Hiroshige was one of Japan’s most talented, prolific and popular artists. Famed for his landscapes, he was also a great observer of nature with a visionary approach to colour and brushwork. His legacy continues to influence and inspire artists today. Over a career spanning four decades, the prolific Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) produced thousands of landscape and nature prints, hundreds of paintings commissioned by the samurai elite, as well as many illustrated books. His work appealed to every stratum of society. While some of his landscape prints, such as Evening Snow – Kanbara and Ohashi – Evening Rain, are well-known examples of Japanese art, the full range of his output is less familiar. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, but he crossed social boundaries and devoted himself to depicting popular customs and the world around him. His work is distinguished by an air of gentle grace and decorum, perhaps arising partly from his steady temperament. His calm artistic vision sustained his contemporaries through the uncertainties of daily life and changing times. A great colourist, he stands out for discovering a subtle lyricism in the experience of travel, and a bond between people and the natural world. Featuring highlights from leading private collections of Hiroshige prints, alongside works by Hiroshige and other artists from the British Museum’s outstanding collection of Japanese art and from other major collections, this lavishly illustrated new publication celebrates one of the world’s most accomplished artists. Read more

The Watercolour Sourcebook is a compilation of four selected titles from the What to Paint series, chosen specially to illustrate the wide range of scenes and subjects that can be captured in watercolour.The works of four master watercolourists – Geoff Kersey, Terry Harrison, Peter Woolley and Wendy Tait – are brought together in a collection of 60 beautiful, detailed projects on the subjects of trees, woodlands and forests; landscapes; hills and mountains and flowers respectively. Each project results in a full painting that is accompanied at the end of the book by a full-size outline that can be copied and applied to the artist's own watercolour paper using tracedown paper and pencil.The Watercolour Sourcebook aims to provide a wealth of inspiration to the painter who struggles to decide upon their subject matter, and arms the artist with everything they need to know about what they're about to paint, from colour palette to useful techniques. Read more

The Landscape Painter’s Workbook is the definitive hands-on guide to the time-honored techniques and essential elements of landscape painting.Written by celebrated landscape artist, instructor, and author Mitchell Albala, this richly informative and beautifully illustrated volume leads you step by step through his approach to the genre, from establishing a composition using basic shapes to applying time-tested color strategies, with all-new lessons, practical exercises, and special topics, including:The Complete Color Strategy. What are the three aspects of color contrast that guide a painting’s strategy?Notan. Explore this special type of compositional study, which identifies the underlying shapes and patterns of a composition.Picture Formats. How does the picture format—horizontal, vertical, or square—affect the composition? What are the pros and cons of each?Color Grouping. A full chapter details this special practice, which helps maintain harmony by organizing colors into a limited number of groups.Composition. An in-depth review of variation, movement, and active negative space, with illustrations that diagram the action in each example.Workshop Exercises. Instead of demonstrations that show how the author paints, The Landscape Painter’s Workbook includes 10 skill-building workshop exercises to help you work through essential lessons on your own.With examples of work by 45 contemporary landscape painters—more than 80 paintings in all—​in oil, acrylic, pastel, and watercolor, the lessons are suitable for all mediums. Each painting is thoroughly analyzed in terms of shape, composition, or color, with supporting diagrams, thumbnails, and photographs.The Landscape Painter’s Workbook inspires and informs all artists, from aspiring to accomplished, on how to successfully portray the majesty and subtlety of the natural world. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art. Read more

Anyone can produce beautiful botanical paintings with this, the first guided watercolour book. Printed on specialist watercolour art paper and containing step-by-step tutorials, this book is the perfect introduction to producing exquisite illustrations. 15 works by Rachel Pedder-Smith have been recreated by the artist in outline-only form, ready for you to paint, along with recommended colour palettes and artworks to copy. Follow author Rachel's tips for layering colour, or follow the outlines of single stems, blooms or more intricate designs, and create a gallery of floral images. The paper is easily removed, taped down and painted on directly, meaning you can display your colourful creations. If you're feeling more experimental, this paper will also work beautifully with other media such as acrylic paint, artists' pencils and fibre-tip pens. Read more

