Braving the Art of Watercolor Painting

A Review of Alwyn Crashaw's You Can Paint Watercolors

Sep 25, 2009

Alwyn Crashaw's accessible introduction to the art of watercolor painting puts a difficult medium within a beginner's reach.

Watercolor painting has been called art's most difficult medium. This is perhaps because the artist must learn to wield brush, pigment, and a force of nature that often has a will of its own—water.

Luckily there is help for the beginner who is braving that blank sheet of white for the first time. Crawshaw’s You Can Paint Watercolors is, above all, beginner-friendly. “ ‘I can’t paint; I’m not an artist.’ People frequently say to me…I then ask ‘But have you been taught how to paint?’ ” (Crawshaw, 6) So what could be a tutorial becomes an apprenticeship and the reader is shown how, rather than told. Colors wash the pages and balance the text beautifully, giving examples on each basic watercolor technique.

Be Patient

Crashaw's approach is gentle yet practical, admonishing his audience not to rush into creating a “proper” painting without laying the proper groundwork. Every brushstroke brings learning and experience, says Crawshaw, and the more experience you acquire, the more confidence you will bring to painting, and consequently, the more you will want to paint and find it enjoyable. Those who felt inferior to the task of creating are welcomed to try and try again, guided by the author’s capable hands into a world of fluid color.

Start Slow

He reminds readers that while the guide’s illustrated demonstrations may look complicated, they are merely the result of a series of simpler stages. To that end, he recommends reading through the book once without lifting a paintbrush, then doodling and playing around with one’s materials to get acclimated, and finally beginning thereafter by working through the exercises in the book.

Stay Small

Crawshaw’s sound advice is to start small to avoid the risk of intimidation. He suggests a limited amount of materials and working in small dimensions (i.e. paper no larger than 10 x 15 inches). Especially helpful for the complete novice is his list of suggested materials for starting out, including a “starter palette” of seven particular colors and a recipe for effective shadowing.

Crawshaw’s text guides the new artist through washes, methods of paint application, three-dimensional effects, the challenge of color mixing, and composition. Lessons include painting fruit and vegetables, flowers, skies, trees, landscapes, animals, people, buildings, water, and seascapes.

Alwyn Crawshaw’s book is comprehensive without being complicated, making it an ideal textual training wheels for anyone feeling a bit wobbly in this mode of expression.

Why Not Also Encourage Your Child's Fearless Creativity?

Discover Peter Reynold's inspiring children's book The Dot at http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot.

The copyright of the article Braving the Art of Watercolor Painting in Visual Art Books is owned by Katelyn Aronson. Permission to republish Braving the Art of Watercolor Painting in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.