Drawing and Painting with Water Soluble Media

Summer Issue 2016

Search Press have provided this interesting book by a well known watercolour artist. Lots of mediums are used to create exciting textures. By introducing stamps, stencils, plastics, bubble wrap etc, around or over a defined area of painting a relaxed, abstract look can be achieved. There are so many suggestions for experimentation, substituting dyes or paints for the watercolours and acrylics and cold wax for masking fluid, making for a satisfying silk painting.

October 2014

This is a book that deals with medium that involves the use of water. It gathers a lot of materials and ideas together and Fiona presents a colourful and informative guide to a variety of tools that sit happily under the same umbrella. Beginning with the use of water both for blending and for washes, she gradually moves through different techniques, from dry-on-dry to wet-on-wet and stopping of at various waypoints on the journey. This book may not instruct the more experienced practitioner, but it has much that can delight and divert them - Henry Malt.

June 14

Vibrancy is the key term which springs to mind when reading this book. Colours are used to bring life and vitality to images by using water soluble media. Be these pencils or paints. This is a how to book and the one thing to be careful of is don't drown your book when following the steps. This book has an element of fun and leaves you wanting to go draw on something- be it paper, canvas or that wall you havnt papered yet. This is isn't about being perfect but having a go, so why not- have a go!

July 14

Fiona's in her element with this intriguing and exciting book. I'm glad to have finally laid my hands on a finished copy. The first proofs I saw were quite low-resolution and didn't do justice in any way to what are some very subtle images that exploit the possibilities of pencils, colour sticks, ink, watercolour, acrylic and gouache to the full. There's a very nice progression from the properties of the various materials - you do need to know what to use when - and experimenting with them. Fiona then moves quickly on to the creative journey , which shows you how to use various materials for pictorial effect. What I particularly like about the book is the fact that there are no technical exercises that are there just for their own sake; everything finishes up in a painting that captures the elements of the scene and has you thinking, you're right, no other medium could have done that. If you're familiar with the lavender fields at Snowshill in the Cotswolds, you'll know how, although they demand representation, they're really tricky to capture convincingly. For this panoramic painting, bold pigment was drawn onto the paper, then sprayed with clean water and left to settle into the surface. The result is an assault of colour, exactly as you get in life, but with little attempt at detail. It's exactly the way to go about it, I now know. The book is full of ideas, projects, hints and tips, demonstrations and simple wisdom. It's a real feast of painting and of imagination and should open up a world of possibilities.

Summer Catalogue 2014

This handy guide covers all aspects of water-based media from traditional watercolour paints to pencils, colour sticks and inks.

Fiona assumes very little prior knowledge and starts with an introductions to materials, tools and surfaces.

Here you'll find out about Graphitint and Inktense pencils, Artbars and Aquatone sticks, gouache and acrylic as well as paper and fabric surfaces.

Fiona also looks at brushes, sponges and roller. She then discusses the use of wax, masking fluid and stencils and the use of things like salt, crumpled paper and masking tape for special effects

Early exercises involved simple experiments that give you a feel for just how much water can transform your work and you'll find that a coloured pencil drawing of a simple landscape can be bought to life by the use of a spray bottle.

This is a comprehensive guide to some exciting mediums that's packed with colourful examples and ideas on every page.

August 2014

Devotees of Fiona Peart will be delighted to hear that her new book, Drawing and Painting with Water Soluble Media, is now available from Search Press. Fiona's aim is to show you how to enjoy using water-soluble materials in new and exciting ways, unlocking creative potential with an array of materials that you will probably already have lurking in the back of a drawer.

One who chapter is devoted to the properties of each of the water soluble materials used, including colour pencils, colour sticks, paints and inks, surfaces, tools for applying colour, materials to protect the surface, and materials to use for different effects, while another deals with techniques. Most of the rest of the book is taken up with step-by-step projects and demonstrations for you to follow or explore with your own choice of water-soluble materials and techniques.

Fiona is an experiences art tutor, who understands the problems artists face, so if you are looking for inspiration to liven up your work, then this is the book for you.