This book is a box set omnibus of 4 bestselling books at a bargain price: Book 1 - Pen, Ink and Watercolor Sketching Book 2 - Pen, Ink and Watercolor Sketching 2 - Temples of Cambodia Book 3 - Painting with Watercolor Book 4 - Pen, Ink and Watercolor Sketching on Toned Paper BOOK #1: PEN, INK AND WATERCOLOR SKETCHING Discover the magic of pen-ink-watercolor in this guide jam-packed with detailed tips and instructions. Are you a beginner in sketching? Or are you a sketcher looking to infuse for colorful magic in your illustrations? Do you think that the average art instruction book omits too many steps in explaining the illustration techniques? Then this book is for you. Why combine pen, inks and watercolor for illustrations? Pen and ink are the ideal tools to create mind-blowing textures and contrasts in illustrations. Watercolor painting is appealing for the charming effects it creates but notorious for its unpredictability. When pen, ink and watercolor are combined in an illustration, magic happens! In this book, we will learn how to create this magic of texture, contrast and vivid colors. What will you learn in this book? - Pen shading techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, contour shading, stippling, and scribbling. - Acrylic ink shading techniques. - Wet and dry brush techniques for watercolor/ink. - Materials used for pen-ink-watercolor painting. These include the conventional materials as well as some 'exotic' materials (such as table salt and toothbrush!) for creating unique effects. - Creating textures using various shading techniques as well as different materials. Of course, the real learning happens by doing, not just reading. So, we will implement all the shading techniques and the brush techniques into ten step-by-step demonstrations. Each demonstration will teach you how to do the initial rough pencil sketch, line work using pens, and coloring. The ten step-by-step demonstrations will cover the following topics: A House and a Light Pole We will start with this beautiful monochrome illustration using pens and black acrylic ink. Wood and Rusted Metal Texture We will learn to create exquisite textures using pens, ink and watercolor in this exercise. An Old DP (Distribution Point) Box We will learn how a seemingly uninteresting and mundane subject can be used for a beautiful illustration. Also, textures, textures!! A Piece of Old Abandoned Machinery Even an ugly subject can be used as inspiration to draw a beautiful illustration. The Door We will use to capture the power of wooden textures and the charm of the old house in this illustration. A Stairway to Heaven We will learn how to simplify a seemingly complicated subject such as these curvy stairs. A Charming Little Lane We will learn how some rustic and subdued color combinations can be used to great effect. Wall of an Old House We will see how to 'cheat' our way to create a pretty illustration from a grey and depressing subject. A Stone Temple We will learn how a colorful illustration can be painted using a very limited color palette. Buildings in Ladakh We will learn to declutter a seemingly overwhelming subject and to create a 'feel' of a scene. BOOK #2: PEN, INK AND WATERCOLOR SKETCHING VOLUME 2 – TEMPLES OF CAMBODIA Let’s re-create the lost world of the ancient kings through pen, ink and watercolor sketching. Cambodia is a land of a rich heritage, ancient mystique and a tragic contemporary history. Nevertheless, as peace returned to Cambodia since the last two decades, the ancient temples in the city of Siem Reap found themselves back on the world’s tourist map. Siem Reap is home to many ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples. These temples are an example of some of the most breathtaking architecture and incredible artwork. I travelled to Siem Reap in 2019 to visit these temples and experience sketching them on-location. The trip proved to be an enriching and meditative experience for me. I also realized that drawing and painting the illustrations of these ancient temples was equally a delightful and a challenging experience. In this book, you will learn to draw and paint 10 illustrations of various temples in Cambodia using pen, ink and watercolor through step-by-step demonstrations. All the illustrations use the reference photographs that I clicked while visiting the temples. Every demonstration describes the thought process behind and description of every step. Wherever necessary, I have discussed compositional considerations and perspective, materials used etc. You will learn the art of pen, ink and watercolor sketching via the following ten demonstrations. Scenes from three of the most famous temples of Cambodia are used for these demonstrations. -Ta Phrom (also known as The Tomb Raider temple) – The Roots -Ta Phrom – The Main Gate -Ta Phrom – The Ruins -Angkor Wat – The Stairs -Angkor Wat – The Inner Ruins -Angkor Wat – The Library Building -Bayon Temple – The Entry Gate -Bayon Temple – The Faces of the Kings -Bayon Temple – The Buddha Statue -Ta Phrom – Some More Roots For many wannabe artists, the main hurdle it to begin the initial line sketch and getting the perspective right. To get rid of these hurdles, the