Intro. Watercolors- in or out? ; A painting for the emperor ; Gum Arabic: where the watercolors grow ; Pigments: the stuff that dreams are made of ; Yellow and orange: of camels and crocuses ; Red and purple: of bugs and snails ; Blue: of lapis luzuli, indigo, and woad ; Green: of plants and poison ; Introducting color to sketches: we're not in Kansas anymore -- First attempts. Multiple choice: to design is to decide ; From dusk till dawn: shadows and light ; Black is back: glazing with India ink ; Layer for layer: the glaze ; Mixing colors with glazes ; Fish soup: practicing the glaze ; The wash: the paint does as it pleases! ; On the run: graded wash techniques ; Once more, with feeling!: washes ; It's a give and take: applying and removing paint ; Wet-on-wet ; Combining techniques: a little bit of this and that

A guide that shows painters, drawers, doodlers, and urban sketchers how to bring their drawings to life with colorful, bold, yet accessible painting methods

Excursion in color theory. Where do colors come from?: the simple science ; Arranging colors ; Opposites attract: color contrasts ; From South Park to stoplights: types of color ; True color: the effect of light ; Every color tells a story: intensifying your sketches ; It's all relative: the effects of colors ; Color harmonies: simple and complex ; Analogous, monochromatic, and complementary harmonies ; Triadic and tetradic harmonies ; Cool-cool and warm-warm harmonies ; Collecting colors ; Designing color harmonies: working with color code strips ; Getting out of your color comfort zone ; The Blue Ridge Mountains: color and perspective

Your own style. Less is more ; Me, myself, and I: finding your own style ; Style and creativity ; Throwing down: loosening up your painting ; Seek not and you shall find: imagination vs. internet ; Make it matter ; Priorities -- Basics/tools. Paintboxes ; Watercolor pencils ; Buying paints ; Mixing paints ; Impossible hues: bright colors ; Pimping watercolors: making colors pop ; Liquid watercolors: bright now, pale later ; Into the wild: brushes ; Even more brushes ; Paper ; The permanent wave: stretching paper ; The contents of my bag

Out & about. Bad weather: painting outdoors ; The other viewpoint: changing perspective ; Painting water ; Air, fog, smoke ; Smog and atmosphere ; What is beauty anyway? -- Tips & tricks. Composition and design ; Smudges and spots ; Painting what's not there: negative space ; White: a special case ; Studies, sketches, and drafts ; Undo ; Merging colors: working from one color ; Working with colored paper ; Special effects ; Lettering and writing ; Layouts, scribbles, and storyboards ; Watercolor illustrations ; How much is your picture worth? ; Everything ends: when is a picture finished?