How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects

This book has a lot of good information about choosing paints, supplies, and so forth--strongest portion of the book, in my opinion. Also several good techniques, though little you wouldn't see on say Sue Scheewe or Terry Madden (both PBS shows).

What I liked least was where she essentially makes a "stamp" and stamps out a bunch of trees in one painting. Would you pay big money for a painting knowing it was created that way? How is it art rather than craft (as in, paint this picture in 30 minutes or less)? Granted, lot of techniques are shortcuts of one sort or another, but stamping makes the same image again and again, whereas salt or crumpled paper/plastic will give a different result every time.

I liked the book, but after reading it you will definitely look at watercolor paintings in a different way (look, the artist did this here, and that there, etc.), and I'm not sure that's a good thing, because it detracts from appreciating the art if there is too much technique going on in a picture.

A really good book for watercolor painting that is not so technique-dependent is Painting Greeting Cards in Watercolor by Jacqueline Penney.

This is the best book on water color technique around. Nita Engle is way ahead of the pack in her endless creativity and ways of applying watercolor to paper or illustration board. The results are always water media, not mixed media. Her palette is dated, but fantastic for depicting water, which she is a true master at. I've had this book for years, this must be a reprint, and every time I open it, I see something new. Not for beginners, but if you love playing with watercolor, this book is a must.

The artist creates visual stories of color and light in such a delightful manner. It leads one to experiment how to try her way of painting with watercolor. Especially helpful is her use of masking gum.

This book contains a lot of great techniques for making your watercolors seem more natural and alive. I found the instructions clear and the illustrations helpful. The author knows how to address an audience ranging from beginners to experienced painters (I'm a beginner) and I was motivated to start trying them right away!

Book purchased to present to our watercolor instructor at the end of our session. It has so many different techniques, and really lovely examples. At least two members of the class have ordered the book after examing this one. She plans to incorporate some of the unusual techniques in the next session she leads.