after a good watercolor instructional book

[lumar]

theres lots of books out so i was wondering if anybody could recommend me one?

id like one that has examples (step by step) to follow...

[timpaatkins]

http://www.amazon.com/Plein-Painting-Watercolor-Scott-Burdick/dp/1560107251

This one is my fave so far, small, cheap, Scott Burdick, step by step, and he handles a variety of different subjects. I love it and refer to it often.

[tensai]

I really like these three watercolour books:

Watercolor, simple, fast and focussed, by Mel Stabin
The natural way to paint by Charles Reid
and
Painting with your artist's brain, by Carl Purcell.
(yeah, the titles don't sound very exciting but what can you do..)

I think it really depends want you want to get out of the medium, but to me Reid is the best/most exciting painter, with the more inspiring loose paintings (if that's your thing).
Stabin the best most focussed watercolour painting teacher, teaching about simplifying and attitude and concentration and of course also most of the basic watercolour stuff.
Purcell is the best painting/picture-making teacher. His book is also about watercolour painting but it might be helpful to people working in pencil or acrylic or whatever cause it also focusses on general picture making skills. He talks about certain ways of looking and enhancing shapes, simplifying values etc etc.

Have fun.

[Serra]

Watercolor Class by Michael Crespo.

It just went out of print a few months ago but you can still get a copy on abebooks.com, amazon.com, half.com, etc. etc.


--Serra