Landscapes in Watercolour comprises ten tutorials for the absolute beginner to achieve stunning results. The diverse selection of landscapes ranges from a midwinter farm and a sunny woodland to a coastal waterfront and boats in an estuary. Each watercolour is broken down into four or five stages, showing how to build up a painting from the background colour and add the finishing details. The reader will learn how to simplify the scene in front of them, allowing them to recreate the essence of the landscape for the viewer without labouring over an easel for hours. Interspersed with the tutorials are special masterclasses covering trees, skies and reflections. There is also a section on choosing tools and materials and introductory topics on: Colour theoryCompositionPerspectiveBasic drawingPainting techniques. AUTHOR: Lois Davidson is a watercolour artist from the South-East of England with over 40 years of experience. She has been painting professionally since 2020 and was shortlisted for the Jackson's Painting Prize in 2021. Her creative interests focus primarily on her local coastal landscapes, from which she draws constant inspiration. She now runs a successful YouTube art channel alongside her daughter, demonstrating traditional and experimental watercolour techniques with a focus on loose landscape painting. Her art connects with overlooked areas within the landscape through the medium of ink and watercolour. Alongside her painting tutorials, Lois runs a popular online art community, offering guidance and more in-depth learning opportunities. She has exhibited her work locally, and her paintings have sold around the globe. Read more

Bring the soothing sounds of Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting into your home or office with the one and only mini Bob Ross Talking Bobblehead. Kit includes:- 4" bobblehead figure that plays 10 different wise and witty sayings from the art master- Mini easel book featuring 30 of Ross's landscape works, which can be displayed alongside the bobblehead figure Read more

Reknowned for her techniques for painting light on water, Jenny Aitken delivers perfect guidance to the intermediate artist on how to paint light in plein air and much more.Learn how to successfully paint scenes that that capture magical effects of light from behind the subject. Good contre-jour – painting into the light – artworks cause the viewer to squint, with light seeming to glow from the canvas. They can look like a kind of magic, with their hazy light and colour singing out. This book demystifies lighting in oils, and provides a practical guide to the process, showing exactly how to create the illusion.Inside, you'll find a wealth of information on simplification, tonal control, capturing accurate colour, working both indoors and outdoors, painting landscapes and still life, creating atmospheric depth, and even mastering the illusion of space. Through detailed step-by-step demonstrations and beautifully illustrated techniques, Jenny Aitken reveals how to infuse every painting with vibrant, lifelike light. A section on troubleshooting tricky paintings will show the reader every painting is salvageable, but with an understanding of light and colour, it’s much more likely that they’ll find success the first time round. Read more

This handy, practical and inspirational little book is perfect for the pocket or art bag. It shows watercolour painters of all levels how to loosen up their paintings and maintain spontaneity by painting simple watercolour studies in no more than 10 minutes.Written by popular artist Hazel Soan, the book is arranged in three parts: the first section explains all about the equipment you will need; the second section covers techniques and shows what can be achieved with watercolour in a short time span; the third section looks at various subjects that are ideal for painting quickly.All the essential techniques are covered, focusing particularly on maximizing brushstrokes and exploring colours, and there is useful advice on deciding what to include and what to leave out. With helpful chapters on painting a wide range of subjects – people, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, gardens, flowers and still life – this little guide is ideal for quick reference when working in the studio or out in the field. Read more

*One of Waterstones' Best Nature Books of the Year 2024*Featuring over 50 original illustrations of dramatic seascapes and reflective rivers, alongside photography of the stunning places that inspired the artwork, Angela Harding's beautiful new book captures the waters that move us. 'A blue-green sketchbook sits at the edge of my studio desk. It is covered in decorative paper that is now frayed and tattered. These marks are evidence of its travels, as far north as Shetland and as far south as the Isles of Scilly. Of days at sea and cycling across moorland. It has sat beside me on beaches and cliff tops, on small island planes and huge ferries, on trains and bicycles. Going to places of old that I have revisited many times, as well as new destinations long lived in my imagination. Some of the pages are stained with Scottish rain and spilt coffees. This sketchbook holds scribbles and memories that tell the tales of still waters and wild waves. Its pages are a record of a printmaker's journey and they are at the heart of this book.'In this gorgeous book, Angela takes readers with her on her travels across rivers and seas, featuring beautiful paintings and prints, pages from Angela's personal sketchbooks and stunning photos. It is a joyful celebration of water and wildlife across Britain - perfect for art admirers and nature lovers everywhere. Read more

A beautiful collection of bird paintings from Sunday Times-bestselling author Jim Moir, the artist formerly known as Vic Reeves.Jim loves birds. His popularity as a painter has soared in recent years and the simplicity and sincerity of his bird paintings have given them cult status among his fans. Small enough to fit inside the pocket of a cagoule, More Birds is bursting with new paintings each accompanied by a fact. Do you know why the Chough has earned a reputation as a firestarter? Or how many pairs of Peregrine Falcons are nesting on St Paul’s Cathedral?Following Jim’s bestselling Birds and his Sky Arts series Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy, this exquisite volume of paintings will delight everyone who enjoys looking at and learning about our beaked and feathered fellow travellers. Read more

