Curtis Tappenden is a professional painter and illustrator. He has illustrated numerous books and has written many titles on art and design practice, including The Watercolor Sketchbook Kit and The Pastel Kit (Chronicle Books), Learn To Draw And Paint (Watson Guptill), Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic and Graphic Design in the Foundation Course series (Cassell-Illustrated), Painting The Great Masters By Numbers, with Ivan Hissey, The Complete Watercolor and Pencil Set (Reader's Digest).