Atmospheric Flowers in Watercolour: Painting with energy and life

I wish I could give TEN stars to both the book and the vendor. The book is a very well written and uniquelly designed volume on loose style watercolor floral painting. The instructions are clearly written and acompanied with great photos, hence the book in-and-of itself deserves every praise. However, so does the vendor! I bought this book second-hand as I am a watercolor painting student and I need this volume for my own use. The book arrived in impecable condition that would even make it fit for a gift or a coffee table display. It was delivered on time and it was carefully wrapped in no less than four (4) protective bags: the first 3 were snuggly fitted USPS bubble-wrap style bags, and the 4th one was an outer shell of a firmer black plastic. Veey impressive!!! I often buy text books on the second-hand market for my personal use and in most cases book condition is at least satisfactory, but this experience was by far the best I ever had with buying used books. Bravo to the vendor and many thanks!

I purchased this for my mom who loves painting but has been out of water coloring for a while. The book was gorgeous, and helpful techniques and tips were offered. She was pleased.

Jean Haines is a master at watercolor, and every one of her books is a joy. This is no exception. She has a loose, dreamy watercolor painting style that focuses on color so each time you look at one of her paintings, something else emerges from the mist. Her sense of color is extraordinary. I love to look at this book just to feel calmer in this crazy world. I just wish she gave more actual instruction on how to create similar paintings. The photography of her works is top notch. It's an amazing book, so soothing. I really do enjoy reading it. But like I said, I wish she explained more about how to achieve such amazing, colorful works of art - that's my only gripe. But the book is so magnificently beautiful that it deserves 5 stars, anyway.

I have purchased more books on painting than I would like to admit to and this one tops them all. It is visually a gorgeous book and the text is well organized with great instruction. The artist does a great job of explaining very clearly how she gets great results with her medium without it being a step 1,2,3 book. She also offers great advice on how to follow your heart when you are painting and tune out the naysayers. This book would be fabulous for beginners as well as seasoned painters. The only kind of painter that I would think this book might not help is someone who wants to paint in a very realistic style. I am trying to loosen up so this is perfect for me.

I'm not going to repeat all the positive comments already posted...I agree! This book is full of beautiful images and instruction. I want to comment that the Kindle version is well worth getting! In fact, I am developing a collection of watercolor books in the Kindle version. But I am looking at them on a 12" iPad Pro! I believe that is what makes them doable. The color is fantastic, I can zoom in to read small print if and when needed, and, best of all, zoom in to examine image details. Otherwise, I can flip through the book's 2-page spreads just like a "real" book. And I love the fact that I can easily take my library with me wherever I go! Just to be clear, I read one reviewer who complained that the Kindle version was in black and white and what was the point? Yes, if you read the book on a Kindle reader (such as a Paper White, which I also have, for reading only), it will be in black and white (and also too small.) I never expect a book with images to translate well to my little Kindle. I understand the appeal of an actual book (I have those too!), but these books are also awesome using the Kindle reader (app) on a large iPad! (Maybe other tablets as well, but I have no experience with any of them.)

I had waited about 6 months for this book to come out, it was worth the wait. I love this style of water coloring loose florals, she calls it a hybrid style, somewhere between realism and abstract painting. Her teaching style is easy to understand and follow. I took one star away because despite the fact that the book says this is for all levels, it really is a beginner book. There are gorgeous gallery images in the book, but not a lot of instruction for advanced techniques you see in her work. As per usual with all artist books, I'm sure that is what her classes are for. I'm just happy to get enough info to begin to learn how to paint flowers like this in watercolor. I suppose if you are already at an advanced level, you'll be able to figure out how she created her gallery paintings you see in the book. There seems to be a bit of cross over from her other books in this one. I don't own her other books but just from the images you see on Amazon for the other books it looks like her work on birds crossed over into this book, just a bit, and I see some of the flower paintings from this book in one of her other books. (I'm wondering now if there is more instruction available than there was in this book in her previous books on loose watercoloring/) I'm not a fan of birds so I waited for the floral book to come out. Its really a super awesome book, and I'm picky, so I rarely give 4 stars. I get the sense from previewing the other books that if you own one of her previous books on atmospheric watercoloring (her term) the basic ideas will be the same in this book, perhaps not much new in this one on technique per se, but the emphasis is distinctively on flowers and floral compositions in this one. Just thought I'd mention that in case you already own one of her other books. Please feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong if you own her other books. If they are distinctively different and offer more or different instruction on this technique I would like to buy the other books, but it doesn't look like it, so I hesitate to buy any of the previous ones.

I’ve been watching Jean Haines videos for a few years. Her book is lovely and will give you practice on painting flowers in a loose style. It’s my favorite way to paint.

Wow is all I can say. 176 pages of beautiful, colorful paintings, lessons and thoughts that are so inspiring. Beautiful loose watercolors. I own Jeans other books and this one is really the best yet. From the lessons, to painting more abstract or from your imagination, to using salt and different types of salt at that, to life experiences and painting philosophy, Jean addresses so much. And as the author and a teacher she is still learning along with everyone else and always interested in new products and techniques that in the end benefit all of her students. The explosion of color page after page is exciting and inspiring. I can't put it down. It really pushes me and inspires me to continue to paint looser and looser. If you love painting flowers or want to paint loose flowers this is the book to own. And hardbound for a very good price. I am sure it will be another best seller. I highly recommend it. Thanks Jean for writing this extensive book.

A must have.

I really enjoyed this book and have read most of Jean’s books. The artwork is gorgeous and inspiring and the tutorials are not too complicated and easy to follow. For anyone looking for some beautiful loose watercolor florals, this is a great book to pick up.

I cannot praise high enough this book - it is one of my favourites.

Adoro todos os livros dessa autora. São muito esclarecedores e didáticos

The painting style of the flowers is loose and "flowy", not like a botanical identification drawing, so if you're looking for a book that teaches tight and photo like methods this is not the book for you. I was over-working my paintings to the point of the paper coming up and I was using 100% rag! This book will show me how to loosen up and paint a simile of an object. I feel this is a better way to start with water colours than to attempt photo like reproductions which is a skill set that scares me at this time. I think this book is a great start point for anyone wanting to learn water colours and will show you how the pigments react with water and the paper. Jean has some videos on YouTube so you can see what she does. Unfortunately, we can't see any pages of the book on this site.