100 Best Watercolor Books of All Time

We've ranked the best watercolor books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days book cover1

Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days

Jenna Rainey

5.0
A contemporary paint-every-day watercolor guide that explores foundational strokes and patterns and then builds new skills upon the foundations over the course of 30 days to create finished pieces.

This beautifully illustrated and inspiring guided watercolor-a-day book is perfect for beginning watercolor artists, artists who want to improve their watercolor skills, and visual creatives. From strok
Watercolor With Me in the Forest book cover2

Watercolor With Me in the Forest

Dana Fox

4.7
Unleash Your Creativity with 50 No-Sketch Watercolor Projects

From a classic dogwood rose, to a sly fox, to feathers that take on a dreamy quality, you can create polished artwork in just a few easy steps—no sketching required. Dana Fox, creator of Wonder Forest, is known for her unique and whimsical sense of style, and her popular watercolor workshops have introduced thousands to the joys of pain
3

Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners--Create with Paints, Inks, Markers, Glitter, and More!

Ana Victoria Calderon

4.6
Creative Watercolor offers beginners a fun, modern, and practical approach to a timeless medium with instructions on how to paint simple motifs, create elegant lettering, and embellish projects beautifully.

Popular watercolor artist and workshop instructor Ana Victoria Calderon shares her step-by-step techniques for painting modern designs in this classic medium. All the fundamentals needed to get
Billy Showell's Botanical Painting in Watercolour book cover4

Billy Showell's Botanical Painting in Watercolour

Billy Showell

4.5
Billy Showell’s highly accomplished paintings give a contemporary twist to the traditional art of botanical painting, and have received worldwide acclaim. In this her fourth book she reveals in depth the techniques she uses to produce her stunning works of art. Every aspect of botanical painting is covered, including the materials and tools you need, preserving your specimens, drawing, painting, c
The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: A Treasury of Watercolor Secrets Discovered Through Decades of Painting and Expe Rimentation book cover5

The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: A Treasury of Watercolor Secrets Discovered Through Decades of Painting and Expe Rimentation

Gordon MacKenzie

4.5
This special 10th-anniversary collection combines two of the best-loved North Light watercolor guides available: The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook and The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: Landscapes. Clarifying and simplifying the various aspects of painting with watercolor, Gordon MacKenzie's The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook will encourage and challenge you with new possibi
How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects book cover6

How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects

Nita Engle

4.4
Award-winning artist Nita Engle's breakthrough approach to watercolor shows readers how to combine spontaneity and control to produce glowing, realistic paintings. Her method begins with action-filled exercises that demonstrate how to play with paint, following no rules. Subsequent step-by-step projects add planning to the mix, demonstrating how to turn loose washes into light-filled watercolors w
Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color book cover7

Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color

Felix Scheinberger

4.3
A guide that shows painters, drawers, doodlers, and urban sketchers how to bring their drawings to life with colorful, bold, yet accessible painting methods.

COLOR YOUR LIFE

Bring new energy to your sketches of urban scenes with this fresh and simple approach to watercolor painting. Whether you’re an amateur artist, drawer, doodler, or sketcher, watercolor is a versatile sketching medium that’s perf
8

Painting in Watercolor: The Indispensable Guide

David Webb

4.3
Watercolor is an exquisite medium but an unforgiving one, and there is nothing that will dampen enthusiasm more quickly than the lack of a good result. The essential techniques and detailed explanations and demonstrations in this beautifully produced book will educate and encourage beginner to experienced artists so that they too can obtain results and have fun in the process.

Readers will also dis
9

Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor

Claudia Nice

4.3
Claudia Nice shows you how to turn ink and watercolors into the coarse-barked trunk of an oak, or the burnished smoothness of brass, or the verdant velvet of moss or any of many other things. She shows you how to use dots, fine lines, brushstrokes, black and white, color--a mixture of mediums and techniques--to suggest: glass, cast iron, adobe and brick, sunrise and sunset, driftwood, leaf texture
The Joy of Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More book cover10

The Joy of Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More

Wendy Hollender

4.3
A gorgeous, easy-to-follow, and inspiring guide to stunningly realistic botanical drawing that covers everything you need to draw our natural world.

Achieve amazingly realistic and vibrant botanical illustrations, from flowers so dazzling you feel as if you might be able to smell them, to tomatoes that look as if they've just been picked from the garden. Wendy Hollender is known for her vivid, deta
Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter book cover11

Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter

James Gurney

4.3
From New York Times best-selling author of the Dinotopia series, James Gurney, comes a carefully crafted and researched study on color and light in paintings. This art instruction book will accompany the acclaimed Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist.

