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Prepare to have your mind blown because in this tutorial, we're creating a fun, textured watercolor background just by using a spray bottle and the power of gravity.

"Washington D.C, USA Nicholas Simmons, a contemporary Washington D.C. artist, continues to make headlines with his beautifully bold, large-format paintings. His works will be featured in the Winter 2009 issue of Watercolor magazine (American Artist) and while his notoriety is growing as an innovative artist with much-sought-after workshops and demonstrations, he's a darn fine guitarist to boot. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nicholas grew up with an interest in art and music that continued after high school. While independently honing his artistic skills, he studied with watercolorists such as Barbara Nechis and the late Valfred Thëlin (Watercolor: Let the Medium...

Here's a close-up of pink lily flowers painted with wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry and splattering techniques. Video coming soon.

Watercolour Newcastle, England Unfathomable forethought and essence sifting. MJ Forster, the popular British watercolourist has evolved a style hinted at in watercolours of the past but never brought to fruition until now. Plain and Complex, with cohesive flowing rhythms executed with an intuitive knowledge of form, light, and color. I couldn't stop looking. Überpainting "Where I share common ground with the Impressionist movement is the need for the work to have solid drawing skills. I also admire their spontaneity and courage to break with the conventions of the day. However, I too am seeking to represent an essence of a...

Richard C. Moore is a charter member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA). His marine paintings hang in numerous museums and corporate walls. Mr. Moore's ship and marine paintings can be viewed at www.ship-paintings.com Of particular interest is the Sketching and Painting Outdoors section, free online lessons, and watercolor sketches of his world travels.

Paper: a little history, a little trivia The variety of surfaces used to paint, draw, write and tally on have run the gamut from cave walls, clay tablets (Sumerians 5000-2000 BC), wood planks, papyrus (+-2500 BC), to parchment (1500-250 BC) and vellum, a finer variant of parchment. Papyrus was a woven mat of reeds, pounded together into a hard, thin sheet. Parchment and Vellum are make from specially processed animal hide (calves, goats, sheep) that are smoothed to a fine finish. The word "paper" actually comes down to us from the word "papyrus". According to contemporary Chinese records of AD...

American "John Pike Paints Watercolors," first published in 1978, is the title of the classic watercolor instruction book by artist John Pike. The book is filled with skilled step by step watercolor demonstrations that show his command of painting landscape and urban scenes with an eye for dramatic lighting and spontaneity. Mr. Pike's artistic career included stints working for the Jamaican Rum industry, creating advertising art and designing nightclubs in 1933. By 1945 he was in Korea documenting the U.S. occupation, resulting in a large body of work that can be found in military art archives and museums. In the...

Mexican/American Mario Cooper's painting style was based in playful design with a modern southwestern twist. Born in Mexico City, he was raised in Los Angeles and ultimately studied at Columbia University and the Grand Central School of Art in New York. A highly regarded illustrator and fine artist, Mr. Cooper's illustrations appeared over the years in magazines like Collier's, Esquire, and Cosmopolitan. Although his sculpture and illustration skills were in high demand, he excelled in watercolor painting, composition and design. He was president of the American Watercolor Society (AWS) from 1959 to 1986. Mario Ruben Cooper was a member of...