Breaking the Rules of Watercolour

I now have all three books by Shirley Trevena and have found each of them very useful, informative, and inspirational. Since there are some negative reviews posted here on this title, I had to jump in with my 2¢...First, what I love about this book is that the author doesn't waste valuable pages going over color theory and the color wheel, or which type of paintbrush to use, or the exact colors of paint to use from which manufacturer to replicate her artwork. If you need an introductory book on watercolor techniques, there are lots of titles (too many, in my opinion) that go over this information, along with step-by-step instructions for making 1-2-3 art. These books have their place, but if you need your hand held as you attempt your first watercolor painting, Breaking the Rules of Watercolour is perhaps not the book for you. This really is not a beginner's book, and it should not be judged as such.If, however, you are an intermediate to advanced watercolor painter in search of fresh inspiration and new ways to free up your own technique, or if you're having problems midway through a complicated painting, I believe that you will find this book very helpful. It's unusual, in that it doesn't follow the expected format of most art and craft books.After a brief personal introduction, Shirley discusses 10 of her paintings and shares her thoughts on them. That's basically it. She includes background information on what inspired her to paint each picture, how she designs a composition, the importance of shapes and the use of favorite props to create still-life setups, and how she chooses a color scheme for each painting. For illustration, she provides full-color closeups of her finished paintings, line-art drawings of her preliminary sketches, and color photos of her paintings in-process (stage 1, stage 2, etc.).What I found most valuable was the author's commentary throughout. She is refreshingly honest, sharing her thought process, admitting her occasional self-doubt, explaining that some paintings can take weeks to finish. She shares great advice and tips, such as cutting snips out of colorful magazine pages that can be used as color "test strips" on a painting before committing oneself to applying paint to the paper.Although a great deal of planning goes into each of her paintings, Shirley allows herself to change her mind frequently as she works through each stage. For example: Having chosen one color of paint for a particular area of a composition, she may find herself suddenly dissatisfied with her choice. She then goes back to the beginning with her preliminary sketches, notes, and color strips. Having found a new color that she had not previously considered, Shirley confidently paints something fresh and exciting. She also discusses working large, and teaches how to scale-up a little sketch into a much bigger, bolder painting. She writes at length on selecting the right props and making several preliminary sketches to work out tonal values and design composition. There is much more in this vein...The remainder of the book follows this format: several pages of thoughtful commentary on Shirley's paintings (10 in all), detailed discussions of the techniques used, lavish full-color illustrations, preliminary sketches, and even a few funny cartoons and photos of herself working in the studio. This is a book that is meant to be carefully read and not just scanned for the pretty pictures. You will find some great advice here if you pay attention.The author's finished artwork is incredibly inspirational, perhaps because although it is gorgeous, it is also somehow approachable. Shirley has a "loose and juicy" style that feels warm and inviting. And I guess that's why I love all three of her books. Her artwork is lively, vibrantly colorful, carefully thought-out, yet loosely painted with a spirit of joyful excitement. You can feel her love for shapes, texture, gesture marks, movement, and — most of all — color. This artist in love with color, and she has learned to dance with it. We're all just fortunate that she's so willing to teach us some of the steps.I also recommend Shirley's instructional DVDs. I have all three, and found them all quite excellent.—Sharilyn Miller, author of the Arty Jewelry series

Just love it.

The media could not be loaded.  When you are free to master the technique of watercolor painting, reading this book will help you to reconstruct your painting style and study the effect of the picture in depth.

Shirley opens up a new world of watercolor for me. She definitely breaks the rules and it was refreshing to see a new approach to a difficult media. She goes with her feelings, void of rules, and just let the paints flow and do their thing. Her paintings have a distinct uniqueness about it ... almost "bohemian" in style, adding whatever strikes her fancy like throwing in her shoes somewhere in her still life composition. This "quirkiness" really strikes my fancy. I would say that her style is very inspirational.

The colors are so lovely.

The book arrived quickly and in great shape--thank you. I thought I'd written a review, so sorry this took me so long--her work is so unique and she has a ton of images of her work so you can get a feel for how she does what she does. My style is nothing like hers, but I do get ideas from her in terms of how she stimulates her own creativity, etc.

Trevena is an artist who has adopted untraditional methods to create watercolor art that is unusual, freeing, and beautifully interesting. Definietly worth reading and studying,

I've followed the work of Shirley Trevena since her first book came out with great enjoyment. There are very few watercolourists who one can really call 'experimental' in their approach to the medium. Trevena definitely is. She always makes me think.In 'Breaking the Rules of Watrrcolour' she walks us through 10 paintings, from idea to finished piece, and explores with us her thought process at each step, and why she deliberately broke the 'rules' which hedge in traditional British Watercolour technique.Shirley Trevena is always worth following. Her books are full of artistic license and exciting results.

O livro é muito bonito e eu gostei da qualidade da impressão. Infelizmente, porém, o conteúdo é muito fraco (e quase inexistente). A autora foca em informações completamente irrelevantes sobre o objeto das pinturas. Acho que é um livro que só pode ser usado como inspiração para pintar, então se o seu objetivo é aprender alguma coisa sobre aquarela, não o recomendo.

She is a very talented artist that I found on You-tube. I struggle with still life watercolours. She creates watercolours that look like collage. Her colours are fantastic.

Such a fabulous book filled with beautiful paintings. I recommend her other books too!

Für mich als Autodidakten in punkto Aquarellmalerei ein Buch das eine auf neue Ideen neue bringt. Möchte es nicht mehr missen.

Me ha encantado este libro, me encanta el estilo de esta pintora . Es un lujo.