James Gurney, New York Times best-selling author and artist of the Dinotopia series, follows Imaginative Realism with his second art-
Watercolor with Me in the Ocean book cover12

Watercolor with Me in the Ocean

Dana Fox

4.3
5O No-Sketch Projects That Bring the Ocean to Life

Dana Fox, author of Watercolor with Me: In the Forest and founder of Wonder Forest, provides fifty new marine-themed projects in this beginner-friendly watercolor guide. Known for her whimsical art style and straightforward instruction, Dana leads you through three major watercolor techniques: wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and ink-and-wash. Best of all,
Jean Haines' Paint Yourself Calm: Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour book cover13

Jean Haines' Paint Yourself Calm: Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour

Jean Haines

4.3
Meditative, peaceful and calming, watercolour painting offers a sense of control and self-worth to everyone, with no judgement or goal beyond the joy of painting itself. This book shows you how to calm and enhance your outlook through the movement of brush on paper.

Master artist Jean Haines leads you on a journey through paint, showing you how to wipe away your worries with the soothing, gentle st
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening book cover14

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Robert Frost, Susan Jeffers

4.3
Ever since it was published in 1978, the picture-book presentation of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" has been an enduring favorite. For this special edition with a new design, trim size, and three new spreads, Susan Jeffers has added more detail and subtle color to her sweeping backgrounds of frosty New England scenes. There are more animals to find among the trees, and
15

The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook

Gordon MacKenzie

4.3
Painting with watercolors gives you endless opportunities to create the world you want. You choose whether to let the sun blaze or the rain pour, to move a maple tree here or make the trail wind over there, to subdue a hillside with quiet greens or make a forest glow with dazzling golds and reds. It's not only a matter of what to paint, but how to go about painting it.

This book examines, one at a
16

The Watercolor Flower Artist's Bible: An Essential Reference for the Practicing Artist (Artist's Bibles)

Claire Brown

4.3
This hardcover book with internal wire-o binding is 6.5in x 8in, a perfect size for readers to keep handy in the studio, and reference often. The stylish design of this book, along with the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginning painters and provides useful tips for more advanced artists.This book is divided into three sections. In
Learn to Watercolor: 20 Step-by-Step Beginner-Friendly Lessons on Watercolor Paper - Includes Watercolor Pad with Sketches – No Drawing Required! (Watercolor This Book) book cover17

Learn to Watercolor: 20 Step-by-Step Beginner-Friendly Lessons on Watercolor Paper - Includes Watercolor Pad with Sketches – No Drawing Required! (Watercolor This Book)

Lacey Walker

4.3

* USA TODAY BESTSELLER *Learn the basics of watercolor in a fun, accessible way with step-by-step tutorials and an included watercolor pad with drawings you can paint over.Watercolor This Book: Learn to Watercolor features 20 gorgeous paintings paired with step-by-step instructions for replicating them at home. Paint directly on the watercolor pad with supplied outlines to create beautiful artwork

15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces: Create Frame-Worthy Art in Just a Few Simple Steps book cover18

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

Anna Koliadych

4.3
19

Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink & Watercolor

Claudia Nice

4.2
Capture the Rich Textures of Nature, Step by Step

Capture nature's beauty as you never have before. Beloved artist and teacher Claudia Nice leads you on an inspired journey through the great outdoors. With paints in hand, she shares with you her best techniques for creating landscapes that come alive with richness, depth and textured detail.

Read this guide and start painting right away. As you foll
20

A-Z of Flower Portraits: An Illustrated Guide to Painting 40 Beautiful Flowers in Watercolour

Billy Showell

4.2
Capturing slender stems and fragile flower blossoms, this step-by-step resource updates traditional botanical paintings, adding an elegant, modern flair to flower portraiture. Each of the four project chapters offer insightful case studies, close-up details, and explanations of various styling techniques and finishing methods that give more than 30 flower portraits an organic feel, emphasizing the
Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist book cover21

Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist

James Gurney

4.2
From the award-winning artist, learn to see and shape the world in a way you never before imagined.

An award-winning fantasy artist and the creator of Dinotopia, James Gurney instructs and inspires in Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. Renowned for his uncanny ability to incorporate amazing detail and imagination into stunningly realistic fantasy settings, James Gurney teaches bu
22

Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor

Mary Whyte

4.2
Using clear and concise language and in-depth, step-by-step demonstrations, author and renowned artist Mary Whyte guides beginning and intermediate watercolorists through the entire painting process, from selecting materials to fundamental techniques to working with models. Going beyond the practical application of techniques, Whyte helps new artists capture not just the model's physical likeness,
A Field Guide to Color: Watercolor Explorations in Hues, Tints, Shades, and Everything in Between book cover23

A Field Guide to Color: Watercolor Explorations in Hues, Tints, Shades, and Everything in Between

Lisa Solomon

4.2
Play with paint, get creative with color, and discover your personal palette--a joyful, interactive workbook for creativity, self-expression, and deepening your understanding of how color works.

