Nature in Watercolour

Opening reflections 6

Materials + Equipment

Painting surfaces 10, Brushes 10, Accessories 11, Paints 11 

Technique Focus

Composition: Flower meadow 14, Details: Poppy flowers 18, Chance: Blue and purple flowers 22, White: White daisy 26, Contrasts: Birch trees 30, Focus: Sunflower 34

Projects 

Spring Message 40, Flowers from the Wayside 42, Summer is near — Poppies & Dandelions 44, Lime Tree in the Spring Light 46, Apple Tree in Blossom 48, Sun-dappled Spring Forest 50, A Profusion of Spring Flowers 52, Spring in the Mountains 54, Shaded Woods 58, Early Summer Meadow on the Forest Edge 60, Summer Harmony 62, Down by the River 64, Daisy Stars 66, The Ripening Grapes 68, Cow Parsley with Poppies 70, Dreamy Waterlilies 72, November Mood 76, Flaming Forests 78, Colourful Autumn Bouquet 80, Fiery Canopy 82, Autumnal Apple Harvest 84, In the Warm Autumn Light 86, The Forest is Colourful 88, Fading Summer 90, A Bouquet of Christmas Roses 94, Winter by the Lake 96, Rosy Red Amaryllis 98, Tree in a Snowstorm 100, White Flowers in Winter 102, Pink Poinsettia 104

Gallery and final words 106

About the author 110

Acknowledgements 111

About Waltraud Nawratil

Waltraud Nawratil was born in Austria in 1947. Since the 1980s, she has lived with her family her husband and children in Schönering, Upper Austria. Her garden serves as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her painting work.

In 1995 Waltraud started painting at a local primary school, where, searching for new challenges, she attended a watercolour painting course. She worked mainly with flower designs due to the bold, intense colours, but soon went on to include more designs from the entire palette of nature, such as tree-lined avenues and floral landscapes. Over time, she attended further painting courses to develop her technique and experiment with different media and materials.