If you have always wanted to try your hand at painting but don't know where to start, Search Press has come up with an innovative solution with this new series. Inside this large format (A3) book are five sheets of watercolor paper with outlines printed on them plus fully illustrated tutorials and a brief overview. Work through the projects and you will have a set of five elegant landscapes for your walls.
I love this idea; surely the best one yet that Search Press has come up with for total beginners. It keeps the budget down as you don't have to buy the paper, just the relevant paints and brushes listed, plus primer to prime the paper and some masking fluid. There are even suggestions as to further economy such as using an old plate instead of buying a palette and using an old brush rather than buying a masking tape version. At this time of year you could imagine that this book plus a few of the necessary items would make a wonderful present for a would-be artist. Subjects include a river in winter, tranquil clearing with a church and bluebells, a summer stream, farm in Tuscany and my favorite scene of a meadow in spring with blossoms, trees and a stream. Each picture is shown full sized to give you an idea of what it can look like completed, although it suggests that you can use the outlines for your own interpretation too. Instructions are in color and show up to four stages of the relevant painting with arrows to short sections of text telling you what to do next. This is a good approach to a practical task and eliminates ploughing through pages of text and encourages you to get on with the actual painting. You don't even have to stick to watercolors, as these pictures can also be completed using pastels, colored pencils or acrylics. At the front there are tips on priming, using masking fluid and how to use the book. It is also ideal as a refresher course or for anybody who can already paint but wants to try a new medium, or a new subject. In short, I can recommend this new series to anybody who wants to have a go at painting without too much startup expense but plenty of foolproof instructions. More titles please!
If landscapes aren't your thing or you still have some blank walls to fill, the other title in the series is Flowers. This follows exactly the same pattern with five floral studies of tulips, irises, sunflowers, roses and poppies. ISBN:9781782217558.
-- Rachel Hyde * myShelf.com *
Search Press's new series, Paint Pad Poster Books offer a poster book, art pad and step-by-step painting book all in one. Country Scenes shows you how to paint landscapes, and each of the five pull-out A3 posters can be framed and displayed. The stage by stage tutorial pages can also be pulled out so that you can access the information easily, painting directly onto the watercolour outline for quick and satisfying results. The landscapes include the River Esk, a blossom meadow, the short cut tutorial, farm in Tuscany and New Forest Stream.
* Leisure Painter, March 2020 *
