Recommended by member Nita Leland:
HILARY PAGE'S GUIDE TO WATERCOLOR PAINTS
HILARY PAGE

Hilary Page's "Guide to Watercolor Paints" has been a useful reference since its publication by Watson Guptill in 1996. In my opinion it is the most objective and comprehensive of any book yet published on watercolor pigments and manufacturers. She begins with a brief history of pigments and a description of the pigments included in the book. Page tested 31 different brands of paint and rated every color according to parlance/lightfastedness and handling. The book includes charts of these colors showing transparency, opacity, staining/lifting, and spreading/granulating characteristics of each color. The book was published shortly after most manufacturers throughout the world had redesigned their product lines to eliminate fugitive and toxic colors and introduced more reliable and intense colors in watercolor. Although there have been additional colors released since the book was published, it still has tremendous value. I'm able to use the color index names assigned by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) to determine the pigment content of a color, whether it is named "Candied Yams" or Burnt Sienna. It isn't a key to color-matching, but is a big help toward learning what to expect of your pigments, an advantage for artists of all skill levels. I wouldn't be without. it.

Recommended by member Barry Lindley:
CONVERSATIONS IN PAINT
CHARLES DUNN

Charles Dunn's "Conversations in Paint" is an excellent all-round coverage of issues.

Recommended by member Robert Millard:
PAINTING THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
MAXINE MASTERFIELD

The keynote of this book is experimentation and keeping an open mind! The author shows new ways to work in watercolor--by pouring inks, adding opaque lines to textural pastels, using crinkled wax paper as resists; and describes ways to collage paintings together.

Recommended by member Marilyn Brown:
WATERCOLOR FROM THE HEART
BARBARA NECHIS

This book helps the beginning, intermediate and advanced watercolor artist gain a deeper understanding of the creative process, to rely on one's inner resources for artistic ideas and expression. This books is really about the very essence of watercolor that turns most of us on, the very essence of its unpredictability. This inspired the artist to be flexible and risk-taking in the approach to painting, to have fun and be playful, to be intuitive and inventive. The book is divided into four parts: the creative process itself, techniques of applying watercolors to paper, how to be inventive in designing a painting, and how to absorb nature into your work using painting on location and photography.

Recommended by member Dana Dabagia:
LIGHT IN WATERCOLOR
LUCY WILLIS

This book is one of the few that I've read cover to cover and go back to reference frequently. For anyone attempting to lighten up their technique (me!), this is THE book. She describes the very importance of light as it relates to depth, composition and especially shadowplay. The book is also a very good beginner's book as Lucy briefly but succinctly goes through what is needed to begin.