced, too.
First published 2007
£16.99
