Watercolour : techniques and tutorials for the complete beginner

Watercolour painting is an absorbing, meditative art-from that many people would like to enjoy but don't attempt to because they believe they can't paint or simply don't know where to begin.

An encouraging voice and a clear, easy-to-follow approach is often all that's needed to give people the confidence to get started and keep going.

That's exactly what this book provides. Paul Clark, an enthusiastic and accomplished painter who runs his own art school, explains the fundamentals in a friendly and accessible way.

He shows readers what they really need in terms of tools and materials - starting with a limited colour palette that can be mixed to create the vast majority of colours required.

He then explains and illustrates the basic techniques, before presenting ten of his paintings that put those techniques into action.

Each painting is broken down into stages, with clear instructions and photographs for readers to follow, plus plenty of helpful tips.

In addition, there are three feature spreads that focus on particular areas of interest for beginners, including special effects, painting trees and painting skies.