The Magic of Watercolour Flowers: Step by Step Techniques and Inspiration
A 128-page hardback book by Paul Riley.
Watercolour is the ideal medium for painting flowers due to its wonderful translucency and in his new book, The Magic of Watercolour Flowers, Paul Riley shows readers how to paint colourful, vibrant flower paintings. He explains how to achieve exciting special effects in your flower compositions by using certain textural techniques, such as soft edges, and different light sources to make the most out of watercolour’s natural translucency and create mood for your paintings. Paul Riley encourages readers to be more adventurous in their paintings by adding figures and still life objects to their compositions, which can lend character and personality to a painting.
There are many step-by-step paintings and useful tips and techniques throughout with chapters on flower markets, flowers in the garden, flowers in the landscape and a fascinating section showing how to combine imaginative decorated still life objects with flowers. In addition, Paul Riley shows how to use collage to create exciting and unexpected compositions. Capturing the beauty of flowers in watercolour has been the aim of painters for centuries and in this book, Paul Riley, inspires and encourages readers to take their watercolour flower paintings a step further, to make the most of the medium’s natural versatility.
Magic Of Watercolour Flowers DVD
Magic Of Watercolour Flowers DVD by Paul Riley
Paul’s style is characterised by freedom of expression, colour and vitality complemented by a deep understanding of draughtsmanship and form. In this 95-minute video he starts out in his studio where he discusses his materials and shows us how he works, producing two paintings of flowers with still life objects. He then goes outdoors to paint the gorgeous cherry blossom in his courtyard, then combines plants, flowers and scenery to create a stunning painting of a spring garden beside the river Dart.
Paul Riley
Paul Riley first gained recognition at the age of 15 when one of his oil paintings was exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer exhibition. Several one man shows and an Elizabeth T Greenshields Award (Canada) followed. After gaining his NDD at Kingston art school Paul went on to paint the bleak mining landscapes of South Wales and executed various commissions. After time spent working in architecture Paul left London and returned to painting. In 1983 he set up Coombe Farm Studios and Gallery in South Devon with his wife Tina. Since then he has written three bestselling books on watercolour painting including several foreign language editions and numerous articles for the Artist magazine.
Paul is a practising professional painter who continues to exhibit widely in the UK and in Europe, Kuwait and Florida U.S.A. His style is characterised by freedom of expression, colour and vitality complemented by a deep understanding of draughtsmanship and form. Today Paul’s work is increasingly influenced by the dictum “less is more’ as with Chinese painting and Zen belief. He is also a competent potter, printmaker and sculptor. His images are reproduced as cards and posters worldwide.
Coombe Farm Studios is a residential art centre and gallery alongside Paul and Tina’s home where Paul, aided by other visiting tutors, runs short courses in all paint media, printmaking, ceramics and writing. Paul and Tina have also taken painting groups abroad to countries as diverse as France, Italy, The Czech Republic, Morocco, Croatia, India, Bali and Zanzibar during the last 15 years.
Click on the underlined link to go to the current offers on the book The Magic of Watercolour Flowers on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.
Image at the top:
‘Folly Through the Magnolias’
Watercolour, 60x97cm
by Paul Riley from the book The Magic of Watercolour Flowers
