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The Joy of Watercolor: 40 Happy Lessons for Painting the World Around You
Enjoy the meditative art of watercolor with simple supplies, forty colorful illustrated lessons, and easy step-by-step instructions!For a soothing boost of creativity and whimsy, try your hand at watercolor. With a few simple steps, anyone can discover their artistic side and achieve moments of peace and tranquility. Forty straightforward lessons promise fun and colorful results -- no pressure and no skill required. This simple painting medium produces colorful, modern paintings to adorn invitations, gifts, and walls. The forty lessons cover useful topics on vacationPainting your petsLayering colorsMixing colorsPainting flowers and plantsThe supplies are a basic palette of watercolors, a selection of brushes, and nice thick paper will do the job. Your bright, whimsical art is guaranteed to bring color to any gray day. It's never too late to pick up a new hobby -- start painting your own beautiful cards and artwork today!
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2018
123 people are currently reading
555 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 11, 2020
I've been following Emma's page for a while and I'm so glad I bought her book. It's so beautiful and very easy to get into, it's beautiful and peaceful just like her. I can't wait for her gouache book. I've worked my way through the whole book. It's always in my work tote!
May 26, 2021
I'm not doing every exercise in this book, but I did read it from beginning to end, definitely marked certain parts and already started trying out some neat tips and tricks in my work as a beginner. Refreshing to see modern and uplifting designs in a tutorial book, and I'll definitely keep it at my desk to refer back to as I keep working on my watercolors.
February 13, 2021
Dar vienos piešimo akvarele pratybos (pirmosios buvo DIY Watercolor Jungle: Easy Watercolor Painting Techniques for Tropical Foliage and Flowers), kuriose lankę dailioškę ar šiaip iš kažkur mokantys elgtis su akvarele neras nieko sau ypatinga, tačiau tokiems patiems mėgėjams kaip aš gali būti ir naudinga, ir smagu.
April 28, 2019
A "How To" book I am actually doing! I just did the first two flower exercises, and I'm super happy. I've flipped through the whole book and I decided that while I take a fairly serious watercolor class at an art school, I'm also going to do the small, light and fun projects in this book to keep me going and give me more color guidance while I"m at home.
Super happy I bought this at Barnes and Noble last week.
Super happy I bought this at Barnes and Noble last week.
February 1, 2019
Great book
This book is so facilitating. For those who can be easily intimidated this book is so ingeniously simple I love it!
This book is so facilitating. For those who can be easily intimidated this book is so ingeniously simple I love it!
January 8, 2019
My favorite watercolor guide!
I'm a beginner water color artist and I've done most of it self taught via videos and books art the library. Nothing has made me feel as confident in my next to nothing experience as this book here. I'm having such a wonderful time with the different chapter lessons, my understanding of how this medium works is improving each time I pick a brush or pencil up, and I consider this book to be a big part of this process.
I'm a beginner water color artist and I've done most of it self taught via videos and books art the library. Nothing has made me feel as confident in my next to nothing experience as this book here. I'm having such a wonderful time with the different chapter lessons, my understanding of how this medium works is improving each time I pick a brush or pencil up, and I consider this book to be a big part of this process.
July 20, 2020
Makes watercoloring easy peasy to this newbie!
November 15, 2021
This introduction to watercolor brought so much joy! I did each of the projects Emma Block created and started by completing all of the beginning exercises, then intermediate exercises, and finally the advanced exercises. The instruction was detailed in terms of what colors to mix and in what quantities. Block teaches techniques in a gentle way that encourages creativity and that builds on previous projects/exercises. I would gladly return to these exercises for inspiration.
August 10, 2018
This book was a good refresher on watercolor techniques. I mainly purchased it for the illustrations because I enjoy Emma’s whimsical style. It includes 40 step by step paintings as well which will be fun for practicing. I definitely recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about painting watercolors.
April 20, 2020
This book is a delight. Happy lessons and so fun to be inspired to pick up a brush and splash around again. I imagine this will sit out on my drawing table for a long while as I refer to it time and again.
