What to Paint: Trees, Woodlands & Forests in Watercolour: (What to Paint)

Popular author Geoff Kersey offers pages of inspiration in this helpful book which gives artists a wonderful selection of subjects to paint. He includes 24 pictures of woodlands full of atmosphere, with dappled light and foliage, seasonal colours, and different aspects; large vista forests, and different scenes incorporating beautiful trees in the landscape. Full-size outlines of each painting are included, plus instructions showing how elements can be interchanged to create new pictures. With a colour palette for each picture and clear, practical notes, readers will be able to reproduce great paintings for themselves.

Table of Contents:
• 24 beautiful paintings to inspire those learning how to paint trees, an essential element of the landscape • 24 free outlines provided so that readers need not draw the scenes first • Informative notes on details pulled out from each painting so that readers can learn from Geoff Kersey’s expertise

About the Author :
Geoff Kersey is an experienced watercolourist and is much in demand as a teacher and demonstrator. He lives and works in Derbyshire where he has a studio, and he exhibits extensively. He has made two watercolour videos and contributes to various art publications.

Review :
As a simple guide to painting scenes in which trees are a major feature, this can't be bettered. That seems like a rather restricted view, but it's important to understand that this isn't a guide to painting trees and it isn't exactly a guide to painting them in the landscape either. The What to Paint series is based around a series of 24 finished paintings with, on the opposite page, a general description of what they are and why and how they were painted, with detailed illustrations of specific features and a note of the colours used. Then, at the back of the book, you get outline drawings for each one that you can trace down onto your own paper. I like the book and the work that Geoff has produced is nicely done and well varied.-Artbookreview.net This relatively new series, which is developing nicely, is more about ideas than techniques, but the included outlines give you a starting point if you feel you need a little hand-holding. The book is structured around 24 very different scenes, from dappled summer shade through the rich hues of autumn to the bare branches of a chilly winter's evening. It's more about how trees fit into a composition than about painting them as a specific subject, and this is a welcome variation on the theme. For each one, as well as the tracing, you also get the final result, along with notes on the colours used and how to complete some of the trickier details. Think of this as a jumping-off point for painting trees in the landscape and won't go far wrong.-Paint Popular watercolourist Geoff Kersey has recently added to Search Press's popular 'What to Paint' series with his Trees, Woodlands & Forests in Watercolour. Following the by now familiar format, Geoff provides information on watercolour techniques, such as wet into wet, dry-brush and using masking fluid specificially in connection with painting trees. He also describes how to mix the colours you are looking for. Twenty-four free outlines can be found in the centre of the book and Geoff shows you how to transfer the image from the tracing to your chosen watercolour paper. Using the colour palette provided, and the description of how the picture was done, you are able to get straight on with painting, without the worry of poor draughtsmanship or indecision over what to paint. Subjects include a woodland stream, winter silhouettes, autumn at Chatsworth and a bluebell wood.-Leisure Painter Want to paint a picture but not sure of a subject? Or maybe you have recently graduated from the Ready To Paint series and are up for a more challenging project? Either way here is another entry in the What To Paint series that solves the problem. There are twenty-four pictures in here to paint, all depicting trees in various landscapes. Turn to the back and there are the outlines to transfer to watercolor paper with a handy chart at the front showing small thumbnail images so you can decide what type of scene to tackle. Each project is described on two pages, one with a full page colored photograph of the finished work and the other with a list of the paints you need with the colors shown plus instructions. These are not the in-depth captioned photographic stages found in the Ready To Paint series or some other Search Press art books but a brief description of what the artist did to achieve various effects. This is a helpful "halfway house" between the beginners books and going it alone, and at the beginning of the book there are more useful mini tutorials. These include wet into wet, masking fluid, dry brushing and color mixing for this type of subject. There are also instructions on how to transfer the outlines. The paintings themselves are glorious, the sort of scenes you wish you could step right into. Apart from one in Manhattan park the others in are England, mostly in the Derbyshire area, a few in the New Forest and other locations. There are snowy landscapes that would suit a Christmas card, colorful autumn woods, verdant forests in summer and bright springtime scenes. My favorite has to be the beautiful bluebell wood, and these are the sort of restful but cheerful pictures that suit most walls.-Myshelf.com