Ann Blockley is a well-known watercolourist with an international reputation. She is a member of the RI (Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour) and the author of seven bestselling practical art books, including Experimental Flowers in Watercolour and Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour, both published by Batsford. Ann runs her own very popular watercolour courses, teaches at international workshops, has made three DVDs of her painting techniques and regularly writes for The Artist magazine. She lives in Devon.

Introduction 6
Experimental flowers in watercolour 8
Paint experiments and colour doodles 10
Watercolour and mixed media 12
Surface textures 14

Spring 16
Exploratory sketches 18
Finding inspiration 20
Getting started 22
Playing with ideas 24
Background 26
A fresh look at composition 28
Creative mark making 30
Challenging yellows 32
Using the white of the paper 34
Working spontaneously 36
Exploring watercolour 38
Experimenting with shapes 40
Capturing the essence 42
Choosing a format 44

Summer 46
Exploring a theme 48
Being original 52
Expressive leaves 54
Interpreting your subject 56
Avoiding the literal 58
Starting with collage 60
Choosing your subject 62
Developing ideas 64

Moving on 66
Telling a story 68
The decorative approach 70
Working from life 72
Creating drama 74
Emphasis and echoes 76
Looking for abstract qualities 78
Experimental flower centres 80
Using paper collage 82

Autumn and Winter 84
Vibrant colour 86
Sparkling light 87
Paint textures 88
Leaving something to the imagination 90
Finding your own style 92
Hedgerow tangles 94
Torn and cut paper edges 96
Working creatively 98
Shapes and pattern 100
Using a restrained palette 102
Coloured drawings 103
Tonal values 104
Working with gesso 106
Winter skeletons 108
Finding a fresh approach 110
Food for thought 112

Flowers in the landscape 114
Index 127