Pour! Scrape! Tear! Ink! Put feeling and fun into your paintings.Discover a multitude of ways to energize your artwork with tantalizing texture, juicy color and a fresh spirit of adventure! Through a series of step-by-step demonstrations, this book presents out-of-the-ordinary techniques for creating a multitude of surface qualities and textures. As you scatter different types of salt, pour paint, scrape watercolor pencils and more, you'll experience a surge of artistic spontaneity while creating expressive and personal paintings.Experiment with new ways to play with paint. Use unconventional materials to yield exciting landscapes. Sculpt flowers with a palette knife. Bring portraits to life with luscious texture. Paint with paper, plastic wrap, twine and more.Go beyond basic paper. Expand your surface choices and reinvent your favorite techniques by working on clayboard, gesso-primed watercolor paper, collage backgrounds and other exciting new grounds.Add texture to your art life. Inspirational sidebars explore plein air painting, using your art for charity and other opportunities for turning your creative life into a rich and rewarding tapestry.