Watercolor Portraits

I'm glad you have decided to dive into the wonderful world of watercolor painting with this book. An exciting, perhaps even completely new painting experience awaits you! Watercolor paints are constantly in _ux, seeking out their path on the paper, and in so doing they are sometimes unpredictable. While painting, you'll never be able to completely in_uence the end result - and that's pretty much what this medium is all about. The biggest appeal is in relinquishing control over the color gradations and leaving things open to chance. So, keep at it, enjoy the painting experience, and play with the colors. Accept compromises, and don't be afraid to discard paintings, because even though it may be hard, that's as much a part of the process as the sense of accomplishment. Basically, it comes down to how enjoyable you make your painting. If you have fun with it, then ultimately this will keep you motivated. We start with the basics, including materials and the essential techniques. Then we explore colors and discover how to conjure up a wide variety of textural effects using only water and pigment. Short exercises will help you to estimate the right proportions of water and pigment, to practice the basic techniques, and to mix your desired hues. Before beginning on the actual projects, I will show you again, step-by-step, what to look out for when painting the portraits, and with a few final tips and a pep talk on the role a _exible approach plays in watercolor painting, you will be ready to get started. From representational to abstract, from subtle to expressive colors, you will find a cast of 15 famous personalities: People who have achieved extraordinary things with their abilities and who have made our world a much better place as a result. Although they are all very different, they all share these characteristics: An unconditional passion and the courage to change. The watercolor portraits featured come to life through both clear white spaces as well as

Nelli Andrejew is a talented young artist from Kazakhstan, who grew up in Germany. She studied art education and art history and now teaches art in Frankfurt.