Splash 16: The Best of Watercolor; Exploring Texture

100 top artists share the tricks behind their textures!

Have you ever stood fascinated before a painting, wondering, "How did they do that?" In this 16th book in the ever-popular Splash series, 100 of today's top watercolor artists share the techniques behind the remarkable textures that bring their subjects to life. You'll learn how to create the look of rippling water, backlit glass, fur, fruit, stone, textiles, rust and a world of other illusions that make viewers forget--if only for an instant--that they are looking at mere pigment on paper.

• 130+ brilliant paintings and the stories behind them
• The how's behind a multitude of textures, from the delicate softness of rose petals and the flush on the cheek of a sleeping child, to peeling paint, and reflections on polished metal
• Six subject-themed chapters explore landscapes, close-ups, animals, urban scenes, still lifes, machines and people

These pages are filled with experiments, happy accidents and techniques perfected over a lifetime. Discover the many ways color is drybrushed, layered and manipulated...applied with plastic wrap, chopped brushes, sponges and fingers...sprayed, splattered, scrubbed and sanded...whatever it takes to achieve that sense of believability. A palpable display of artistic invention, Splash 16 celebrates the magnificent versatility of the medium. Can you feel it?

"When it comes to texture, just go for it--wash, scrub, glaze, scratch and lift!" --Yael Maimon, p39

"Music is what feelings sound like and paintings are what feelings look like." --Judi Betts, p107

Rachel Rubin Wolf is a freelance editor and artist. She has edited and written many fine art books for North Light including Watercolor Secrets; the Splash: The Best of Watercolor series; the Strokes of Genius: Best of Drawing series; The Best of Wildlife Art (editions 1 and 2); The Best of Portrait Painting; Best of Flower Painting 2; The Acrylic Painter's Book of Styles and Techniques; Painting Ships, Shores and the Sea; and Painting the Many Moods of Light. She also has acquired numerous fine art book projects for North Light Books and has contributed to magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur and Wildlife Art.