November 22, 2021
I m glad I picked this up..its fun, cool and stimulated me to pick up my watercolors n paint freely, confidently...mind you its really for very beginners...so if you don't expect any traditional and technical way to use watercolor but just want to have fun recreating simple excercies, you ll surely be amused by the book.
October 29, 2018
Every bit as joyful as the cover suggests, this book is a delight! I love Emma's colors and style, and her teaching is equally cheerful. She has you splash right in, adroitly building skills like color mixing, layering, and perspective into step-by-step paintings.
This hands-on approach, paired with illustrations I'm excited to paint, has me smiling and pulling out my palette. And for me, this is the point: to step away from my everyday overthinking and enjoy some creative fun and loveliness.
I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up — perhaps gouache, Emma?
PS While the 20 colors used throughout are named (those missing on page 26 are cerulean blue, Chinese white, and lemon yellow), you'd manage nicely with a smaller palette; Windsor & Newton Cotman pocket and compact sets pop up frequently in the artist's Instagram feed.
This hands-on approach, paired with illustrations I'm excited to paint, has me smiling and pulling out my palette. And for me, this is the point: to step away from my everyday overthinking and enjoy some creative fun and loveliness.
I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up — perhaps gouache, Emma?
PS While the 20 colors used throughout are named (those missing on page 26 are cerulean blue, Chinese white, and lemon yellow), you'd manage nicely with a smaller palette; Windsor & Newton Cotman pocket and compact sets pop up frequently in the artist's Instagram feed.
July 4, 2019
Charming little book! Cute and quirky art and easy to follow lessons with very clear step by step instructions.
The book is aimed at beginners, and would certainly be suitable for them. But I have been doing art for a while and I still got a lot from this book, because I wanted to learn about modern illustration styles. And I think she does this very well.
The book is aimed at beginners, and would certainly be suitable for them. But I have been doing art for a while and I still got a lot from this book, because I wanted to learn about modern illustration styles. And I think she does this very well.
September 2, 2019
Really Lovely and Informative Book
It is simple to follow and really makes you feel successful. I am a rank beginner but my first flowers were pretty good.
It is simple to follow and really makes you feel successful. I am a rank beginner but my first flowers were pretty good.
July 12, 2020
Not what I expected.
I was thinking more realistic painting ,not cartoons. This book is definitely geared to the more simplistic painter. I would not recommend this book if you are looking to advance in your painting.
I was thinking more realistic painting ,not cartoons. This book is definitely geared to the more simplistic painter. I would not recommend this book if you are looking to advance in your painting.
February 7, 2019
A great guide for beginners. I'd say more advanced than a general intro. You would probably wave to pick this up after having a basic knowledge.
May 9, 2019
Inspiring and fun!
July 20, 2020
My review is based solely on the Kindle version. It's one of those can't zoom in to read the text books. This format should be clear!y labelled, but it isn't.
December 4, 2020
Very nice!
I bought this book because I wanted to up my watercolor game, but while there are some beginner exercises, it has exercises for every level. It's divided into themes instead of levels of difficulty, which isn't great if you want to do all the beginner exercises first, but that was the only thing I didn't like about the book. It teaches you the basics of color theory, then it goes through the different themes, such as: flowers, objects, food, people, and places.
I love that it gives you step-by-step instructions for each painting. I already recommended it to somebody else who asked me how I learned to paint with watercolors, because it's a really good book for beginners. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about watercolors!
I bought this book because I wanted to up my watercolor game, but while there are some beginner exercises, it has exercises for every level. It's divided into themes instead of levels of difficulty, which isn't great if you want to do all the beginner exercises first, but that was the only thing I didn't like about the book. It teaches you the basics of color theory, then it goes through the different themes, such as: flowers, objects, food, people, and places.
I love that it gives you step-by-step instructions for each painting. I already recommended it to somebody else who asked me how I learned to paint with watercolors, because it's a really good book for beginners. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about watercolors!
September 1, 2021
I love this book.
