J.M.W. Turner is one of the greatest artists Britain has ever produced. His watercolours, with their extraordinary effects of shifting light and dramatic cloudscapes, are especially highly regarded. For the first time, the secrets of his technique are revealed, allowing present-day watercolourists to learn from his achievements. Uniquely, this book combines unrivalled knowledge of Turner's working methods from Tate curators and conservators with practical advice from some of the world's most respected watercolour experts. Each of the twenty-two thematic exercises is illustrated with one of Turner's works.

Expert contemporary watercolourists then explain, step by step, how to paint a similar composition, learning from Turner's techniques. This book is packed with invaluable information, from the materials Turner used to achieve the masterpieces we know and love today, to the modern materials the twenty-first- century watercolourist will need if they aspire to take on similar subject matter.

Backed by the authority of Tate, the world centre for Turner scholarship, with a glossary of technical terms and the highest quality colour reproductions, this is an invaluable resource both for lovers of Turner's art and of watercolour painting.

Ian Warrell is Curator (18th and 19th Century British Art) at Tate, the author of many books and one of the world's leading authorities on Turner. Nicola Moorby is a Curator at Tate Britain where she is currently part of the team preparing the Tate's new online catalogue of the Turner Bequest. In addition to Turner she has previously published on Walter Richard Sickert and is co- author of Tate's catalogue of works by the Camden Town Group.

Contributors: Joyce Townsend is Senior Conservation Scientist at Tate and the author of Turner's Painting Techniques.

The artist Mike Chaplin was art expert on TV's Watercolour Challenge and the author of Mike Chaplin's Expressive Watercolours.

Tony Smibert is a painter based in Tasmania. His paintings are in many public and private collections. Learn more about Turner's techniques with Tate's online course on Artists' Techniques and Methods.