Watercolour Greetings Cards  
By Jane Greenwood

    Why not toss aside your new Dutch stencils, templates and booklets for a change and really get back to basics with this latest addition to Search Press’s Greetings Cards range? Dig out those old watercolour paints and make some cards from scratch instead! All you need are some paints (student quality will do), brushes and watercolour paper and you are away – it is as simple as that…

    …Or is it? If you can’t draw a pint then you will find that this book isn’t for you, as you do need to have some drawing talent. However, if like me you couldn’t paint a picture fit to hang on a wall to save your life but do have some rudimentary skills then you might just have found your forte. This is the fun end of the serious world of Art with a capital A, and you can at last find a use for those feathers you hoard, cotton wool balls and even an old wax candle. The author takes you through the basics (unlike too many books on painting) such as creating a wash, lifting out shapes with a dry brush, using masking fluid and how to simplify more complex subjects. I had a go and found I could do it – and usually art and me do not get along at all so this is high praise indeed. I like the playful aspect of the subjects tackled too, such as the running chicken with real feathers, the lacy daisies that look so effective done the way she shows you and the back view of a cat watching the butterflies. The still life doesn’t quite belong here though, not looking quite like a greeting card and more like school art classes but maybe I am biased…a fresh and approachable look at an old and often rather unapproachable subject. All rather refreshing.