About the Book
A comprehensive and practical guide to painting watercolour buildings with atmosphere, character and accuracy, from renowned artist Nicholas Poullis.
'Nicholas's paintings exude a wonderfully fresh and vibrant feel, with some innovative and daring compositions [...] He is an artist at the peak of his creative powers.' David Curtis ROI RSMA
Painting buildings is about more than faithfully describing the architecture - successful watercolour paintings must also contain character, ambience and a sense of place. In this clearly explained and highly visual guide, master artist Nicholas Poullis shows you how to harness classic watercolour techniques to achieve paintings that are both accurate and inspiring. It is a masterclass of insight, technique and inspiration, for confident beginner and intermediate-level artists looking to discover key watercolour techniques as well as more experienced painters looking to hone their skills.
Tackle essential technical aspects including light, composition, perspective and drawing.
Overcome the challenges of balance, simplification and - crucially - how to avoid overworking.
Discover dozens of Nicholas's inspirational artworks.
Follow 6 inspiring and varied stage-by-stage projects.
Develop your knowledge with skill-building tips and ideas scattered throughout.
Gain the confidence and conviction to apply the techniques you learn to painting your own favourite buildings.
Endorsements from other leading artists and experts:
"Nicholas's paintings exude a wonderfully fresh and vibrant feel, with some innovative and daring compositions. There is a crispness in the execution of those controlled washes with a splendid sense of clarity and colour harmony. Pure watercolour practised in the most capable hands can appear deceptively simple to the observer's eye, but in fact is the culmination of a life time's careful observation and much experimentation with the media. Nicholas's formidable works demonstrate an artist at the peak of his creative powers." David Curtis ROI RSMA
"Nicholas's thoughtful engagement with the processes of watercolour goes beyond the mastering of the inherently challenging techniques of this medium. He has a refreshingly broad view of the possibilities of watercolour, and whilst he doesn't claim that the medium is easy, he produces light-filled compositions that are fresh and expressive, and easily capture the atmosphere of the scene or place." Dr Sally Bulgin, The Artist
"Watercolour painting is like playing a single beautiful instrument. Nicholas has tuned his instrument to express the beauty of nature to a rare degree. 'Leave out but never add' was the cry of John Sell Cotman, one of Britain's finest watercolourists, and this is exemplified in Nicholas's work." Professor Ken Howard OBE Royal Academician
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Dr Sally Bulgin 6
Introduction 8
Materials and equipment 10
The painting session 16
Pure watercolour techniques 24
Choosing a subject 38
Simplification 48
Cathar Bridge - step-by-step 56
Drawing and perspective 64
Watermill - step-by-step 70
Shady Corner - step-by-step 84
Painting light 88
Market Hall, Early Morning - step-by-step 96
The order of painting 104
Market Hall interior - step-by-step 114
How to develop your painting 122
Ancient bridge - step-by-step 134
Afterword 142
Index 144
About the Author :
Nicholas Poullis, also known as Le Peintre de Pezenas (The Painter of Pezenas), paints watercolours directly from life with a distinct and personal style. Originally from England, in 2000, he moved near Pezenas, in Southern France, where he has become established.
Born 1974, Nicholas Poullis has been a professional artist since leaving the University of East Anglia gaining a BA(Hons) illustration. He is a previous Baker Tilly Award winner at the Royal Watercolour Society, where he has often shown his work. He has exhibited in a number of the London Societies including the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Sunday Times Watercolour competition and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.
Always painting on site has meant that he has travelled extensively throughout Europe while exploring subject matter. He produced work on the route and cyclists of the Tour de France and also on the theme of places of cultural significance across the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and southern France.
Nicholas has work included in the collections of St Johns College, Cambridge University, Baker Tilly Chartered accountants, senior officers of the Royal Air Force, The Royal Automobile Club, the Office de Tourisme of Pezenas and many private collections. He has been a contributing author to the leading practical art magazine, The Artist, for over fifteen years, and has contributed to a number of publications. Nicholas has held major exhibitions that have attracted thousands of visitors at the l'Hotel des Barons de Lacoste, the Mirondela dels Arts and had solo exhibition at the RAC in Pall Mall.
Review :
Painting buildings offers the watercolourist an exciting challenge, but there are few books available to help the aspiring artist. In this book, master artist Nicholas Poullis shares his approach, techniques and experience to help the reader produce paintings that are at once accurate and inspiring.
I have been enjoying reading the book. I like the way Nicholas provides thorough explanations throughout the chapters and especially in the demonstration sections, telling the reader, for example, how best to place the easel, angle the board, choose the right view etc. Very helpful information, esp for beginners, and much needed before starting the painting. Normally, I am not a fan of too many photographs in a painting book but he has made their inclusion work very well and, in so doing, provided valuable advice for the reader. Well done! His attention to the kind of detail that the aspiring artist needs to know is thorough, comprehensive and usefully summed up so that the reader can see in a moment the main points covered in the chapter. I found myself reading the book more carefully so as not to miss any gems. I also liked very much that he showed the finished painting before the stages in the demonstrations, thus the reader knew exactly where he was going, that worked very well, making the book a good, clear guide to painting buildings and landscapes. I think it will also appeal to all watercolourists because the yummy atmospheric effects garnered from the granulating colours are so engaging. His style is refreshing and modern, embracing the importance of the abstract pattern underpinning the figurative content, so necessary to making paintings work but not always addressed.
Painting buildings is about more than faithfully describing the architecture; successful paintings must also contain character, ambiance and a sense of place. In this comprehensive and highly visual guide, master artist Nicholas Poullis shows how to harness classic watercolor techniques to achieve artworks that are both accurate and inspiring.
Tackle essential technical aspects including light, composition, perspective and drawing.
Overcome the challenges of balance, simplification and avoiding overworking.
Follow six skill-building, step-by-step projects.
Develop knowledge with innovative tips and inspiring ideas.
Discover dozens of Poullis' inspirational artworks.
A masterclass of insight, technique and inspiration, this book is geared to confident beginner- and intermediate-level artists looking to discover key watercolor techniques, and to more experienced painters looking to hone their skills.
