Water in Watercolor, by Joe Francis Dowden

Let me just say that 7th grade is probably the low point of human development. That pretty much sums up the course of this day. I got home too late and too beat tonight to do anything but collapse with some dark chocolate and a book I've been saving for a rainy day.

  

"Water in Watercolor," by Joe Francis Dowden is a little book with no extra fillers, just great information about painting water. After I painted Along the Bosque and struggled with it so hard, it occurred to me that a gal who grew up in the middle of the upper Sonoran desert- surrounded by dirt and cactus- can't be expected to have much understanding of water. That was a relief, I'm not a complete dunce!

Dowden teaches how to handle different types of water, from puddles to deep water. This isn't just watercolor information, I think every painter would learn from it. He illustrates with closeup photos of how he's structured everything surrounding the water and reflected off of it. So much of his information had never occurred to me, water novice that I am, and will take some practice to understand, but it's very straightforward. No snobbery, no fancy art-speak, just pure teaching. If you need to better understand this subject like me, I'd recommend this book.

Thanks for stopping by!  Alice