15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces: Create Frame-Worthy Art in Just a Few Simple Steps

by Anna Koliadych

Create Breathtaking Watercolor Paintings in No Time

With this collection of easy, step-by-step instructions, unlocking your creativity with watercolor has never been easier. Follow along as Anna Koliadych, founder of DearAnnArt, guides you through painting your own watercolor masterpieces in just 15 minutes.

These 50 projects have something for everyone, from underwater landscapes to galaxies, from fashion sketches to tasty sweets. Learn to paint a meadow of poppies, a cosmic tea cup, a set of high heels or a tabby cat all in one quick evening. Whether you’re new to watercolor or have been practicing for years, these colorful designs are perfect for a relaxing afternoon alone or as an activity for the whole family.

In each lesson, Anna highlights efficient techniques, like sketching your design with simple shapes, or adding small, beautiful details, so you can create the most charming artwork in the shortest amount of time—even if you’ve never painted before!

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Crafts, Creative, Reference, Drawing, Adult

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2019

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something my whole family enjoys though I feel like you would need a little bit of experience with watercolor to be truly satisfied. I love the step by step in both words and gorgeous pictures. She explains techniques well and gives you ways to mix and match your creations (e.g. different plants and pots that can be switched around or various accessories on your cupcakes). Many homemade greeting cards will be made based on this book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I love the concept of working on painting for at least 15 minutes a day. I think that’s probably the only way to really begin to get comfortable with watercolors. However, overall, I was underwhelmed by the artists style which seemed overly simplified, and nothing I would call masterpieces on view.

[Ankana Bhattacharjee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pros: encourages one to do a small painting everyday, even if one has a very busy schedule
Cons:
1. The title of the book is extremely misleading. The demonstrations used are anything but masterpieces, and naming the book so is equivalent to conning the buyer.
2. Absolutely no pigment information. None at all.
3. The examples are just too simple and childish. At best, they can be used by children to play around with watercolors. The tabby cat and bear paintings are just shocking. Shocking as to how the author can paint them in such a childish way and still have the guts to put them in a book and call it a masterpiece.

[Elna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book: simple and easy-to-execute projects that look very nice (mostly) when they're complete. Koliadych lays out the steps very clearly with great illustrations, and there's a wide variety of subjects.

I did deduct a star for some unclear color mixing instructions: Koliadych will give you a (named) color to mix, but then only show small dots of unnamed colors to indicate which colors you're mixing to get there. The dots are very small so the darker colors are hard to differentiate, and when the color you need is not part of the color palette you're working with it's impossible to tell what color it is.

[Lilian Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Loving to do the little projects of this book. Really relaxing. =) And I’ll practice at the same time. It’s really fun =)))

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the lessons.

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time I used to paint. Now I mostly do digital art. But there is something about holding a brush and using real paint and paper. 15-minute Watercolor Masterpieces is a great guide for those who are just starting with this medium, or Like me, want to go back to it. The book is filled with project ideas. From galaxies, to flowers, animals and food. There are also instructions, tips and techniques. I love this book. The projects are explained in a few easy steps. They are fun, cute and simple. The only thing left is to grab a brush, and practice, practice, practice.

[Meann Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re after nice illustrations, this is great for you. The images are really nice and the color palettes were chosen with care.

However if you want to learn watercolor, you’re better off with Youtube tutorial. The price is steep for this one considering there are better and more effective ways to learn watercolor than reading instructions from a book. Join a class, or an online class, or go on Youtube and search for relevant tutorials.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am looking forward to adding many of the designs to my bullet journaling monthly headers and pages as well as my nature journaling book. So many great simple techniques. I have always been one for detail, detail, detail. I am learning no that detail can be implied and does not have to be perfect to be appreciated and good. Thank you for a great resource.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

After just a few pages, I knew this was a beautiful book to use as a reference. There was such good information about layering the paints. The cloudy sky and mysterious forest chapters were remarkably beautiful. Cannot wait to dive into this more.

[Johannah Gage · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun book! Maybe “masterpieces” is a bit of a stretch, but I was inspired to paint along with the projects in this book, so that’s a win! This one is beginner-level, it would be great to see what this author could do with an intermediate-level watercolor book.

[Christie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this watercolour book. Very inspiring and the paintings are creative and lovely. More than just basic shapes or easy layouts - can be used as a jumping off point to create your own designs.

[Joan54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book out of the library and it was very informative and helpful. I especially.
I especially enjoyed the 15 minute watercolor sessions that I was able to complete and follow along quite easily.

[NinaB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book‘s audience are children and/or beginner artists. It is a good book to start with watercoloring as it shows how to make art step-by-step. I was looking for something more advanced.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing very special but I liked some of the tree-style techniques. Made a nice watercolor of trees following reading. Think I might stick to Pintrest for now though.

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lovely tips.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super easy to follow. I read it on the Libby app and liked the illustrations so much, I plan on buying it as well. I like that the book covers multiple subjects: animals, flowers, etc.

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!! I've made so many fun watercolors using this book! Everything is laid out really well, with enough detail.

[Tonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought these were great exercises for practicing and getting used to different watercolor techniques. I found it very helpful.

[Dabney Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read through all of this yet as I want to actually do some of the paintings but I like it well enough that I am going to purchase it instead of just borrowing it from the library.

[Elyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The projects and details in this books are laid out very well. I really enjoyed the galaxy, plant and floral sections. The tone of the instructions can be a bit prescription

[Calpoly98 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this book and the exercises included. It has been great for me to enjoy learning and creating with watercolor even when i have little time. Very fun and inspirational

[Katra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't call my attempts masterpieces, but it was fun to try.

[Lori Palen]

Tried about 10 hours of the 50 projects in this book, with mixed results

[Reba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such beautiful florals!

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic. Good for absolute beginners. Loose technique. Kinda amateur

[Kira Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is truly for those beginners who haven't hold a brush in their lives.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to start with watercolor and learn the basics while producing small works of art in short periods of time. Not sure every painting was 15 minutes but they were doable nearly every day. Sometimes I started the first steps in the evening until there was a step requiring drying. I enjoyed this book and recommend it for people new to watercolor or picking it up after many years (like me!)

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the simplicity of this one. About 80% of the book is step-by-step exercises/tutorials to recreate pieces from one of the following categories:

Landscapes, space, plants, flowers, fruits & sweets, animals, or fashion.

It also has a rudimentary explanation of the various watercolor techniques, including layering, blending, softening, on wet, reserving, staining/splattering, and dry brush.

Lastly, there’s a lovely tips and tricks section at the back of the book that covers gathering inspiration (like creating a mood board centered around mood and atmosphere, colors or color combinations, works by other illustrators and artists, or a specific subject, like fruit), use of references, and daily practice being the key to consistent growth as an artist.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kept checking this book out from the library when the loan expired so I finally bought it. The projects are pretty easy and simple, which I like. If you're past beginner level you might not like them but I like that they feel truly 15 minutes. I'll often do a couple in one sitting. The projects are like "an apple" or "three lemons." Youtube is a nice supplement, but I like being able to take it more slowly