reference photographs, rough sketches, compositional sketches and the final illustrations are given as free downloadable resources. You may use these resources to trace over the linework or use these references to give your unique spin to your artwork. The book will guide you about using these free resources to quickstart your drawing process. As a bonus, many sketches/paintings that I did on-location in those temples are also given. I have also shared some unique and interesting experiences I had while doing the on-location sketches. So, get ready to embark on an exciting and fulfilling journey of sketching with me. BOOK #3: PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOR Watercolor painting is one of the most exhilarating and most frustrating experiences one can have. The watercolor medium is notorious for its unpredictability and unforgiving quality. But the same unpredictability can be harnessed to create some of the most spontaneous and fresh artworks. In this book, you will learn -Painting with watercolor using both transparent and opaque forms of watercolor. -Understanding shapes and values while painting. -Warm and cool colors. -Complementary colors and how to use them to add some ‘pop’ to your paintings. -Creating interesting and harmonious compositions using Unity Contrast Balance Dominance Repetition Variety -Basics of one-point and two-point perspective. -Coloring techniques Applying washes. Layering and adding depth, atmospheric perspective. Foreground, background and out-of-focus elements. Hard and soft edges. Negative spaces and highlights. “Exotic techniques” for adding some zing to your paintings. Of course, the real learning happens by doing. So, you will apply all the techniques you learned so far in 10 step-by-step exercises. -A serene sunset -The twin trees -A still life painting -An old wall covered with creeper plants (vines) -Grass and the fence -A waterfront house -A rustic house -Cabin in the snow -Autumn tree near a lake -The waterfall At the end of the book, you will get links to video demonstrations for many of the paintings included in the book. It's time to lose the fear of watercolor and start enjoying it. Happy painting :-) BOOK #4: PEN, INK AND WATERCOLOR SKETCHING ON TONED PAPER Learn the magic of the toned paper in bringing your pen, ink and watercolor sketches alive! Are you a beginner sketcher? Or are you a seasoned sketcher looking to infuse some magic in your illustrations? Do you think that the average art instruction book omits too many steps in explaining the illustration techniques? Then this book is for you. Why combine pen, inks and watercolor for illustrations? And why use toned paper? Pen and ink are the ideal tools to create mind-blowing textures and contrasts in illustrations. Watercolor painting is appealing for the charming effects it creates but notorious for its unpredictability. Toned paper brings in a surreal charm to the pen-ink-watercolor sketches. A toned paper can be used to create a vintage feel or to create unexpected, vivid color effects. What will you learn in this book? - Understanding shapes and values. - Color theory - complementary colors, warm and cool colors. - Composition and coloring techniques. Of course, the real learning happens by doing, not just reading. So, we will implement all the shading techniques and the brush techniques into ten step-by-step demonstrations. Each demonstration will teach you how to do the initial rough pencil sketch, line work using pens, and coloring. The ten step-by-step demonstrations will cover the following topics: A Ladybug We will begin our exercises by painting a beautiful Ladybug on beige paper. This is a simple exercise where we will learn to create a luster effect using white paint. An Old Wall and Door You will learn to create exquisite textures using pens, ink, and watercolor in this exercise. Reflection of a Tree You will venture to the dark side by doing our first painting on black paper. You will learn to paint loose and take advantage of the paper color. The Waterfall You will paint a beautiful waterfall in the jungle. You will also learn to use overlapping elements to create depth in a painting. The Garden Steps You will learn to simplify a seemingly complex subject and add some jazz to the painting using white highlights. The Bicycle You will paint a beautifully charming, yet neglected bicycle surrounded by thick foliage. You will learn to handle complex overlapping elements in this illustration. A Path in the Forest You will again visit the black paper in this illustration. In this illustration, you will learn an interesting technique of painting fog and creating many levels of depth in a painting on black paper. The White Church A painting with various elements and their complex interactions with each other. This is one of the most demanding paintings in this book. The Yellow Boat A simple yet beautiful illustration of a boat and the lapping waves around it. Learn to use a limited palette to paint beautiful illustrations. An Autumn House You will learn to declutter a seemingly overwhelming subject in this complex exercise. You will also learn to understand how to handle highly complex overlapping elements.