Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings Into Art: Amazon.ca: Joseph Zbukvic, Robert A. Wade: Books

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About the Author

Joseph Zbukvic began painting professionally in 1979 and is regarded as one of Australia's best watercolor artists. His work is represented in many private and public collections and has been exhibited in leading galleries across Australia as well as in London, England. His work appears regularly in International Artist magazine. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning effects by manipulating the amount of moisture, Nov 21 2002

By

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings Into Art (Hardcover)

The example paintings in Joseph Zbukvic's "Mastering Atmosphere and Mood" are stunning. By manipulating the amount of moisture ON the paper and IN the wash of paint, Zbuvic creates strong contrast between ethereal washes and densely painting architectural or landscape elements.

Zbuvic uses a device he calls a clock, which consists of a circle divided into wedges; the left side gauging the amount of water on the paper (from shiny wet to bone dry) and the right side gauging the amount of water mixed into the paint, from weak "tea" to "butter" or thick paint. This is rather original, but it does communicate an awareness of the moisture levels in both paint and paper to the artist. One example painting that really stands out is a rainy scene of downtown Melbourne, Australia. The street is lightly washed to allow the paper beneath to create the white shine of a wet street; the buildings and headlight reflections are painted more densely to provide either solidity (the building) or glow (the headlights.)

Most books on watercolor demonstrate a layered method of washes followed by glazes (paint over paint.) The end result can often be muddy for beginners in watercolor. This method is quite different in how it describes laying down washes and glazes, and can help the watercolorist achieve transparent atmosphere effects by paying attention to the water. If you've run into a brick wall with your current method of painting, this might be a great book to give a boost to your technique.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars buy this book, Dec 29 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings Into Art (Hardcover)

The approach that Mr. Joseph Zbukvic uses in his book is fascinating. For me, he takes the mystery out of painting watercolor and breaks it down into a more understandable approach. What I like about it is that he explains the different consistencies that paint should be when applied to the paper. His consistency of paint is described as: tea, coffee, milk, cream and butter. The dampness of paper is described as: dry, damp, moist, and wet. He ties these ideas together by using a concept of a clock. The concept of a clock is used to explain when and how paper and paint should be used together. An example of one of his demonstrations: laying in the first background wash to paper, the paper is dry and the paint is in the consistency of tea. His demonstrations in the book are clear and easy to understand especially with this "clock" method. He also writes very well and it is an enjoyable read. I love the way he paints and the price of the book alone is worth just looking at his paintings.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Great art, eye candy, Oct 11 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings Into Art (Hardcover)

Instruction should be overlooked (watercolor clock) but brilliant paintings. Get the book to see some great art, but don't expect to instantly paint like this--its far too advanced.
All that said--it gets a one star because it puports to be a book of instruction and the instruction is misleading--far more damaging than merely useless.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Teaches you nothing
This book has no instruction that is usable. A waste of time and money. Zbukvic may be a respected artist, but a teacher he is not. Read more

Published on July 8 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars No teaching involved in this book!
If you want a book to learn from and instruction, don't buy this one.

Published on Mar 12 2004