Distilling the Scene: Painting Watercolour

Distilling the Scene: Painting Watercolour by Ranson, Ron. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780715300671.

Many amateur watercolourists find themselves including too much detail in their paintings, over-working and spoiling what might otherwise be a successful picture. This book explains how to cut down on unnecessary trivia. Using photographic examples of scenes he has painted, the author describes what he would eliminate, what needs to be changed, and what techniques should be employed to ensure a successful result. Numerous finished paintings and colour-sketches are presented to illustrate the points made, and separate chapters on buildings, trees and skies outline specific problems and how they can be overcome. The author is an artist whose work has been exhibited in Europe, Australia and South Africa. He also runs residential watercolour courses, and has written several other books on watercolour techniques, as well as biographies of Edward Seago and Edward Wesson.