Book excerpt: Internationally acclaimed watercolorist and art instructor Zoltan Szabo demonstrates how to create charming little watercolor landscapes in this instructive volume. Taking readers step-by-step through his finished works, Szabo shows how to take advantage of the benefits offered by a small format (not exceeding 10" x 11"), which include spontaneity resulting from rapid drying and the textural effects granular pigments yield on a small surface. Szabo walks the reader through the creation of each painting, beginning with a reference photo and a pencil sketch and moves on to palette choices, pigment interactions, and brush techniques. Painting Little Landscapes includes assignments, in addition to 180 full-color plates, to help watercolorists create their own miniature landscapes. Each of the seven chapters covers one aspect of nature in its various forms: water, mountains, trees, snow, rocks, skies and clouds, along with flowers and close-ups. Szabo invites artists to see nature in its finest detail and ingratiate themselves in the pleasure of small-scale painting. Learn from the best in this beautifully illustrated comprehensive guide to the magic of watercolor. Zoltan Szabo was born in Hungary in 1928 and studied at the National Academy of Industrial Art in Budapest. He emigrated to Canada in 1949, and made a name for himself as one of Canada's foremost landscape painters. In addition to teaching workshops and seminars on watercolor painting, Szabo has exhibited his work in London, Canada, and the United States. Zoltan Szabo's paintings are found in public and private collections worldwide, including those of the prime ministers of Canada and Jamaica and in the National Gallery of Hungary. Other books by Zoltan Szabo include Landscape Painting in Watercolor, Painting Nature's Hidden Treasures, and Zoltan Szabo Paints Landscapes. Readers interested in related titles from Zoltan Szabo will also want to see: Creative Watercolor Techniques (ISBN: 9781626541368), Landscape Painting in Watercolor (ISBN: 9781626549012), Painting Nature's Hidden Treasures (ISBN: 9781626549180), Zoltan Szabo Paints Landscapes: Advanced Techniques in Watercolor (ISBN: 9781626549005).