Book Review: Watercolor Unleashed

Watercolor Unleashed; 

New directions for traditional painting techniques

by Julie Gilbert Pollard.

This book by Julie Gilbert Pollard is alive with ideas and suggestions for painting in
watercolour. She is not a purist where watercolour is concerned but belongs to
“whatever works” school. She often uses fluid acrylics to establish her darks and,
if need be, and will use gouache to retrieve her lights.

Julie Gilbert Pollard offers watercolour artists not familiar with acrylics
suggestions for purchasing basic fluid acrylics to accompany the watercolours
used in her paintings. Julie doesn’t limit herself to working on watercolour paper
as she experiments with multimedia canvas, illustration board, or watercolour
canvas. This provides, you, the watercolour artist with an opportunity to
experiment/explore the differing results when works are produced on 

different grounds.

Pollard discusses the value of using thumb nail sketches, the pleasing balance of the 

right values and the importance of composition. She also suggests
using abstract studies to improve a design, and as a way to loosen up. One way
is to do an abstract study from an upside-down photograph. This gives you a
different perspective in drawing shapes rather than objects. If you are new to
negative painting Julie offers a variety of exercises or lessons in negative painting,
a topic not often discussed.

There are many demonstrations included in Watercolor Unleashed which could
be beneficial for many artists. This might prove to be a reference book which will
be returned to time and time again.

Reviewed by Palma Ledger