The BEST Tips from my 5 Favorite Watercolor Books

In this video I will share my favorite tips from 5 of my favorite art painting watercolor books including tips from James Gurney, Jan Kunz, Judy Morris, Alex Powers and Mary Whyte.
Here are links to the books I mention...
James Gurney - amzn.to/3wsqAe7
Jan Kunz - amzn.to/49nesK0
Judy Morris - amzn.to/48pQ88T
Alex Powers - amzn.to/3wnXUmD
Mary Whyte - amzn.to/4bM1ruV
If you are a beginner and want to paint dreamy yet realistic animals (and sometimes other things) here are some of my thoughts for you... / 82080110
If you would like to try out a free sample tutorial of how I teach go to www.rachelsstudio.com/beginnerbunny for a start to finish tutorial - I promise not to spam you when you join as a free member!
If you're interested in learning watercolor from me more closely, join me on Patreon at / rachelsstudio or buy individual tutorials at www.rachelsstudio.com/watercolortutorials or join my KZbin membership at / @rachelparkervarner
My Patreon has the most extensive collection of tutorials and is a great deal because you get access to most ($8) or all ($13) of them when you join! I'm still building my collections on KZbin, although I have a lot available to that membership as well.
Join my community of watercolor artists on fb at / rachelswatercolorworkshop to share your work, get feedback about your paintings and enjoy seeing others' art too!
***************Free Stuff***************
Full Length, Patreon Style Black Cat watercolor painting Tutorial with Traceable, Free to the Public!
• How to Paint a Wet in ...
For free downloads, visit these pages, join as a member for free, and then get access to…
www.rachelsstudio.com/pumpkins
www.rachelsstudio.com/santa
www.rachelsstudio.com/houdini
www.rachelsstu...
www.rachelsstu...
My favorite supplies(contain affiliate links and I make a small commission when you purchase something):
My favorite shirt to paint in, lounge in, eat out in - it has a built in bra and I LOVE it! shrsl.com/41may
Paint Puck - bit.ly/3ktdbcl
PAPER
Hippie Crafter Paper - tinyurl.com/29...
140 lb Cold Press Arches Watercolor Paper - bit.ly/38CA8r8
Fluid Cold Press Watercolor Paper - (Cheaper Option for paper) - bit.ly/39wUVwN
PAINT
M Graham Napthol Red - bit.ly/3OPm667
Winsor & Newton Colors... - Burnt Sienna - Cobalt Blue - Ultramarine Blue - Winsor Violet - Green Gold - bit.ly/3LvzJFb
Daniel Smith Colors: -DS Lamp Black - DS Holbein Aureolin - Daniel Smith Permanent Green Light - bit.ly/3y3FqGF
Wisp brush set - amzn.to/2MMbw4A
Silver black velvet brushes - I bought the set of three with the 3/4 oval.
bit.ly/3F00wHi
Asian Sumi Hake Brush Set - bit.ly/3OMIWv3
Scrubber Brushes- bit.ly/3rXGt7h
Princeton Velvetouch Size 4 Long Round - bit.ly/3s1BWRl
Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid - bit.ly/3vWq8Rk
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen in Black bit.ly/3vtHrKw
White Gel Pen- bit.ly/3s4lfol
Kemper Fluid Writing Pen - tinyurl.com/27...
I've also been using Holbein Soft Tape from Holbein. I have found if I leave this tape on my paper too long, it leave sticky residue. Otherwise, I LOVE it! bit.ly/3OMGJ2J
Elmer's Foam Board -. bit.ly/3F9v0qv
Pallette - bit.ly/3F0DGzk
Micron Archival Pens - Micron archival pens - tinyurl.com/4w...
Dot or Splat Spray Bottles -Stampendous has one at bit.ly/3MFyWlj but I haven't tried that one yet. www.artacademy... You have to scroll down and look for 'dot bottles'
everettswaterc... also has dot spray bottles. I think I like these a LITTLE better than the Tom Lynch ones.
Makeup Organizer I use to store art supplies - amzn.to/3cnam9D
Storage Bench for Art Supplies - amzn.to/32IJCdU
Gel Floor Mat amzn.to/3wyIF5X
5 inch Squeegee - amzn.to/2RjVzEE
Credit Card sized squeegee - amzn.to/3uvV88w
Samsung Galaxy - I use a Galaxy to film most of my videos! amzn.to/2IBXL5Y
SanDisk Storage for all my footage! amzn.to/3tZUYpe
Epson Surecolor P900 Printer - amzn.to/2UoSvFs
Epson Velvet Paper - (paper I use for prints) amzn.to/2K3eNKV
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Instagram at rachelsstudiodotcom