Because nature is so expansive and complex, so varied in its range of light, landscape painters often have to look further and more deeply to find form and structure, value patterns, and an organized arrangement of shapes. In Landscape Painting, Mitchell Albala shares his concepts and practices for translating nature's grandeur, complexity, and color dynamics into convincing representations of space and light.  Concise, practical, and inspirational, Landscape Painting focuses on the greatest challenges for the landscape artist, such as: •  Simplification and Massing: Learn to reduce nature's complexity by looking beneath the surface of a subject to discover the form's basic masses and shapes.•  Color and Light: Explore color theory as it specifically applies to the landscape, and learn the various strategies painters use to capture the illusion of natural light.•  Selection and Composition: Learn to select wisely from nature's vast panorama. Albala shows you the essential cues to look for and how to find the most promising subject from a world of possibilities. The lessons in Landscape Painting—based on observation rather than imitation and applicable to both plein air and studio practice—are accompanied by painting examples, demonstrations, photographs, and diagrams. Illustrations draw from the work of more than 40 contemporary artists and such masters of landscape painting as John Constable, Sanford Gifford, and Claude Monet.  Based on Albala's 25 years of experience and the proven methods taught at his successful plein air workshops, this in-depth guide to all aspects of landscape painting is a must-have for anyone getting started in the genre, as well as more experienced practitioners who want to hone their skills or learn new perspectives. Read more

Painting with Bob Ross—with artwork created by Bob Ross himself using his specially formulated oil paints, brushes, basecoats, and other tools—introduces artists and Bob Ross fans to the basics of painting landscapes. Everyone will enjoy Painting with Bob Ross, as his “happy accidents” approach makes this challenging subject matter enjoyable for all ages, regardless of skill level and materials used.“All you need is the desire to make beautiful things happen on canvas…” —Bob RossIn 1982, The Joy of Painting made its debut on public television. The unrehearsed, unedited show soon became a favorite among aspiring artists and painters. Almost 40 years and 403 episodes after his on-air debut, and decades after his untimely passing, Bob Ross still has enormous global popularity as a beloved painter, affable TV personality, and cultural icon.With this guide, you can learn to paint a happy tree in seconds, just like Bob Ross! Painting with Bob Ross introduces you to the tools and materials you need to paint beautiful landscapes, as well as basic painting techniques, such as how to load your brush and how to paint with a knife.Following the introduction are 16 painting projects, each with a complete list of tools and materials needed and instructions for preparing the canvas. Jump into painting with step one, then follow the full-color painting progressions and clearly written instructions until you’ve reached the final step—and your new, joyful work of art! This is the only Bob Ross book with all-color images.Even if you’re brand new to painting, remember that Bob said, “Talent is nothing more than a pursued interest. All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind.” Throughout this book, Bob’s quotes encourage you to keep going.So grab your copy of Painting with Bob Ross, relax and unwind, and paint a Bob Ross-inspired landscape! You can paint graceful mountains, ocean waves crashing onto rocks, a winter cabin, a lakeside path, a deep forest river, and many more breathtaking views. And don’t forget to sign each of your masterpieces once you’ve completed the last step! Read more

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally meaning “pictures of the floating world,” ukiyo-e was a particular genre of art that flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries and came to characterize the Western world’s visual idea of Japan. In many ways images of hedonism, ukiyo-e scenes often represented the bright lights and attractions of Edo (modern-day Tokyo): beautiful women, actors and wrestlers, city life, and spectacular landscapes.Though he captured a variety of subjects, Hiroshige was most famous for landscapes, with a final masterpiece series known as “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (1856–1858), which depicted various scenes of the city through the seasons, from bustling shopping streets to splendid cherry orchards.This reprint is made from one of the finest complete original sets of woodblock prints belonging to the Ota Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo. It pairs each of the 120 illustrations with a description, allowing readers to immerse themselves in these beautiful, vibrant vistas that became paradigms of Japonisme and inspired Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Art Nouveau artists alike, from Vincent van Gogh to James McNeill Whistler.About the seriesBibliotheca Universalis ― Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe! Read more

Abstract landscape painting expresses emotion while still capturing the essence of a landscape. This compelling book explores this suggestive style first developed by Turner. Using the hauntingly-beautiful paintings of Gareth Edwards, it explores the technical, historical and psychological dimensions of abstract landscape painting to help you develop your own skilful and intensely personal approach. Through this new book you can learn about how to begin an abstract landscape painting, using chance application; understand how to ‘manage accidents’ to create innovative pieces of work; discover the importance of effective composition and how this navigates the viewer’s journey; determine the importance of the ‘invisible’ elements of painting: the unspoken value of the viewer and the influence of ‘looking’. It also reveals how to utilize a convergence of linear and atmospheric perspective to help your viewer traverse the picture plane and helps you understand the importance of light, space, colour, and tone in generating evocative paintings. Finally, it encourages you to be more demanding of your surface, using textural techniques and glazing to achieve professional production values. It is a unique and exciting book into this under-documented genre. Read more

