Overview
Popular TV artist and teacher Hazel Soan is well known for her stunning watercolours of Africa. This superbly illustrated guide is both a safari through her beloved southern Africa and an instructional journey through a range of subjects, showing different ways to see and paint them.
Aimed at the more practised painter, Hazel Soan's African Watercolours is an ideal book for the reader looking to add adventure to their painting. Focusing on the popular medium of watercolour, Hazel travels through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, getting to know her destinations by painting them. As the journey unfolds, she presents a series of exciting painting projects.
The contents include:
Introduction: A Tale of Two Journeys
• Dramatic Seascapes: The Cape Peninsula Creating the third dimension
• The Desert in Flower: Namaqualand Vibrant colour
• Red Dunes, Cool Mists: The Namib Desert The strength of simplicity
• Desolate Coastline: The Skeleton Coast Conveying an atmosphere
• Heat and Dust: Etosha The suggestion of movement
• Rivers of Life: The Chobe River Deep darks and reflections
• The Lake of Drowned Trees: Lake Kariba Exploring shape and line
• Kingdom of the Cats: The Kalahari Desert Responding to the subject
• The Riches of Emptiness: The Karoo Tapestries of texture
• Heartbeat of Africa: The People of the South Breathing life into paintings
Both a stunning collection of watercolours and an invaluable source of expert instruction, Hazel Soan’s African Watercolours will inspire readers, wherever they paint.
Synopsis
In this superbly illustrated handbook, renowned artist Hazel Soan travels through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe in order to present a series of exciting painting projects. In a collection of stunning watercolors, a variety of landscapes and views are presented—including the vibrant colors of the Namibian desert, the dark reflections of Lake Kariba, and the powerful movement of the Chobe River—each designed to highlight a different aspect of landscape painting. Notes are provided on each work along with hints and tips on how to best capture mood, light, movement, and texture in watercolor, making this both an inspiring collection of paintings and an invaluable source of expert instruction.
Library Journal
This is a superb book for any watercolor artist, beginner or pro. Whether or not one is interested in painting the wildlife and landscape of the Cape Peninsula of South Africa, Soan's style and delightful teaching methods will captivate anyone who cracks the book's pages. She takes the reader on a "sketchbook safari" through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, exploring watercolor methods of conveying atmosphere, the use of vibrant color, and the interplay among striking subjects, watercolor pigment, and textured paper. Soan is an accomplished professional with two television series and three other books to her credit, including What Shall I Paint, which develops one's observational skills and a deep awareness of the elements that make a good painting. Despite a seemingly narrow focus, Soan's latest is highly recommended for art collections of any size. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.