Let Charles Reid show you how to create beautiful watercolor florals from start to finish!

Charles Reid is one of watercolor's best-loved teachers, a master painter whose signature style captures bright floral still-lifes with a loose spontaneity that adds immeasurably to the whole composition. Portraying the glory of nature in a highly individual way is the ultimate challenge for all painters, and with this book, Charles Reid shares with you the instruction and advice you need to paint fruits, vegetables and flowers that glow.

Special "assignments" and step-by-step exercises help you master techniques for superior brushwork, edge control and composition, enabling you to paint wild daffodils, roses, mums, sunflowers, lilacs, tomatoes, avocados, oranges, strawberries and more, as well as jars, coffeepots, and wine bottles.

Reid also shows you how to paint flowers in any environment, from the tranquil confines of a warm kitchen to a windswept beach in Bermuda. You'll create a garden of floral glories—compositions that burst with light, color and realism.

Best of all, as your proficiency for capturing realism builds, so too will your personal style. Soon your paintings will depict the beauty of nature in your own individual fashion.

About the Author
Charles Reid is an award-winning artist specializing in watercolor painting. He is a popular workshop instructor whose other books include The Natural Way to Paint and Painting What You (Want to) See. He exhibits in both the United States and Europe. His paintings can be found in many private and corporate collections throughout the world.

Table of Contents
Introduction

Section One: Getting Started

Section Two: Painting Fruit, Vegetables, Leaves and Flowers

Section Three: Advanced Step-by-Step Demonstrations

Conclusion
Index

Basic Brush Tips from Painting Flowers in Watercolor with Charles Reid

Round Brushes
Your brush should have a sharp point. Wet your brush, give it a good shake and draw the body and tip of the brush across your index finger. Rotate the brush at the same time. The brush should come to a point.

Stroke Up From the Bottom
Always start your stroke where you want the darkest color value. (Your brush is always fully loaded at the beginning of a stroke.) Place the tip of your little finger on the paper, bend and lock your wrist. Press the brush into the paper and make an upward stroke, pushing with your upper arm.

Painting Large Areas
You should usually hold your brush at about 45 degrees, but when painting larger areas, hold the brush at 75 or 80 degrees. Press the brush almost to the metal part. Make a zigzag stroke by rolling your wrist back and forth. Don't lift the brush until you run out of paint.

Things to Remember
Don't paint with the tip of the brush; you'll ruin the point. Always paint with the body of the brush. Don't stroke and lift; keep your brush on the paper until you've finished a shape or have run out of paint. Don't paint with a floppy wrist. Your wrist should be firm but not rigid. Paint with your hand, wrist and forearm.

You Can't Paint With Dry or Semimoist Paint
Many people use too much water and not enough paint, often because their paint isn't wet. The colors in the wells must be wet. You should be able to stick the tip of your brush into the paint. Your brush should never just pass over the surface of a color in the well. You'll just be painting with water.

Basic Brushstroke
Any round brush will do to practice your brushwork. Wet and shake your brush. Start with the tip of the brush and immediately press your brush against the paper, almost to the metal ferrule. This is correct brush position. You should always paint with the body of the brush, never with just the tip.

Never Go Back Into a Wet Wash With a Watery Brush
Sometimes a color or value looks wrong and the painter attacks it with a wet brush. This is usually disastrous."