In my workshop classes when I talk about negative painting, I often get blank stares. (What is he talking about?) Even when I demo negative shape painting many students still don't see it at first. The beautiful book, "Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines" by Linda Kemp will change your struggling time in the studio to an exhilarating, successful approach to your next masterpiece.

This how-to book is a major, award-winning, internationally best seller that should be in every painter's library. The principles clearly demonstrated throughout the book are true not only for watercolor painting - I use them for my acrylics and oils as well. Many of my students have attended Linda's workshops and her classes at art expos and have raved about the beauty and originality of her paintings. No other instructor teaches her method of the power of negative space painting.

Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines is fully packed with step-by-step techniques, an abundance of clear diagrams for color and design and Linda's secrets for finding the negative space. I believe you will consider this book to be an eye and mind opening way to see as a true artist really sees and paints.

Linda Kemp is internationally recognized for her unique contemporary watercolors and innovative use of negative painting and glazing. Her paintings and articles have been featured in American Artist, International Artist, Watercolor Magic, Watermedia Focus, Palette Magazine and The Watercolor Gazette. She frequently instructs and lectures at national symposiums and watercolor workshops throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Get this book if you want to know more about dynamic originality and creativity.

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This book is a wonderful presentation of negative painting techniques in water color. I've been looking for this book for some time now so I was glad to find it on Amazon.

Negative painting is beautiful but difficult for the mind to grasp with a paint brush in ones hand. Linda explains the process by building on simple symbols to eventually paint a very complex image. Her work is beautiful, complex, and serene. She does an excellent job in the book and also in her workshop of teaching you how to paint with negative images.

As other reviewers have noted, this is an okay watercolor reference and how-to book. Most of the knowledge here is pretty basic, and some of the tutorials are kind of a yawn.

Still, the pictures are very nice and, I think, a significant inspiration. I had already had the chance to look through this book elsewhere, and I wanted to buy it despite the lack of ground-breaking content or variety. Sometimes you just need a bit of inspiration. For me, the painting style here presented wouldn't offer enough variety to keep me interested for long, but it does have great appeal and should prove useful when used as an element of a larger work, rather than always being made into the whole work.

This was a book which was both wonderfully inspiring in its 'message' and very clearly written. There are beautiful colour plates to describe the process, accompanied by very clear instructions.
I love this book, and am loving the art I am producing as a result of studying it!