Die Kunst der reduzierten Farbpalette

The first book on watercolor painting with a reduced color palette. There are many books on watercolor painting, but this one is special: it focuses exclusively on how to create watercolor images with exceptional color depth and atmosphere by mixing a maximum of three colors. Author and artist Hazel Soan is a master of watercolor painting using the so-called reduced color palette. In this book, she demonstrates how to select and mix the smallest possible number of colors to achieve the exact shades that perfectly match the subject and mood. Using only a few colors allows for a focus on composition, form, and atmosphere while painting. Moreover, this reduction helps to paint quickly – an invaluable advantage when trying to effectively capture light and shadow in a landscape subject under rapidly changing lighting conditions.

Building on the theory of color theory, Hazel Soan explains step by step how to utilize the art of the reduced color palette: an introduction to color theory, the theory of the color wheel, and guidance on mixing colors. Detailed explanations of color tones and their effects: What do color pigments and color temperature have to do with the spatial effect of an image? What color combinations create which moods? Practical guidance for choosing the right primary colors and mixing variations for any subject. Whether painting landscapes, animal motifs, human faces, or capturing flowers and plants on paper, the reduced color palette can be applied everywhere.

Create beautiful images using only two to three colors. Hazel Soan herself says: Watercolor painting is a technique that benefits from restraint – limiting the number of brush strokes, layers, and colors in an image is one of its strengths. The use of a reduced color palette is an aspect of less is more.