The Easy Guide to Painting Skies in Watercolour

Stephen Coates will be well known to many amateur painters for his courses to art societies all over England and his articles in Leisure Painter. His new book, The Easy Guide to Painting Skies in Watercolour, addresses the problem of skies – a common issue for beginners. All-important to a landscape painting, a successfully painted sky can turn an average painting into a fantastic one. In his clear and concise style, Stephen shows you how to plan ahead for success, exploring materials and techniques, including watercolour, brushes and paper, so that you are prepared to make those first marks with confidence. There is also useful advice on working from photographs before Stephen embarks on describing how to paint skies of all kinds, from white clouds and sunbeams to the drama of stormy clouds, mist and sunsets.

* Leisure Painter *

Books on skies are not too hard to find and this important element (arguably the most important) of any landscape has been well-covered. The danger, of course, is of producing a masterclass that only serves to muddy the waters with over-complication.

Regular readers will know how wary I am about “easy” guides. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it and it wouldn’t take a lifetime of study. Intelligently approached, however, they can be reassuring and progress in simple, straightforward steps that don’t tax the beginner or those struggling a bit to keep up.

On those counts, this is absolutely admirable. Stephen starts with an analysis and explanations of materials and equipment, moving quickly to basic techniques, of which the first is a large, blended wash. The initial exercise uses one colour, then we move to two. It’s simple and progressive and we’re ready to start looking at white clouds. Nothing to frighten the horses, results that will satisfy and I think we’re ready to agree that, yes, it was pretty easy.

Moving on, you’ll find heavy clouds, sunsets, storms, shafts of sunlight and mists as well as a look at perspective and focal points. Throughout, you’re really only painting skies, with rudimentary foregrounds that add only balance, without becoming an exercise in themselves – actually, if you want lessons in simplicity, you have them right there, an unexpected Brucie bonus.

Easy? Well, maybe. Not too taxing? Absolutely.

-- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *

This book gives you a better view on painting many different skies. Easy to understand and in pictorial format. Step-by-step guide that holds your hand through every brush stroke. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, giving me a better view on those dramatic skies, I could never work out. I know now with Stephen's guidelines, I can produce a much better sky. This is a must have book.

-- Jean Scott * Customer Review *

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, so as a beginner to watercolour I was looking forward to the contents of this book and I was really pleased with it. Firstly it is a very visual guide; not only do you get lots of photographs of the painting process but the Author has included pencil sketches to guide you and also source photographs so you can see the view that's been used to develop the painting. The author also has dotted the text with teaching points and these have pictures of how the effects should be accomplished and also what happens if you don't follow the author's advice. He even provides pictures of the consistency of different mixes of paint to water. Although the books is aimed at painting skies There is plenty of help to turn these skies into simple landscapes and seascapes that any beginner would be proud to produce. This is an excellent book, well written for the beginner to painting skies and I highly recommend it.

-- Christine Jones * Customer Review *

Books on skies appear from time to time, and most are based around a particular artist's methods of interpretation. Anyone with a reasonably comprehensive library will probably have Norman Battershill's and Ron Ranson's and refer to them for both information and pleasure. The practical approach is more usually a chapter in a wider guide to landscapes. 

So, do you, gentle reader of this august journal, need something that is clearly a beginners' guide? Well, there will be plenty there that you'll check off as 'knew that', but if I added the word comprehensive to the description, I'd probably have at least half your attention. There's light here, there are clouds, composition and balance as well as washes, wet-in-wet, perspective and recession. The book is a pleasure to read and full of ideas and information. Even if you are well experienced, the clear layout and excellent execution make it all worthwile.

-- Henry Malt * The Artist *

The sky is probably the most important part of any landscape painting. Stephen will show you not just how to look at colours and clouds, but also how to use washes and all the properties of your palette to capture look, feel and aesthetics. Stephen is well-versed in the techniques required to do all this, and he explains them clearly and concisely. This is a thorough and complete guide that will tell you everything you need and want to know.

* SAA Catalog