Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor

The book has many pictures but is short on explanation and techniques. So the book isn't that enlightening. There are many other books published on Pen and Ink that are much more thorough and comprehensive.

The information is good but nothing out of the ordinary and nothing more than one would expect a beginner watercolorist to know. The illustrations exemplifying how to apply the techniques are unimpressive. 90% of the illustrations are mediocre, the hatching is repetitive and the end result looks like every subject depicted is made of the same texture; namely hairy lines. The artist's skill is like a hobbyist and less like scientific illustrators. This book should have big bold letters that read "creating textures in pen & ink with watercolor FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS"

Another fabulous book by Claudia Nice. I gobble up anything she has in print. Her books are filled with great information and techniques presented in a very digestible manner. The only con I can come up with is that there is almost too much information. I have to pace myself with her books because there is so much I want to get to that I find myself reading more than I can thoroughly digest. I've seen 1 star reviews that are based on reading her ebooks on a Kindle. I definitely recommend an iPad, or some larger tablet, in order to get the full impact of her great drawings, sketches, and artwork.

Perhaps it's the discipline needed to produce fine pen and ink drawings. Maybe it's simply being a gifted teacher. Probably a combination of both. Whatever the reasons, I can't say enough positive things about this extraordinary book. I have read other authors' descriptions of techniques to create various textures in pen, ink, and watercolor, but none resonated with me in the way that Ms. Nice's descriptions did. The instructions were clear and the step outs demonstrating each stage of the process helped tremendously. Oh, and did I mention her artwork is absolutely stunning? If you are interested in applying texture to your next pen and ink drawing or watercolor painting, and would like to go beyond something gimmicky, I would highly recommend you read this book and apply its principles.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in pen & ink drawing. Instead of trying to explain techniques in detailed text, it shows you step by step with color illustrations. It is written for all levels & the instructions are easy to follow.
There is information on types of lines, value and contrast. A wide variety of techniques are also covered. These include, dry surface, damp surface, wet on wet, spatter, blotting, impression, stamping and salt & alcohol.
It shows how to draw & paint metallic objects (gold, silver, iron, rust), baskets, pottery, brick, stone, marble, granite, textiles, clouds, weather, earth textures, rocks, wood, trees, leaves, foliage, flowers, fruit, & eggs.
Another section includes instruction on drawing transparent objects such as glass, eyes and many varieties of water. There is also a section on animals covering butterflies, animal hair, scales & feathers.

I bought this book when I was just beginning watercolor. The book is awesome to look at, but a bit on the overwhelming side for someone just beginning watercolor. However, the contents of the book is well worth the investment.
I had experience in the distant past with pen & ink and was fascinated at the way that Mrs. Nice put the two mediums together for very realistic pictures.
There are pages with many illustrations of examples of textures in each medium, and many contrasting examples of textures using the same object so that you can easily compare the different effects of each technique. I find these pages invaluable and something that I refer to over and over. These reference pages are worth the price of the book.
However, once you get past these pages, there are breathtaking examples with many notes listing colors used and information useful for duplicating the same texture. The topics range from natural subjects, to man-made subjects, such as marbles, glass, rusted metal, and blue jeans!
Also of great interest to me is the small section of eyes from both man and animal.
This book is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in capturing realistic textures of almost anything. It is a book that you will not only gaze at for fun, but also refer to again and again.

As a new botanical illustrator working in mostly in watercolor I have often found rendering realistic fine detail and texture a difficult and frustrating task. This marvelous book introduces the artist to a new approach that produces detail and textural effects that are both effective and fairly easy to achive.
The illustations are beautiful and the explanatory text is clear, to the point, and easy to follow. The book is well organized; starting with the various pen and ink methods and how they can be combined with watercolor techniques. This is followed by the demonstration of how these techniques can be applied to achive realistic rendering of multitudes of surface textures from apples to zebras and almost everything in between..

I like alot of the techniques in the book. Basically that would be why I use the book. Sometimes I go back to the book to just refresh my memory. I have a few books I refer to, and it is nice to have a variety so that I can always come up with something new and creative in my own art.

The style of this book is of ink illustrations colored with watercolor. Very good resources to use as examples. I would call it more illustration than watercolor painting. If you like the style, it is a great resource. I keep it my library and pull it when I need it. Good for the well-seasoned beginner.

The style of this book is of ink illustrations colored with watercolor. Very good resources to use as examples. I would call it more illustration than watercolor painting. If you like the style, it is a great resource. I keep it my library and pull it when I need it. Good for the well-seasoned beginner.

I created better work in high school than this supposed "professional" artist. I don't understand how she ever got a book deal and I don't understand how anyone else can think that any of her books are worth any amount of money. This woman shouldn't be teaching anyone how to draw or paint. It's obvious she still needs to learn. She makes beginners mistakes like not varying her colors and values enough. She uses too many lazy shortcuts like constantly stamping and using salt to create texture. These techniques can be used in moderation, but look tacky and unrealistic if overused like she does. I wouldn't recommend any of her books for anyone over the age of 10. If you are going to take the time to learn watercolor and if you really want to be a great artist please don't buy her books. If you are serious about learning to use pen and ink check out the book Rendering In Pen and Ink by Arthur L. Guptill (it's a classic) and if you want to know how to create watercolor pieces read a book like watercolor secrets by Rachel Rubin Wolf. There are great books written by James Gurney (worked for national geographic) about light, color, sketching, and creating things out of your head. If you want to learn to draw check out some of the Andrew Loomis books...they are classics as well!