I've no idea who Hazel Soan is when I bought the book. Now, I'm a fan of her work.

The Essence of Watercolour contains very beautiful and inspiring paintings.

I like her suggestive style, which is to draw just enough and let the mind fill in the rest. Her use of wet on wet for blending colours is masterful and the pastel colours used are a joy to look at. It reminds me of the feeling you get when you watch a beautiful sunset.

Accompanying the paintings are brief but insightful instructions that are easy to try. There are lessons on transparency, layering, experimenting with colours, understanding brushstrokes and other watercolour techniques. Even though the watercolour tips are not unique to this book, it's always interesting to read it from the perspective of different artists.

Highly recommended to watercolour lovers.

The Essence of Watercolour is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CN) and Book Depository (US | UK).

I love the painting of the violet canvas shoes against the orange background.

Very nice quick impressions of penguins.

An 'Explore' page with many quick tips.

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This book is available at:
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