Author and expert tutor Alison C. Board invites readers to slow down, observe and deeply connect with their landscape subject whether it's a much-loved holiday spot, a place of historical interest, or a place of profound personal significance. No matter if you're stepping outside with your sketchbook to work plein air or working from reference images at home, Painting Landscapes offers an inclusive, adaptable approach to making art that feels personal and meaningful. * Craft Focus - April/May 2026 * Painting
Landscapes: A creative approach in watercolour and mixed media by Alison
C. Board is a visual delight, beautifully presented, full of inspiring
paintings and Ali's carefully crafted approach to painting landscapes.

The
reader is provided with information on materials, painting fundamentals,
problem solving, creative thinking and so much more. Throughout the book
Ali encourages the artist to unlock their unique and personal interpretations
whilst sharing her knowledge and techniques on how to paint landscapes and
supports the learning through the many exercises and projects that are suitable
for all abilities.

I
was eagerly awaiting the release of Ali's second book and it didn't disappoint.
I am thrilled to own and have this Painting Landscapes as a reliable
companion on days when I feel less inspired. -- Julie Hopkins Every so often, a book comes along that is something more than it proclaims itself to be, and this is one such. Alison presents not just a pleasant guide to painting landscapes and landscape elements, but a quiet hymn to the joys and possibiities of mixed media.

A lot of books on that topic get caught up in the method and start doing things for their own sake and often without any clear purpose. Because Alison is concentrating on what she is painting, it is the subject that predominates and makes this quite the tour de force. That only 30 pages are devoted to the actual application of paint says a lot, although you will not feel left wanting more either.

Demonstrations and examples include trees, skies, buildings, water and weather and Alison constantly emphasises creativity in thought, language and materials. She also considers the challenges and opportunities of problem-solving. -- Henry Malt * Leisure Painter & The Artist magazine * There is hardly a shortage of books on landscape painting, but few are as straightforward yet also varied as this. Alison works in a loose style that avoids getting over-complicated with detail. She is also particularly good as isolating the core of the subject and concentrating on that, rather than trying to include everything.

It's worth getting to grips with the quite lengthy introduction because the sections on materials, mark-making, application and composition are accompanied by full example paintings that do a lot more than just state the obvious and give a real perspective on what you are trying to achieve at each stage.

When it comes to the various landscape elements, Alison refers to it as a jigsaw approach. You'll need skies, hills, trees, buildings, water and weather, but not all at once. However, she'll give you the chance to examine and practise everything so that you have a full armoury once you're out in the field and needing to assemble a finished result. It's particularly pleasing that each section ends with an illustration that is able to stand in its own right. Alison takes a lot more trouble than is sometimes the case, when it's a few quick marks and on to the next bit.

The section, Creative Thinking, is more of a challenge, as it's difficult to illustrate a mental process. However, Alison does explain what's needed to establish a frame of mind and to understand what your subject is saying to you. It is here that the mixed media that are mentioned in the subtitle start to appear, and the materials include pastels, gesso, pencils and acrylic as well as the main medium of watercolour.

A final section includes what Alison calls pick-and-mix projects, where the same subject is treated in a variety of ways and with different media. I haven't seen this done before and it really explains how your choice of materials and working method can affect both your approach and the finished result.

This is a genuinely original approach to a much-covered subject that presents not just new ways of working, but also of seeing and interpreting. -- Henry Malt * artbookreview.net *