A masterclass in achieving the impression of depth and perspective in your watercolour landscapes.

Discover the techniques of the trade to create depth and distance in your watercolours. Create the impression of mist over the mountains. Find out how to paint objects in perspective allowing them to recede naturally. There are 7 step-by-step projects to hone your skills. Techniques are shown for linear and aerial perspective. Make your watercolour landscapes look more realistic with expert guidance.

The book begins with materials and tools and goes on to give excellent tips on drawing and sketching, then brief notes on colour. The bulk of the book gives examples of perspective and includes painting skies too. I know so many artists that find perspective difficult to grasp. The seven projects include a Snow Scene, Glencoe, Boats at Bosham, Cromford Canal, Farm Buildings, Grange in Borrowdale and Baslow Edge. From each and also from the numerous, fabulous illustrations of finished work you will learn so much. This book was originally published in 2004 as Perspective, Depth & Distance.  If you do not have it, this is very much worthwhile buying. Highly recommended.

May 2017

Painting Perspective, Depth & Distance in Watercolour draws on Geoff's Kersey's previously published book Perspective, Depth and Distance from the Tips and Techniques series, but has greatly expanded and updated and includes two new step-by-step projects. Geoff shows us how to use line, colour and tone to create the impression of landscape in all guises and weather conditions with detailed information on linear and aerial perspective.

This is a welcome reissue of a book I was surprised to discover was first published as long ago as 2004. As well as a thorough design revamp, two new projects and several example paintings have been added. The technical section has been expanded, improving coverage of this always-difficult area.

There’s almost no end of books on perspective and they all have their own particular slant and emphasis. It’s difficult, perhaps impossible, to recommend any one simply because the subject presents problems to each of us individually. The scientific approach, with its welter of lines leading to different vanishing points, may appeal to some. For others, simplicity is the order of the day while, for yet more, that leaves too many questions unanswered. There is no sweet spot, no perfect balance of detail and simplicity: you just have to sample them all and find the one that works for you.

Geoff is an excellent explainer and has a good track record in the art instruction book field. This is a guide written for the painter rather than the technician or designer and it works almost exclusively by example. What was already a good book has been subtly but thoroughly improved. I’s have been dotted, T’s crossed and blanks filled in. The emphasis throughout is on painting and you’ll learn about single point, multipoint and aerial perspective by working with them.

This can be all very well but, just as with languages, you eventually have to get to grips with grammar, so, with perspective, you need to understand the theory. To use another analogy, it’s a bit like colour mixing. Once someone who’s really understood it explains it to you, you’ve got it. Until then, you’ll flounder. The theory section here is concise, but to the point – I said Geoff’s a good explainer – and only some half a dozen pages have the dreaded vanishing lines. Much of the rest involves painted examples as well as colour and brushwork. If it was a language, it would be Painting, not Science. It’s a bit of a masterpiece.

Geoff Kersey is an experienced watercolourist and is much in demand as a teacher and demonstrator. He lives and works in Derbyshire, where he has a studio, and he exhibits extensively. He has made many watercolour DVDs, contributes to various art publications and has written many bestselling watercolour books.