As someone new to watercolor, the beginning information about supplies was helpful without being overwhelming.
The chapters are neatly arranged by topic and then by skill level. The sketches and walk throughs were great. I read the instructions but then seeing her step by step was helpful.
I also love the style of these paintings. Simple, cute, more doodling than precise. She explains mixing colors and gives good guidelines on what colors she's using where.
I definitely feel like my watercolor game has stepped up and I feel more confident in several techniques. Highly recommend for all levels, especially beginners. And I plan to get her book on gouache painting as well.
As someone new to watercolor, the beginning information about supplies was helpful without being overwhelming.
The chapters are neatly arranged by topic and then by skill level. The sketches and walk throughs were great. I read the instructions but then seeing her step by step was helpful.
I also love the style of these paintings. Simple, cute, more doodling than precise. She explains mixing colors and gives good guidelines on what colors she's using where.
I definitely feel like my watercolor game has stepped up and I feel more confident in several techniques. Highly recommend for all levels, especially beginners. And I plan to get her book on gouache painting as well.
September 8, 2022
This book is SO much fun! I've completed all but two of the projects in this book and people are calling me talented! That just shows how easy and fun she makes it with her step by step instructions and super cute projects (and how lovely my friends and family are :-))! Each chapter begins with a couple of beginner projects, then intermediate, and finally an advanced project or two putting all that practice to use in a larger project. It's a fun way to test out all the different kinds of paper, paints, and brushes one starts to encounter when first starting out with watercolor. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who thinks the projects are a style they would like to paint. If you're looking for more realistic stuff, this probably isn't the book for you.
January 4, 2020
I love this book so much! I haven’t painted properly in a few years and this joyous book was the perfect reintroduction. The images are beautiful so that it’s entertaining just to read for the art! The instructions are really well written and it leaves plenty of room to make your paintings your own. I was really impressed with the range of images and the quality of this book. 100% recommend!!
May 31, 2020
I read this book and did watercolor for the very first time in my life. I’m not that kind of person who can sketch but this book instructs me with every step of the process. The results are not perfect, obviously, but I am so happy and started to practice more. Learning a new skill is cool especially when you have a lot of time thanks to covid-19 😅
March 25, 2021
This is a fun book to start watercolor with step-by-step exercises. I felt it was lacking in some critical intro information like how much water should be on your brush, so I ended up reaching out for other resources and then stuck with them. The artwork exercises are more illustration-style which is cool just not really my preference.
March 28, 2021
I know I marked this as “read,” but when you are working through an art instruction book, it’s not the same as other books. I have not read every page yet, but I’m definitely enjoying this accessible, charming book of projects. The appealing style and laid-back approach encourages me to keep coming back to try something more. Delightful.
June 9, 2024
I've been a fan of the work of Emma Block for a while, and this year I'm determined to explore new artistic mediums. I've never really worked with watercolors before, and this seemed like a good way to explore it.
This book is informative without being too technical or overwhelming, and the exercises look good and fun to work on. A nice beginner work to the art of watercolor.
This book is informative without being too technical or overwhelming, and the exercises look good and fun to work on. A nice beginner work to the art of watercolor.
March 21, 2020
Loved this book so much. Not only it is beautifully illustrated (of course), but it is really interesting and has a lot of exercises to help you with your watercolors.
<3
To see the tutorials I've tried : https://www.instagram.com/p/B942Y5znGxT/
<3
To see the tutorials I've tried : https://www.instagram.com/p/B942Y5znGxT/
April 28, 2021
I painted some flowers and a set of fruit from this book; the fruit turned out great with lots of different colors and wash qualities. I also learned some things about combining colors and how to use varying amounts of water. I would recommend this book to beginning watercolor painters!
March 1, 2022
This is such a great way to learn how to use watercolour! The projects are fun and easy to follow and with beginner to advanced there is quite a variety to introduce you to techniques. Thank you so much Emma Block for making it so easy to learn!
Want to read
October 24, 2020The Kindle version is horribly formatted. So disappointed. I'll wait until the paperback version comes out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews