Watercolor Painting for Dummies

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Authors: Colette Pitcher

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BOOK: Watercolor Painting for Dummies
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Watercolor Painting For Dummies

by Colette Pitcher

 

Watercolor Painting For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008,
or
online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions
.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2007942005

ISBN: 978-0-470-18231-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

About the Author

Colette Pitcher
translates her experiences and spirit into art that makes the viewer smile or pause to consider what often is taken for granted. “It is my goal to leave a person or place feeling or looking better after I left than before I came.” That goal is communicated through many levels, including art.

Growing up in Colorado, Colette always did art. When it came time to choose a career path, she tried to deviate from art because it was said a person couldn’t make a living at art. When the University of Northern Colorado’s communications media department was discontinued, she had enough art credits to graduate with a fine art degree a year early.

Her first job out of college was as a graphic designer at an engineering/architecture firm. Her next job was in art in New York City for a Fortune 500 company. She also worked for a well-known children’s author and designed video games in New York. While in New York, she lived at West Point and attained an MBA degree from the University of Long Island.

Upon returning to Colorado in 1986, she started the Art Department for companies that didn’t have one in-house. “I always was in the art department somewhere, and it just made sense.” In the ’90s, Colette purchased a 10,000-square-foot building in downtown Greeley, Colorado. Named the Showcase Art Center, LLC, she made a creative space and filled it with other great businesses and art studios. The Showcase encourages all artists to be their best. The Showcase Art Center is a great place to find art and supplies, framing, art-to-wear, piano lessons, art classes, and art studios. The Showcase advertises that people can “Buy art, make art, and be a work of art!”

Colette paints and also sculpts. Colette’s husband, Gary, owner of Dragon Casting, a bronze art foundry, is also a creative resource for making the impossible come true daily. Together the couple has installed many monumental bronze public artworks.

Colette has appeared on HGTV’s
That’s Clever
. Look for
Art For Dummies
kits, which Colette illustrated for Loew-Cornell; there are eight kits in different media. She is a regular columnist for
PaintWorks
magazine, and Colette is a signature member of the Colorado Watercolor Society.

Colette Pitcher Showcase Art Center, LLC 1335 Eighth Ave. Greeley, CO 80631 Phone 970-356-8593 E-mail
[email protected]
Web site
www.ColettePitcher.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to you as an artist. The world is tough on artists. For some reason, people aren’t very complimentary or encouraging to those who pursue art as a career. You’ll have many days when you’ll want to give up. But keep at it. Persistence is the only way to win. One day the rejection slips will turn to acceptance letters. Artists are pitted against each other for every juried show, prize, and competition. We should encourage each other to share unique visions. Then we should appreciate them. If the whole world could learn to communicate through art, there would be no more war. Make a peace of art.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I want to thank Wiley Publishing for the opportunity to share my world of watercolor with others in the world. If everyone painted, the world would be a better place. How wonderful if we could all communicate through art using paint and paper. No more war would be allowed either. Countries would express ideas through art and not guns. I think everyone should make this his goal. I still believe in the tooth fairy, too.

A 320-page book was a huge undertaking. I’m usually a quiet person and that was a lot of words to write. My editor Kathleen Dobie constantly coaxed me to write more and elaborate more so that a beginner would feel comfortable with the material. Chrissy Guthrie continued to help where Alissa Schwipps left off. Mike Baker was the catalyst to the project and remained a shepherd through the process. Vicki Adang made sure the final edits were proper. What a team!

Personally, I thank my family for holding my hand through life: my parents, who made me in more ways than one, and my terrific husband, who makes all my dreams come true. My art family: the Greeley Art Association, my wonderful watercolor classes, and my business partners at the Showcase Art Center. All of you tolerated my whines and constant use of the laptop.

Mostly, thank goodness for beginning art students. It takes courage to make art.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at
www.dummies.com/register/
.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Senior Project Editor:
Christina Guthrie

Acquisitions Editor:
Mike Baker

Copy Editor:
Victoria M. Adang

Editorial Program Coordinator:
Erin Calligan Mooney

Technical Editor:
Marilynn Derwenskus

Editorial Manager:
Christine Meloy Beck

Editorial Assistants:
Joe Niesen, David Lutton, Leeann Harney

Cover Photos:
©John Wilkes/Getty Images

Cartoons:
Rich Tennant (
www.the5thwave.com
)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator:
Kristie Rees

Layout and Graphics:
Stacie Brooks, Carl Byers, Laura Campbell, Alissa D. Ellet, Melissa K. Jester, Jennifer Mayberry, Erin Zeltner

Proofreaders:
Caitie Kelly, Betty Kish

Indexer:
Galen Schroeder

Special Help:
Clint Lahnen

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele,
Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple,
Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks,
Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring,
Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan,
Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings,
Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey,
Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey,
Director of Composition Services

Contents

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