WANT TO LIST YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
All current Northstar Watercolor Society members are invited to add to this list of books! GO HERE to fill out the form about the book you want to add. Remember that sharing our resources is good for us all! Newest additions will be added to the top of the list.

Watercolor by Design: Classic Designs to Inspire New Creative Directions
Author: Marianne K. Brown
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
Year Published: 2006
Summary: From the cover: \"Twelve classic design motifs to build and enhance a personal painting style... Each chapter includes a step-by-step gallery showing a variety of personal approaches to each design motif.\" The 12 motifs are: horizontal, vertical, pyramidal, overall, floating, cruciform, frame-in-frame, cantilevered, radial asymmetrical, checkerboard, and staggered. Lots of abstract examples in addition to representational ones.
Why it's a Favorite: As someone without a lot of formal art training, this book gave me a wider visual language to use when doing and when looking at art.
Recommended by member: Dave Hedenstrom

The Complete Guide to Creative Watercolor
Author: Miles G. Batt
Publisher: Creative Art Publications, Ft. Lauderdale CA
Year Printed: My edition is 1988, but believe a more recent one has been published
Summary: This book is especially written for watercolorists, and covers not only the very basics of design, but also the most important part-- the conceptual elements that go into creating a work of true art. The discussion of various design elements is understandable and written with precision, yet with humor. The conceptual  discussions on how to become an “artist” rather than a technician are thoughtful and provocative.
One of the best books I have ever seen to make design concepts understandable and fun, yet as comprehensive as any textbook I have read.  The last 70 pages of the book are reproductions of his own, as well as others, paintings, and applies the concepts and theories that correspond to them. Excellent.
Recommended by member: Calvin deRuyter

Artist’s Color Manual: The Complete Guide To Working With Color
Author: Simon Jennings
Publisher: Chronical Books,
Year Printed: 2003
Summary: A pretty comprehensive look at color which deals with “what is color?” all the way through the history of various colors (ie, did you know the color “orange” was unknown until the imporation of the fruit into Europe during the middle ages), to examples of creative direction.  Includes a limited color index that shows some color comparisons between different manufacturers.
Actually a fun read with with so many interesting illustrations/photographs that they can inform and educate you without even reading the text—but you will want to read it too… it is actually understandable!
Recommended by member: Calvin deRuyter

Blue and Yellow don’t make Green:
How to mix the color you really want – every time.
Author: Michael Wilcox
Publisher: School of Color Publications
Year Printed: mine was a 2006 Edition
Summary: We were all taught the 3-6-12 color wheel. But, Wilcox maintains—and proves—that since there is no such thing as pure red, pure blue and pure yellow when it comes to paint pigments, artists need to throw out the old theories of color mixing.  This technical book is a guide to what happens when you mix “real life” pigments .
Although this book is interesting, don’t buy it (borrow it instead!) unless you are really a true student of color mixing theory. I actually used this book primarily as proof to my students in one of my color workshops to disprove old theories about how paint should be mixed and what would happen when you do.
Recommended by member: Calvin deRuyter