Easy art projects for watercolour beginners
basics of watercolours
stepbystep guides
wide variety of projects
easy to follow
I think this is myrd book about watercolours and each of them starts with the basics wetonwet technique, wetondry, etc so initially, I meant to only skim this part but I was nicely surprised that I still got to learn something new.
I had a lot of fun practising those however, I treated the paintings more as doodles and not separate pieces of art.
I didnt even use proper watercolour paper and just painted them in my art theory journal yes, what a crime! so, of course, not everything turned out perfectly.
I would say its more for beginners but more advanced students can use it to unwind so if youre stuck between bigger projects and just want to have some fun like me its a great book! Originally published on my blog: sitelinkNonstop Reader.
Watercolor the Easy Way is a tutorial and technique guide by sitelinkSara Berrenson.
Due outth Janfrom Schiffer on their sitelinkBetter Day imprint, it'spages and will be available in paperback format.
The format is easy to follow and the tutorial projects are very attractive and useful, The introduction and technique tutorialsof the content cover tools, materials, and techniques such as wet on wet and wet on dry painting.
The intro chapters are followed bystep by step tutorials for various motifs mostly botanical/natural all of them are simple and lovely.
All of the tutorials contain a full size linedrawn template, tools and supplies and a color palette, Step by step tutorial instructions are provided in color as well as written instructions, Special tips, alternative methods, and other info is provided in sidebars throughout the book,
There is no index, however, there is a full color gallery listing of the projects in the table of contents.
Well made, very high quality, this book got my fingers itching to get my supplies out and have a go.
This would make a superlative gift for anyone who wants to do watercolor many most of the projects are accessible for anyone.
These would make lovely cards, placecards, framed pieces, etc, Lovely. Five.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes,
This is a wonderful introduction for someone willing to try their hand at watercolor, She provides great elementary instruction including a starter palette, brush selection, and starter techniques, My favorite part is the drawings, There is a page with only an outline that allows you to trace onto your own watercolor paper, The page following then provides stepbystep instructions on how she would paint it, including what technique to use wet on dry, etc.
and when to let it dry, Her style is very organic, natural, and pretty, though it may not suit everyone,
My one complaint about this book is that it is overly simplified, While this is the "easy way," there is such a thing as too little instruction for a beginner, particularly for such a tricky medium like watercolor.
I wish there had been a little more explanation in her beginning pages only/is straight instruction, the remainder are images with basic steps.
For instance, you can trace her designs using tracing paper, but how do you transfer it to watercolor paper Do you erase the pencil marks What does watercolor do to lead or graphite How can you tell if a color is warm or cool What if you can't afford six brushes, what is a good size to start with How do you know if you are using too much water
Overall, I still think a beginning watercolorist could benefit from this book, especially if you aren't sure what to paint or aren't a great drawer.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the ebook from NetGalley, Because it was an electronic copy, I was unable to test out the exact images she provided, I received this book from NetGalley, This is an excellent book for those beginning in watercolor painting, It has tips on types of paints, papers, and even drawings for people to use to create the suggested projects.
I thought her information was well written and usable for even those of us who have done some dabbling, WatercolorTheEasyWay NetGalley Thank you NetGalley and Better Day Books for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.
What a charming watercolor book, It was colorful and clearly illustrated,
The tutorials were simple yet useful for greeting cards, gift tags, and miniature
paintings,
Each lesson was complete with suggestions of colors, paint brush size and type, tips, and a line drawing of the subject matter.
It also included simple steps for completing the project,
The first part of the book contained basics relevant to watercolor painting, in general, If someone was a beginning watercolorist or was just thinking of dabbling in this art form, this book would be perfect! This book would be useful in my art library and I think I would refer to it often.
It is a great jumping off point for expanding your painting skills, I love watercolors and I love making small sketches with watercolors so this book is my happy place, If you've never ever touched watercolors before or if you've dabbled a little but haven't really done much, this is the book for you.
The author starts with a few very simple watercolor tips and tricks, some color theory and then it's all about the specific tutorials.
She has a drawing you can copy for each motif and then walks you through how she's coloring it both highlighting the specific colors she uses, and showing which steps she does first and how she layers.
There are a wide range of motifs: a lot of beautiful flowers, some fun animals, and ordinary things like bikes and food, etc.
This is a great book for you to sit with and try a handful of examples at a time, It's simple, rewarding, quick and enjoyable,
huge thanks to netgalley and Better Day Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Pros:
Beautiful graphics
Colour charts
Simple instructions
Easy to understand basics including techniques for layering and blending, strokes, and other assorted details
Includesassorted tutorials
Includes brush recommendations
Cons:
Did not read well on a Kindle device at all
Reads overly simplistic at times give me just a little more detail, please
While lessons/tutorials are simple, a level of artistry is needed.
I'm not sure my palm trees wouldn't look like pine trees this is not a recommendation against the book, but a comment on reality.
Summary:
This is a beautiful nonintimidating introduction to the art of watercolour but does not guarantee success.
I will be purchasing a hard copy to add to my craft shelf and with practice, hope to develop some skill and can only hope that my creations will one day look as lovely as Sara's artistry.
This book is difficult to rate as it is very much a beginner's book but
does not include pertinent information that a beginner would use.
I am not a beginner to watercolor so I actually enjoyed the very simple approach and included tutorials, sometimes simple is what you need to get your practice in.
However, there is very little information that would help a beginner do the individual tutorials and I can imagine the brief attempt at explaining techniques would confuse newbies a great deal.
I do recommend the book for the simple and fun tutorial ideas, but I highly recommend using Youtube or another watercolor book to help you out if you are newer to the art.
Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley amp publisher in exchange for an honest review, They may regret this. Any and all quotes were taken from an advanced edition subject to change in the final edition, I jumped at the chance to preview an ARC of Watercolor The Easy Way by Sara Berrenson, I am a subscriber to a monthly watercolor kit over the last year and was excited to see another artists' style and instruction.
What I found was a great guide to several designs complete with instruction for a reader to create themselves, The book starts with suggested materials to complete the projects and then specific colors and techniques are discussed for a finished piece.
My excitement quickly faded though as I realized the designs were almost identical to many of the previous projects I have had in my monthly subscription through another artist.
Even the tutorials themselves are put together in a way that resembles the tutorials I own, These designs are simple enough for a beginner and useful to those who are more experienced as well, My average rating is a direct result of what I found to be a lack in originality based on the projects in the book.
Many thanks to Better Day Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, I absolutely adore this watercolor book and may buy a copy for our family, It's exactly the kind of watercolor tutorial book that I'm always looking for, The projects are simple but gorgeous, and Berrenson gives stepbystep instructions so the reader can be successful duplicating each design.
She also doesn't tell you that you need expensive paints or any kind of specialty supplies, just paintbrushes, paints and a few optional things.
She goes into good detail about how to do wet on wet, dry on wet, and other style of painting to get great results.
There arepaintings to duplicate, They tend towards whimsical and pretty designs a donut, flowers in a mason jar, an old fashioned bicycle with flowers in the basket, close ups of fruit, a Christmas tree strapped to the top of a Volkswagon bug.
. . Many would be good for wall art, homemade cards or just fun projects,
We are an artloving, craftloving family and I think this book would be perfect for some fun kitchen table art projects with the kids.
It's also wonderfully suited for adults of all different skill levels, Highly recommended.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review, .