How to Paint Landscapes Quickly and Beautifully in Watercolor and Gouache

This book is not for beginners; however its clear and concise instruction is perfect for intermediate to advanced painters. This is neither a watercolor book, nor a gouache book: the book is about combining watercolor with gouache, and the wonderful effects you can get with that combination. It is filled with very generous, practical down to earth advice for both plein aire --how to travel light and work fast-- and in studio working from photos. All its photos are in color, which makes the instruction part of book beautiful in and of itself. The second part includes a gorgeous color portfolio of his artwork which is very inspiring for all levels of artists. (Reviewed by Theresa Taylor Bayer)

Like the other reviews note, this is not for beginner painters and is best if you have an existing grasp over technique/an eye for art and balance. The instructions are well thought out and there is a clear chronological pace that you can follow throughout this book that is assisted with periodic exercises and end results from the author.

I've taken Nathan Fowkes' courses on Schoolism a few times. His video courses are rich with content and it's a lot to absorb, so I go back to it to learn even more. When I saw this book, I knew it would be as rich and helpful as his Schoolism courses. And it has lived up to and beyond my expectations. I'm so glad to have a book to refer to when I need a refresher. The book has so many demonstrations that he masterfully dissects for the book. It's absolutely filled with color and images, and the text really gets to the point. This is important for visual learners, as most artists tend to be. He seamlessly integrates the painting process with concepts of color theory and composition, which I appreciate because many books describe such concepts in isolation from one another and from the context of actually painting while making such decisions in the field. Leaning from an artist like Nathan Fowkes is a true privilege because he is the rare artist who is at once a true master and an adept teacher. Highly recommended!

I was disappointed in the flattened appearance of the images. The images are dull and lackluster. The lack of texture in the photography took away a great bit of the enjoyment in this book but the explanations and step by steps are wonderful. The artist is amazing and I'm sorry the work wasn't displayed to its best advantage. Worth having in your library.

This book is full of full-color paintings and illustrations on the author's technique. He has a very informal congenial writing style. His style is discussion-based along with some excellent tutorial class structured examples of his theory, his layout, his paints, his strategy, and why. The book paper itself is nice high quality with slight shine to every page and the printing is excellent.This is not a beginners book. It will not give you the ABC's. It dives right into the meat and potatoes of things and you should have some painting experience behind you. The other thing is that he uses a mix of guaches and some opaque watercolor. There is very little (if any) transparent watercolor in this book and most of it is tonalism with bright colors here and there and a lot of the paintings are mid to dark with a few paintings in the light key range.

I pre-ordered this book so long ago that I forgot I had done that, so when it finally arrived it was like a nice little surprise present to myself! It is a gorgeous book, absolute eye candy and excellent instruction in the author's approach to painting scenes in watercolor/gouache by making a simple statement and using color and value simply and effectively. If you've taken the author's "Landscapes in Watercolor and Gouache" course on the Schoolism site, you will be familiar with many of the images and process steps shown for them in this book. I have gone through that course twice, so for me, this book is a VERY useful and very welcome companion guide. But there is additional content as well. The book is just plain gorgeous to look at: many large, beautiful images of finished paintings and works in progress. Nathan is a great teacher, which comes through both in his videos and in this book. His instruction has had a positive influence on my own sketching and painting, and I am very happy indeed to have this book in my studio library.

If you haven't purchased the book on RENDERING IN CHARCOAL from Nathan Fowkes, you should. This volume is equally detailed in its descriptions and illustration of technique and style. It's great for those who want the benefits of opaque paint but not the total hassle of a full suite of gouache paints to manage.Watercolor can be unforgiving at times but Nathan shows you how to shake hands with the devil. It's an excellent volume that I've been working with since I purchased it months ago. My work has improved because of it, too.Great job, and I hope he does more.

This is one of my absolute favorite artists and I’m blown away to see his process and the exuberant amount of artistic teachings thoughtfully put in this book. He makes it so simple and to the point that you’re not worried of wasting your time on the same beginner level information because he goes over what feels like everything while still keeping it stimulating. I’m in love. I wish I could let the author know just how very thankful I am of this book, it is now, and I feel like for a very long while will be one of my favorites.