Readers are shown how to master all the practical aspects of watercolour painting - including laying different types of washes and using brushes and other painting equipment to best effect. They are given a full understanding of how colours work with a practical guide to mixing paints and using colours successfully. Ameteur painters are instructed in the basic drawing skills that are the key to good watercolours and, when it comes to planning pictures, this book includes compositional tricks of the trade. Finally there is a reference section on equipment and materials - what you need and when to use them. Throughout the book there are clear demonstrations of the techniques that ensure watercolour success, plus useful tips from the "Watercolour Challenge" experts and straightforward exercises showing how to capture the most popular subjects in paint. The book also includes 12 specially devised step-by-step projects, which show the reader how to put the techniques they have learnt into practice.