[@rachelparkervarner]

Here are links to the books I mention... James Gurney - amzn.to/3wsqAe7 Jan Kunz - amzn.to/49nesK0 Judy Morris - amzn.to/48pQ88T Alex Powers - amzn.to/3wnXUmD Mary Whyte - amzn.to/4bM1ruV Join my facebook for free at fb.com/groups/rachelswatercolorworkshop Paint with me at patreon.com/rachelsstudio Check out my art at www.rachelsstudio.com

[@ridingmom700]

Thanks for saying you just don’t work that way. Biggest pet peeve in the art world are the rules. For every group of painters working in today’s “right way” there are other groups working in different styles making beautiful art. There are many right ways!

[@rachelparkervarner]

Exactly!!!

[@melindaavila498]

Thank you for this! Color is truly fascinating. I am an older (79) beginner and find this to be valuable information.

[@rachelparkervarner]

I'm so glad you found it helpful Melinda!

[@CatWezel66]

Thanks Rachel! I have that book of James Gurney for quite a while on my bookshelf but had only a quick view in it when I bought it and that’s it. Now I need to pick it from my shelf 😂❤

[@rachelparkervarner]

It's an amazing book! Lots of things don't apply to my work but it's fascinating how he makes fantasy look so realistic.

[@joys4524]

Thank you Rachel, I can't understand the way the instruction in the books is explained, you make it understandable, I really appreciate it. You are an awesome teacher.

[@rachelparkervarner]

Yes sometimes I had to read a few times!!!

[@karenarmendariz2858]

Agreed! Rachel makes things so understandable, she’s awesome.

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

A wonderful collection of new to me books 📚 to add to my reference library! Thanks for sharing these wonderful informational tips!

[@rachelparkervarner]

You are so welcome Colleen!

[@karenarmendariz2858]

You are an awesome teacher Rachel. After I joined your patreon I went from looking at a white piece of paper not knowing where to start, to feeling confident in how to begin and tweak a finished painting. You’re full of great tips and I love that you share even more from your own painting journey. Thank you for breaking down what could be hard to understand information from these other artists books.

[@rachelparkervarner]

That makes me so happy to hear. I work so hard to make tutorials that are really useful and give you the tools to paint whatever you want. Thank you Karen because pro artists need encouragement too!

[@renmuffett]

I have read tons of watercolor books since 2008. But few I loved enough to revisit again and again. Both are from living artists, one by James Toogood called, Incredible Light and Texture in watercolor. The other, by Susan Harrison-Tustain called, Glorious Garden Flowers in watercolor. My 2 faves.

[@rachelparkervarner]

Thanks for the ideas - I just bought the one by James Toogood on your suggestion : ) I don't do tight flowers so I skipped Susan's. Her work is gorgeous though!

[@jaimejaime1178]

Hi Rachel (again). Jim from Madrid, Spain (a fellow artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad). Forgot to mention that with regards to using local color and specially light, and how they interact with the rest if shadows and color... one if my favourite Master Artists of all times doing that (in Oil Painting but it is sooooo useful in watercolor due to the luminosity and transparency of the medium) is " Sorolla" (Spanish - from Spain - painter from the early/mid 20th Century and incredible in how he plays and paints with light!). Even though he is an Oil painter... his techniques and how he uses local color and light are just super useful and amazingly helpful in watercolor. Just a personal opinion I wanted to share with y'all in case it might interest anyone else. Cheers from Sunny Spain! 😁👍😎✌

[@rachelparkervarner]

Thanks so much for the tip!!

[@carollegros8671]

Awesome. Love these reviews

[@rachelparkervarner]

Glad you like them Carolle!

