Zoltan Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques
Szabo, a justly celebrated painter and teacher, is the author of seven previous books, including Painting Little Landscapes (Watson-Guptill, 1991). Szabo's early chapter on the qualities of transparent watercolor pigments is evidence of extensive experimentation. But his 65 years of painting watercolors and 30 years of teaching really pay off in the body of the book, where he shares many of the very specific techniques that can take decades to perfect. He doesn't merely do birch trees, he does ice on trees, frost on trees, rough tree bark, smooth tree bark, and trees in heavy snow. His chapter on reflections of light and color on a variety of wavy, choppy, and smooth water uses photographs and sketches to demystify this complicated subject. Similar books, like Ray Campbell Smith's Fresh Watercolour: Bring Light and Life to Your Painting (David & Charles, 1995), are fine for the usual trees and foliage, skies, coastal scenes, and mountains. Szabo's book, with features like his sunlight on snow compared with sunlight on wood, advances art instruction to another level. A breathtaking book; recommended for all collections.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.