Painting the Allure of Nature

Education & Reference Crafts & Hobbies Art, Design & Photography

Painting the Allure of Nature by wildlife artist Susan D. Bourdet distills 144 pages of step-by-step watercolor instruction into a friendly crash course on painting birds, butterflies, and botanicals. First released in 2003, this oversized, fully illustrated F&W Publications textbook remains a go-to reference for hobbyists, art students, and anyone who wants to capture outdoor color and light.

Bourdet’s clear demos move from basic washes to fine feather detail, showing how to layer transparent pigments without losing the spontaneity that gives nature paintings life. Close-up field sketches, color swatches, and composition diagrams make the method easy to follow even if you’re new to watercolor painting.

This used copy shows slight corner bumps and faint water marks along the page edges, but every sheet turns freely and the binding is tight—no previous owner notes, no stuck pages. It’s ready to ride in a backpack to the field or perch on an easel in the studio.

An affordable first edition for collectors of art-instruction books and a practical guide for weekend painters who want to bring the outdoors home in vivid, glowing color.