Realistic Watercolor Portraits: How to Paint a Variety of Ages and Ethnicities Book

When it comes to learning computer programming, I suppose there are two types of students - The ones who copy the sample programs from their books and try to run them. Since most books offer ready made "solutions" to common problems, being able to successfully execute a pre-written program (after copying it first from the book to the computer), they have mastered a solution to a problem. The second type of students try to learn the ideas/concepts/theories that they apply to a given set of problems to come up with their own solutions. They can't be bothered to copy-paste (or worse - type in) some program from some book, they must create their own. It's a lot like memorizing a lot of useful phrases in a language vs trying to learn that language from grounds up by just understanding the grammar and then trying to create one's own sentences. It's like memorizing the the precise steps to build a cat from Lego blocks vs just figuring out how they fundamentally work and then creating a car, truck, airplane, whatever else. There's nothing wrong with either approach to learning and they inevitable converge after a point. If you're the first type, then this might be a good book for you.

The author has figured out the precise steps and tools to get some specific types of paintings done, and the book is basically a collection of step by step demonstrations. You will find the names of colors, types of brushes, paper, painting techniques, and how they're applied to get the job done in a series of reasonably detailed steps. There pictures taken at different stages of the paintings as well - one thing I like because a lot of authors out there would just show the final result and the reader is left wondering what went before it. I personally would like to see videos though because that'd definitely take away any confusion regarding the intermediate steps.

So, you get a few detailed demonstrations that show you what tools to use and how to apply them. You also get a few tips here and there. I happen to enjoy learning things the other way though, so it's not as useful for me as it could've been, so I ended up returning it. It's still an informative book nevertheless and I did take notes regarding the color schemes and such, should I need to solve those specific problems at some point. Like I said, the two approaches to learning tend to overlap and eventually converge.

Back in the day I wrote a computer software to do my home budgeting - mostly groceries and stuff. It had graphs and charts and future projections and all sorts of crazy stuff. It allowed a type of (insane) micromanagement that'd let me see things like how much a carton of milk costs me each day and how it fit into the overall scheme of life and universe. I happened to show it to a friend and he was amazed that I'd "work" for free - that I'd just create a software without any intention of selling it or otherwise using it to make money. - that it could be "fun" to create something so complicated. Now, most of the demonstrations in this book use people that the author personally knows, and I find it awesome that it's possible to write a book like. If you're an artist you probably enjoy drawing/painting people, things, landscapes and what not that you like. Hell, most of the subjects that I have used for my practice drawings have been friends and family. How cool is it to just do things that you'd do anyway for fun, and being paid for it? Just a thought!!