Susan Bourdet - Capturing the Magic of Light in Watercolor

Capturing the

MAGIC
of LIGHT

in watercolor

SUSAN D. BOURDET

NORTH LIGHT BOOKS

CINCINNATI, OHIO

www.artistsnetwork.com

TO BRIAN

I dedicate this book in loving memory of my nephew and birthdaybuddy, Brian Matthew Nolan. In his twenty-two years of life,Brian discovered his gift of music and worked tirelessly to refineit. Few of us are able to jump in and go that confidently in thedirection of our dreams. Beyond that, he found in his short lifetimea way to give his gift to others, sharing joy, hope and inspirationwith young people. His life showed me that, whatever your song,you never truly own it until you give it away.

Capturing the Magic of Light in Watercolor. Copyright 2005 by Susan D. Bourdet. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or direct from the publisher.

09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1

DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY FRASER DIRECT
100 Armstrong Avenue
Georgetown, ON, Canada L7G 5S4
Tel: (905) 877-4411

DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.K. AND EUROPE BY DAVID & CHARLES
Brunel House, Newton Abbot, Devon,TQ12 4PU, England
Tel: (+44) 1626 323200, Fax: (+44) 1626 323319
Email: mail@davidandcharles.co.uk

DISTRIBUTED IN AUSTRALIA BY CAPRICORN LINK
P.O. Box 704, S.Windsor NSW, 2756 Australia
Tel: (02) 4577-3555

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bourdet, Susan D.
Capturing the magic of light in watercolor / Susan D. Bourdet.
p. cm
ISBN 1-58180-583-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-548-1 (EPUB)

1. Watercolor painting--Technique. 2. Light in art. I.Title.

ND2420.B68 2005
751.42'2--dc22

00-068694

Edited by Stefanie Laufersweiler and Amy Jeynes
Designed by Wendy Dunning
Production art by Lisa Holstein
Production coordinated by Mark Griffin

Metric Conversion Chart

Winter Feast

Watercolor and gouache on 300-lb. (640gsm) Arches cold-pressed paper

9" x 36" (23cm x 91cm)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Bourdet grew up in western Montana, learning early to love nature. Her luminous watercolors combine realistically detailed birds and animals with soft, impressionistic backgrounds, a technique that has evolved through her twenty years of painting.

Susan majored in art and biology, her two great loves, while at Montana State University. After graduation, she struggled to find a way to combine her two interests. Her career as a professional artist didnt really begin until 1980, when she was raising her two children and needed to work at home. She joined a support group of nature artists and began to show her work in local galleries. In 1989, her paintings were discovered in an Oregon gallery by Wild Wings. She now has over sixty limited editions, and her work is featured in a yearly songbirds calendar published by Bookmark. She is the author of Painting the Allure ofNature (North Light Books, 2001). Her newest instructional venture is a video titled Boldand Beautiful: Backyard Wildlife in Watercolor, produced by Creative Catalyst Productions. Her paintings have been featured in shows and exhibitions all over the country, including the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museums Birds in Art and the Society of Animal Artists Artand the Animal.

Susan lives with her husband, Jim, and children, Rachael and Dan on several acres of wild woodland, which provide settings and subjects for her artwork. An avid gardener, she combines this interest with her art by planting her yard with favorite flowers and creating a pond and waterfall to attract wildlife. She enjoys sharing her unique methods and insights with other artists and nature lovers in watercolor workshops and seminars.

See and purchase art at Susans website, www.susanbourdet.com.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Id like to thank my students for the wealth of inspirational stories and for the overwhelming enthusiasm they have shared with me. From them I have learned how blessed artists are to be doing what they do best and what they love best. Seeing painting through my students eyes has kept me energized.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This chapter covers the materials youllneed and introduces light and colorbasics. Youll learn about the propertiesof watercolors, how they mix and howthey work in a painting.

For a painting to really sing, it needs to expresswhat captivates you about your subject. Thischapter will teach you how to capture your veryown idea with reference photographs and how tocreate an appealing and effective design.

A blank sheet of paper is a fearsomeprospect. This chapter will help youconquer that fear by learning the basicwatercolor techniques.

Even commonplace subjects can yieldpaintings of real impact when the artist