[@jaimejaime1178]

Hi Rachel. Jim from Madrid, Spain (a fellow artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad). Nice set if books shown and great tips extracted from each of them. Some I own, some I heard from and I might increase my "small" library with 1 or 2. Thank you for sharing and I love your enthusiasm and passion in all of your videos... It's always great to "feel" your cheerful nature! Cheers from Sunny Spain!! 😁👍😎✌

[@rachelparkervarner]

Oooooh I had the pleasure of seeing Madrid when I went on a horseback riding vacation through Southern Spain. It was a beautiful place! I also love NYC and usually go every year. Last May I went and saw Hamilton. I love finding these art tips and sharing them with my viewers so much. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@jonlizsam]

Hi Rachel. I hope you’re having a great day. Thanks for the book mini reviews and recommendations. I too am a huge fan of James Gurney and have seen Jane Kunz on TV. I would love to get all those books!! The painting watercolor with light one is on the top of my list already actually. I am mostly a landscape painter but am learning portraits, both human and animal. It’s a challenging endeavor. ❤❤❤❤

[@rachelparkervarner]

Yes it is so challenging I agree, but that's the fun part (mostly) ; )

[@eleniphotos]

Thanks for all your tips Rachel!...It now takes me longer now to finish a painting.....

[@rachelparkervarner]

I always tell myself I'll make a painting simpler, then 3 weeks later I'm still working on it!

[@lizstrangesavage7948]

Rachel, check out Thomas W. Schaller re: on your point about local color and going to a color that works with the paintings instead of the local color itself, and for another amazing living watercolorist.

[@lizstrangesavage7948]

Also, Stephen Scott Young. He's amazing. Don't know if he's written any books.

[@rachelparkervarner]

Love Schaller and just shared his KZbin channel will my free and paid Patreon members. I'll check that other one out. At the end of the day, most art rules can be broken. There is a time to stay true to local color, a time to use a palette from the artist's own design and so on but I do like to learn artist's ideas of what works for them and play with those ideas in my own art

[@karicreates7668]

Great content, thanks !

[@rachelparkervarner]

My pleasure Kari!

[@timlumleyart8835]

You're a wealth of information, thanks. This probably relates more to the last video but I read this somewhere and it stuck; A great artist will do whatever it takes to get the effect that they are after. There are still guidelines for stuff like composition, light and darks, tone, colours etc but these are there to help you create a better painting. But you may need to go against these guidelines to get an effect you after which is fine to.

[@rachelparkervarner]

Yes that's definitely true for me!

[@ritzie3131]

Love your videos. I've been watercoloring for over 20 years (gulp!), and without question, need more consistent practice to improve. I find myself mostly stuck at the drawing stage. Any tips (other than just keep doing it)?

[@rachelparkervarner]

Skip the initial drawing stage by doing a tracing - you will still rely on drawing skills as those lines get covered up and get those paint brushes wet!

[@carolynrobinson268]

Thank you for extra fab tutorial. I will buy some of these books. So do I understand the Alex Powers suggestion of redesigning the local color? For example your black cat at end of tutorial has every color, which I love, and what I am interpreting Alex Powers as suggesting. So is that the opposite of what Charles Reid suggests of using strong local color? Thanks!

[@rachelparkervarner]

Yes Alex Powers advice is very different from Charles Reid advice. Alex Powers paints with a much more limited palette for better color harmony. The point is there are many different ways of painting that will result in a good painting - you have to choose which way works best for your style and subject and goals for your work!

[@ruthherring6035]

Hi Rachel! Another great video ❤. FYI, the links you mention in the video aren’t there. Can you post them in the description?

[@rachelparkervarner]

James Gurney - amzn.to/3wsqAe7 Jan Kunz - amzn.to/49nesK0 Judy Morris - amzn.to/48pQ88T Alex Powers - amzn.to/3wnXUmD Mary Whyte - amzn.to/4bM1ruV Thanks for watching Ruth!

[@ruthherring6035]

I’m sorry, I meant the links to your videos, like the one where you show how to use a scrubber. It took a bit but I found it and used my scrubber today and it was awesome 😊

[@heymiokka]

i wanted to come back to this video becasue the notes i took where so valuable, even though i use a different medium. and as a small thank you, i'd like to share another tip with you i've recently come across (this one is watercolor specific!). "it's called keeping the bead alive", here's a shorts on it : kzbin.infoqCZOHoyYxV0?si=mvmCuYsAyHfsQ_P4

[@rachelparkervarner]

Thank you so much ❤

[@beverlydevriesburrows3097]

How were these books recommended to you?

[@rachelparkervarner]

Different ways. I love Mary Whyte so I got her book, some I've had for years and I can't remember what led me to them. James Gurney was from Tom Shepherd like I mentioned in the video.

[@bibianamiranda5006]

Mary white is an amazing watercolorist but her book is no great

[@rachelparkervarner]

Yeah, it's not as informative but you can learn a lot just looking at her work.