In Watercolour Landscapes for the Absolute Beginner, artist and teacher Matthew Palmer guides beginners through their first steps in watercolour and shows what incredible landscapes can be achieved in this exciting medium.Step-by-step exercises, mini projects and six longer projects help you to build essential skills and allow you to produce a range of landscapes you will be proud of. Vital drawing skills are explained and demonstrated, along with key techniques such as how to use resists; colour mixing; painting natural-looking foliage; using the dry-brush technique to create intricate detail, and using scratch-out techniques to add sparkle and movement to water. The exercises are ideal for beginners and the main projects will also build skills for improving artists. Matthew has an accessible style, with plenty of tips and tricks for beginners to make things easier. A huge wealth of finished paintings provide ideas and inspiration for your own future watercolour landscapes. Full-size pull-out outlines are provided for the final projects.Includes material previously published in Matthew Palmer's Step-by-Step Guide to Watercolour Painting (2018), but with the addition of three brilliant new projects, many new illustrations and extensive textual revisions. Read more

A great guide for painters who want to experiment with mixed media and make their landscape paintings more adventurous.Popular artist and teacher, Soraya French, encourages readers to experiment with mixing media and to create more adventurous paintings and broaden their artistic horizons.The media that Soraya uses in this book are acrylics, pastels and collage and she shows how to bring the best out of mixing these media with handy tips, some simple projects and several step-by-step demonstrations.Landscape, and the way it changes over the seasons, is the ideal subject for experimenting with different textural effects using mixed media. Contemporary Landscapes in Mixed Media is divided into four seasonal chapters, with each section dealing with the colours, shapes, patterns and textures particular to each season.There is information on mixing colours relevant to each season, as well as interesting ways of painting flowers and other details of nature, how to create exciting compositions, and how to add architectural aspects within the landscape. In some landscapes figures may be added in order to animate the composition and create a narrative.This practical and inspirational book will help and encourage the reader to explore the fascinating potential of mixed media and to adopt a freer attitude in their painting. Read more

A monument to the talent of Canadian women artists in the interwar period, Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment provides a full and diverse cross-country survey of the art made by women during this pivotal time, incorporating the work of both settler and Indigenous visual artists in a stirring affirmation of the female creative voice. Read more

David Mankin is a contemporary painter of abstract landscapes based in Cornwall. A series of sell-out shows and an international following has generated widespread interest in how Mankin creates his evocative paintings. This book explores his creative process in detail providing the reader access to the sources and influences that inform his work. Read more

Discover a world of innovation beyond pure watercolour with over 60 exciting approaches and exercises from the master of watercolour landscapes, David Bellamy.‘In this book I aim to illustrate ways in which to make your watercolours glow with excitement, offer you new methods of working, and at the same time make the whole experience great fun!’ David Bellamy'Quite simply, David Bellamy's best book and something of a personal manifesto informed by a lifetime of experience... It’s a heck of an achievement.' Henry Malt - artbookreview.wordpress.comDavid Bellamy is a successful and long-standing authority on the landscape in watercolour. Throughout this book he shares his extensive knowledge and experience and encourages confident artists to explore the boundaries of watercolour and forge new creative paths for themselves through experimentation.Alongside over 100 inspiring examples of David’s work there are more than 60 innovative approaches and exercises, with tips, visual examples and step-by-step technique, throughout the following sections:Starting traditional (exploring pure watercolour): Approach the basics in a new way – gain experience using just one colour, work with a limited palette, then tackle the striking results you can achieve with harmonious colours.Developing your style: Through short step-by-step techniques and plenty of finished, fully detailed examples, learn how to combine watercolour with gouache and use additives, inks, collage, pastels, stamping, gesso, watercolour ground, different surfaces, and found materials to create atmospheric, innovative results, for example for suggesting distant rain or creating dramatic sunlight effects.Interpreting and altering your subjects: Discover how to change the light or colours in a finished painting, introduce features that are not present or emphasise those that are, exaggerate perspective, or turn part of the composition into abstraction. Discover also how to alter, rescue and improve a painting where you may have a problem, or decide to change a passage on a whim.Taking it further: The final section is devoted to projects which you might like to consider – or what to do with your painting skills: personal projects that may relate to your family, your holidays, volunteer work, or perhaps involving the local community or a special cause.Watercolour and Beyond is an innovative, practical book, aimed at equipping landscape artists of all abilities with exciting new ideas and techniques. Read more