Easy Watercolor: Learn to Express Yourself

Library Journal

Giving in to modern expectations for immediate satisfaction, Halliday promises that one can "pick up a brush and paint your first landscape this weekend." Halliday has an extensive background in teaching workshops and has distilled what he has learned into eight simple lessons on subjects like skies and clouds, water, mountains and lakes, and seasonal landscapes. For each, he has practice exercises to be completed on Saturday and a full-scale watercolor painting to be completed on Sunday. His is a reasonable concept for young, motivated beginners with little time. Moses's Easy Watercolor is another stress-free introduction to watercolor but without the weekend gimmick. She covers the requisite areas of tools, composition, color, washes, glazing, etc., and then adds a more personal chapter on creativity and inspiration. Taylor's Watercolor Wisdom is much more satisfying than either of these books. Based on 30 years of studying with some of America's best watercolor artists and teaching thousands in her classes and workshops, she offers a comprehensive yet still low-stress volume for the beginner. The sections on developing one's own style are especially good. Of the three, Taylor's has the most depth, the most engaging voice, and the best chance of making a lasting contribution to the watercolor field; the others are suitable only for collections with a strong demand for the quick and easy. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.