Painting Wildlife in Watercolor

Book excerpt: Learn Wildlife Painting with Techniques from Masters With decades of experience at Chicago's renowned Field Museum, artist-in- residence Peggy Macnamara and scientific illustrator Marlene Hill Donnelly share tips on all aspects of painting wildlife in luminous watercolor. Painting Wildlife in Watercolor includes everything you'll need to know to from basics to finishing touches of rendering vibrant lifelike animals, birds and reptiles. Well-known for her "no fear" approach which bypasses traditional composition methods, Peggy Macnamara employs a technique of gradually applying color to develop rich subtle tones. Balancing this is Marlene Donnelly's clear and detailed instruction on drawing and painting techniques-the perfect complement to the "no fear" approach. The authors explore subject matter, color theory, design, light and shadow, and present several illustrative demonstrations. Macnamara describes her process as a form of meditation and encourages the student to compose their image using many light layers. She says of her technique, "It automatically builds depth in the liquid expression of the eyes as well as in the rich texture of fur and feathers." Whether rendering birds, mammals, or reptiles, these master artists will guide you as you create your own interpretation, step by step, as they share their years of experience. This innovative approach allows artists at all levels of experience to imbue their work with a fresh and subtle beauty. This book is also available from Echo Point Books in hardcover (ISBN 1635619475).