Watercolours don't have to be delicate and subdued; they can be full of vibrancy, texture and dynamism. Jane Betteridge shows you how to be more adventurous with the medium. The book includes numerous innovative techniques, all clearly explained and illustrated, step-by-step projects to show you how to use and combine the techniques you've learnt and over 70 inspiring finished paintings, which demonstrate how crackle paste, metallic leaf, print, modelling pastes and much more can transform your watercolours.
* Leisure Painter, February 2019 *
If you want to get adventurous with watercolour, this book will both inspire and tell you just about everything you need to know. Jane is not an experimenter for experiment's sake and her results are always driven by creativity. The ways of getting there stretch the capabilities of her medium to their very limits. This is an exciting book that makes full use of colour, surfaces, textures and pastes as well as inks, gouache and salt. The demonstrations, as befits the book, are more dynamic in style and less geared towards the step-by-step style of titles aimed at the beginner. Jane takes her work and her readers seriously and this is more a collection of ideas that you'll want to develop for yourself rather than a series of exercises to copy. This is an enjoyable foray into the splendidly diverse possibilities of the medium.
* The Artist, February 2019 *
In her newest book, the continuation of Watercolour unleashed, the artist Jane Betteridge shows us how to give a painting more expressiveness and dynamic, by using different techniques, colours and textures. For advanced painters it can be assumed that the basics like paper, brushes and colours are known, so they are only shortly mentioned at the beginning.
The first chapter deals with the topic of surfaces. Besides conventional painting on paper, there are other surfaces like plastic, wood, metal or ceramics that can be painted on with watercolour after being pre-treated with a primer medium.
Interesting results are produced by gluing printed paper, tissue paper, metallic leafs or applying modelling compound. Many examples show the process of preparing the basic painting surface and the end result after applying the colours. The possible applications are infinitely variable. Two step-by-step projects incorporate some of her techniques.
The next chapter shows unconventional items and ingredients, that can be added to watercolour. Ink, granulation or pearlescent medium, bronzing powder and many more additives in combination with watercolours give it an unmatched expressiveness. Many example pictures and detailed photos show the vast spectrum of utilisation that is possible. In this chapter again are two detailed step-by-step projects.
The book ends with the chapter ideas and inspiration which gives inspiration for realising once own ideas.
Conclusion:
Jane Betteridge's paintings captivate with their harmonic colour selection, which has an unique vibrancy. When depicting nature scenes she shows her great love for detail. Advanced painters will be excited by the wealth of inspirational ideas and useful tips. Through usage of unusual resources and colour supplementary, in connection with the usage of watercolours on different surfaces, emerge myriads of variations to increase the expressiveness of one's pictures. Additionally her step-by-step guides are very helpful.
-- Nina Hartmann * Kreativreview.blogspot *
With all the books that have been published, finding an original take on watercolour is a tall order. However, this really rather exciting work (Jane's second book) should get the creative juice's flowing.
The subtitle An exploration of colour, texture and technique gives you an idea of what to expect and this is a thrilling ride. Jane is not afraid to work with mediums, paste and metallic leaf and stencils and she also shows you how to use salt, gouache and stencils to grab your medium by the scruff of the neck and drag it firmly into the 21st Century. Demure and long-skirted this isn't.
-- Henry Malt * Paint magazine (November 2018) *
Artist, Jane Betteridge offers a wealth of information, tips and advice in this follow up to her book Watercolours Unleashed.
The book has something for every budding watercolour enthusiast, being packed with information about the basics of watercolour painting in the chapter, Pure Watercolour, which takes you through all the materials you will need to use, mixing colours and basic techniques as well as advanced tips and techniques.
The reader is then introduced to different methods of preparing the painting surface, adding texture to a painting to create depth and make a real impact.
The next part of the book covers other ways to add to your painting to create that extra magic. I was interested to read about the use of salt and plastic wrap to give your work a new dimension. I tried the use of plastic wrap and have added a picture of my test to my review.
All along the way, as you are taken through the different painting techniques, the artist provides a step by step project to complete to put into practice what you have learned.
The book ends with a chapter dedicated to ideas and inspiration for how you can put everything you have learned previously into practice.
This is a very inspiring and user friendly read, I learnt a lot from it!
-- Alex Scott * Customer Review *
Using mediums, grounds, textures and much more, this book is full of hints, tips, explanation, inspiration and examples. As well as exercises, there are extended projects that develop a subject or an idea fully and give you the chance to bring several different techniques together.
* The SAA *
