En Plein Air: Watercolor
Expert techniques and simple step-by-step projects for creating dynamic landscapes in the open air with watercolor
by Ron Stocke



Learning to watercolor from online tutorials and books and then giving it up for several years had me interested in seeing what this book might have to add to what I knew already and perhaps tweak my interest in taking up my brushes again. I believe the author may have me interested in tackling figures in paintings...something I have always wanted to add to my paintings...and his tips and tricks are interesting indeed.

This book includes:
*drawing skills
*tools: brushes, paints, etc
*tips & techniques
*choosing where to work outdoors
*making sure you get permission
*composition and tension
*the golden rule
*perspective
*focal point
*use of light & color
*color & value
*artist’s voice
*sketching & sketchbooks
*and included step by step projects

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Will I use ideas from this book in the future? Perhaps...do want to get back to sketching and painting and this might be the book that acts as a catalyst.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Watercolors require a loosening up. According to the author, this is required in order to paint with watercolors. They are not exact and do not contain meticulous drawings or paintings. This makes it more difficult if the painter is used to concentrating on the details.

It shows movement with figures and outlines the golden rule about placing the subject. Explained horizon and tension. The paintings and drawings are truly beautiful. The colors are so serene and makes you want to get some watercolors and follow his advice in learning to paint.


I received an eBook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinions or ratings of this book.

Who knows a little about watercolour knows that's a difficult media. To do it plein air, priving oneself from the comfort of the studio, is for really courageous artists. You need a plan. This book is of great help, as it shows you how you can resolve this intimidating task. Perspective, figures, how to simplify what you see, elementary color theory, your equipment, there is all the know-how you need to start. It's not clear to me though why the various themes are treated in an unusual order, normally a guide like this would treat materials before other arguments and not halfway the book, and so on, but anyway I consider it a very useful guide.

This is the second of two complimentary books, the first dealing with acrylic, this one dealing with watercolor, a medium that is often taught first to young students, when perhaps acrylic ought to be taught instead. This artist has three decades of experience in the art world and specializes in watercolor.

This doesn't prevent him from conveying the important message that if you want to paint, you should learn to draw. Drawing is another way of seeing - a more concrete way in some regards, in that it captures the important details - not every detail, but the ones that made that big impression on you - on paper, so the importance of having a sketchbook to hand, of seeing what it is you want to paint, and reinforcing it in a sketch is invaluable.

Watercolor paintings start not with water or with color, but with that sketch: rough out the pictures you think you might want to paint. Paint only those you want! Keep sketches simple. This advice comes out of the first few pages of this book and seems like a sound beginning to me!

The author opens with this and with a discussion on perspective and subjects for drawing, before it heads into a discussion of equipment followed by a section on tension in pictures and how to avoid it, subject placement and so on. The details are paradoxically brief, but quite in depth and very educational.

The book contained a wealth of tips and suggestions about things people starting out may not consider much - such as how to paint windows, how to make shadows realistic and what separates a shadow from a reflection (other than the seemingly obvious!). These are the truly useful benefits of an author's long experience and while an artist is always growing into their own, it does no harm at all to pick up advice along the way and adapt it to make it your own.

As with the other book, the art is different for each person who sees it: some we feel is great, some not so great, some unappealing, some brilliant. Some of the paintings in this book are quite startling and made me see watercolor in a new way. I particularly liked English garden on page 52, Elliot Bay Marina on page 92 (the depiction of the water was masterful) and Solo in Paris on the next page, both of which were used in illustration of capturing realistic reflections.

Like the acrylic book, this one is also designed as a print book and the ebook version on my tablet did not allow viewing of the entire image on some of the images (particularly toward the end of the book) that ran across more than one page. This is a problem with ebooks. Some I have seen presented as two-page images when they should have been shown as single pages. In this case, the opposite applies: it really should have been viewable as double-page images otherwise the educational power and import of what the artist is trying to show us is diminished annoyingly.

But that did not rob this book of its value. I know a lot more about watercolor now that I did before and I find it a fascinating medium! Consequently I commend this book as a worthy read! The author's website is at ronstocke.com.

A great book for getting started on painting outside. There is lots of good advice and enough instruction to enable you to try your own style of painting. Some of the paintings I liked a lot others not so much. But it was bursting with ideas and tips for getting out there and having a go. The great thing about this book is that it offers a different slant on the multitude of watercolour books out there.

I loved reading this book, as I enjoy drawing a lot and always wanted to paint more. This book definitely inspired me and gave me a great number of useful tips and ideas. I also really liked Ron Stocke's way of painting, so this is a book I can definitely recommend!