En Plein Air: Watercolor

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!

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.

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, published this December 18 by Quarto, is the perfect book for learn how drawing and painting in watercolor in the most diversified environments. For starters and for painters this book introduces also the art of drawing for passing later at real examples for capturing the best subjects in a city, in a countryside or seaside.
I warmly suggest to everyone this creative book.

I thank NetGalley and Quarto for this eBook.

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

Ron Stocke has put together a very clear, concise set of instructions to improve the quality of your water color work and create eye popping appeal. It is a long awaited look into the perspective, light value and horizon work that is basic to an eye catching work of art, and is a work I am happy to share with my fellow amatuer watercolorists this holiday.

I received a free electronic copy of this instruction book on watercolor techniques from Netgalley, Ron Stocke, and Walter Foster Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

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.

En Plein Air: Watercolor by Ron Stocke is a creative book about techniques and step by step projects for creating landscapes in watercolor in the fresh air. The book covers drawing, painting on location, composition and tension, color and value, tips and techniques, the artist's voice as well as sketchbook to studio. Mr. Stocke's philosophy is that you have to learn how to draw if you want to learn how to paint. There are many wonderful drawings and watercolor painting "En Plein Air" to inspire almost anyone. This is not a beginner's workbook. This book should be used by those who have had some experience in drawing and watercolor. Definitely a book full of inspiration. Well done! I would like to thank Quarto Publishing, Ron Stocke and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)

Rating: 5 stars
Reading period: Dec. 22nd, 2018
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley - I have received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: Dec. 18th, 2018

PROS
This book is so enlightening about watercolor painting! I went to art classes for two years during my teen days, but unfortunately financial issues led me away from it – I never actually painted seriously on a canvas and all. I decided to read this book especially because I was about to start water coloring when I dropped my lessons. I admit it is really hard not to look at details, but this is exactly the key point of this art: simplicity.
I honestly felt so inspired to learn tricks, techniques and tips from this book that I almost shopped for the materials on Amazon to start right away – maybe when I come back from my Christmas/New Year family trip.

CONS
Hm, maybe a con is that I can’t hug the artist ‘thank you’ for this book?

COVER ANALYSIS
In this particular case, the cover made me reach for the book. All this beautiful blue had me in a second! I think this defines well how much I liked it, right??

QUOTES

“Draw all you want, but paint only what you need.”

“When it comes to equipment, I think a natural reaction is to bring more than you’ll need. I use one simple rule: if I don’t think I’ll touch it, I don’t bring it. Carrying around too many equipment can ruin your day.”*

*this one is equally useful for when one is packing up for a trip!

RECOMMENDED FOR
People seeking to improve their painting / drawing skills!

This is an excellent book for someone new to En Plein Air watercolor or seasoned artists. The explanations are clear and accompanied by beautiful illustrations. In this book, the author presents different drawing styles and shows you how to draw perspectives, how to choose the right equipment for painting on location, and how to paint from photographs. He also addresses difficulties in subject placement and mistakes in drawing simple shapes.
Ron's explanation of the color wheel and color mixing is concise and highly valuable. He presents a different concept of assigning a value to a subject rather than color. The author's finished paintings are stunning!
This is a book to be read and reread and I am definitely adding this to my list of art books! Highly recommend to fine-art enthusiasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

En Plein Air: Watercolor is a fascinating art book; one I hadn’t realized I needed to read until I spotted it listed online. This art book teaches you everything you need to know about painting with watercolors out in the real world – out in the open air, so to speak.
What originally caught my attention about En Plein Air: Watercolor was the cover. The colors were so beautiful, and the artwork so vibrant, I knew I had to learn more about it. What I found inside did not disappoint.
En Plein Air covers everything you might expect, and then some. It is a traditional art book, in that it teaches you everything you need to know about the particular medium included (watercolors, in this case), but as I stated above it also gives you the important starting information for painting outside. That sounds like a simple concept, but there’s more to it than that. This book does a good job of explaining it, and giving tips and tricks.
This book is split into seven sections; drawing, painting on location (this was my personal favorite), composition & technique, color & value, tips & techniques, the Artist’s Voice, and sketchbooks to studio. As you can see, it includes a little bit of everything. It’s certainly everything an aspiring artist would need to get started.

I would LOVE to be able to open this book. I have done a lot of self-taught illustrating, but I need to know more. I will keep trying to open it . . .

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book includes great tips and techniques for the beginner as well as the experienced watercolorist. The chapter on drawing was particularly useful as
it demonstrated the importance of planning and sketching before actually beginning to paint. The watercolor examples used in the book made it easy to see the techniques the author described. This book would be a great addition to the library of any watercolor artist.

Thank you Quatro Publishing and Netgalley for granting my wish.

This book provides good explanations and examples of how to paint with watercolour, emphasising the importance drawing has in each composition.

A great book for artists wishing to get outside and away from their studio.

EN PLEIN AIR: WATERCOLOR: EXPERT TECHNIQUES AND SIMPLE STEP-BY-STEP PROJECTS FOR CREATING DYNAMIC LANDSCAPES IN THE OPEN AIR WITH WATERCOLOR
Written by Ron Stocke
2018; Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster (128 pages)
Genre: art, crafts, nonfiction, refernce, guide

(Review Not on Blog)

RATING: 4 STARS

I am hoping this year I "actually" start painting. I keep psyching myself out that I will be terrible and so I should not start. I have the supplies and guides/books and am getting the confidence that it's okay if it is terrible, and that is what practice is for! I read both Acrylic and Watercolor but have not decided which to start first as I have both paints.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

I enjoyed seeing how Ron accomplishes his art out in the field. He explains how important it is to simplify the painting, leaving out all of the details and distracting items in the environment. We watched someone painting en plein air at the beach this week. His painting looked spot on from a distance, but as we got closer, it looked more like colorful scribbles. It was fun to see a real live example so soon after reading this book.

Great reference book. I found this book really inspiring - the paintings are beautiful in their skillful loose style, and also useful as a teaching tool in themselves. There is a lot of very useful information regarding composition etc - well explained in a simple fashion and useful for any style of painting - and there are some good step by step tutorials. I would definitely recommend this book and am happy it has inspired me to pick up my watercolour paints again.

This is truly one of the better watercolor instructional books out there. This medium can be challenging but in this book the directions are very clear and the images are beautiful. An inspiring addition to any collection.

Easy to understand and very informative book.

You will be able to start painting watercolors right away after reading the instructions included. (provided you have the materials of course)

I know that my family and friends will be receiving lots of watercolor paintings this year for Christmas. The book made me very excited to start painting, and so far I think I'm progressing nicely thanks to the exercises.

As a oil and acrylic painter, I struggle to get my head around the concept of watercolor. I love the look of it and I envy those that can achieve such flowing and beautiful painting.
The photo in this book are amazing and the stock standard fact the is " you can hide a bad drawing with a good painting" so yes this book is about getting the drawing right with plenty of sketching. To highlight this there is information and examples on perspective, creating tension and detail. This leads onto the playing with watercolor and value, mixing, practicing and how to keep the color from becoming muddy,
There are lots of examples, as well as a step by step marine to try, which I quite liked. I really love this book

Having only recently dived into the art world this was a beautiful reference which has greatly increased my knowledge in watercolour.