Color is one of the most profound ways we have to express ourselves. In this lively workbook for artists, graphic designers, hobbyists, and creators of all types, you will journal your way through fresh and
24

Making Color Sing: Practical Lessons in Color and Design

Jeanne Dobie

4.2
Through clear, illuminating exercises, this best-selling book stimulates new ways to think about color, generating responses that unlock personal creativity and allow artists to express themselves with paint as never before. Readers are shown how the interplay of complementary hues can trigger vibrations; how the push and pull of warm and cool colors can create a feeling of space; how to disguise
25

Watercolour Fruit & Vegetable Portraits

Billy Showell

4.2
Billy showell's exquisitely executed watercolour portraits of fruit and vegetables give an unconventional, often amusing, twist to traditional botanical studies, taking them on to a new and exciting contemporary level.
26

Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist

Carol Marine

4.2
A unique system for jump-starting artistic creativity, encouraging experimentation and growth, and increasing sales for artists of all levels, from novices to professionals.

Too many artists find themselves in a frustrating rut: unable to sell paintings hanging in galleries, bogged down by projects they can't finish "or "abandon, and using any excuse to avoid working in the studio. Author Carol Mar
27

Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds in Watercolor

Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

4.2
Bring a Fantasy World of Enchanting Beings to Life!

Angels, faeries and mermaids have engaged the imaginations and enchanted the brushes of artists for centuries. Now you can evoke the spirit of these mythical creatures and create fantastic works of ethereal art in watercolor. Step by inspired step, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law shows you how to paint the otherworlds' most marvelous creatures and exquisite
28

Dreamscapes Fantasy Worlds: Create Engaging Scenes and Landscapes in Watercolor

Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

4.2
Breathe Life Into Your Fantasy Worlds!

Heroes and heroines seek their fortunes in mysterious forests. Towering castles are built into the sides of mountains. Dragons and fairies soar through the sky and among the stars. And bestselling author Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is here to lead you, step-by-step, through the process of creating the forests, mountains, skies, stars and vistas in which these grand
29

Creating Textures in Watercolor: A Guide to Painting 83 Textures from Grass to Glass to Tree Bark to Fur

Cathy Johnson

4.2
Silken strands of hair. Water tumbling over rocks. Blinding reflections in glass or metal.

Cathy Johnson shows you how to create realistic textures like these and make your watercolor paintings come alive.

You'll find practical, easy-to-follow guidelines inside for creating 83 wonderful textures for fruits, vegetables, hair, glass, metal, fabric, flowers, fur, skin and much, much more.

Johnson's beau
Big Preschool Workbook book cover30

Big Preschool Workbook

School Zone, Joan Hoffman, et al.

4.2
Big Workbooks promote comprehensive learning from preschool through sixth grade. Each workbook includes activities organized by major skill areas. Contents are drawn from the I Know It and Get Ready series. 320 Full-Color Pages.
31

Grandfather's Journey

Allen Say

4.1
This tale of one man’s love for two countries and his constant desire to be in both places, as he goes between Japan and the United States over the course of his life.
32

Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner

Matthew Palmer

4.1
This book is a comprehensive course in watercolour landscape painting by expert Society of All Artists tutor, Matthew Palmer. Matthew is renowned for his beautiful, detailed paintings and his ability to teach effective painting using simple techniques. He teaches over 150 pupils per week and also appears regularly on TV. The book begins with excellent advice for the beginner, including, easy drawi
33

John Singer Sargent: Watercolors

Erica Hirshler

4.1
John Singer Sargent's approach to watercolor was unconventional. Going beyond turn-of-the-century standards for carefully delineated and composed landscapes filled with transparent washes, his confidently bold, dense strokes and loosely defined forms startled critics and fellow practitioners alike. One reviewer of an exhibition in London proclaimed him "an eagle in a dove-cote"; another called his
34

Just Add Watercolor: Inspiration and Painting Techniques from Contemporary Artists

Helen Birch

4.1
A beautifully illustrated, easy-to-navigate guide to creating contemporary watercolors, pairing full-page paintings with insights and tips for artists.
Featuring 200 of the best works of young, modern watercolor painters, paired with bite-sized painting tips and art instruction, Just Add Watercolor gives aspiring artists access to information about--and examples of--top work in the medium. Artist
35

Modern Watercolor Botanicals: A Creative Workshop in Watercolor, Gouache, & Ink

Sarah Simon

4.1
36

Jean Haines' World of Watercolour

Jean Haines

4.1
Step into Jean Haines’ distinctive, exciting world of watercolour with this, the ultimate guide to her influences, style and work. Jean's loose, expressive paintings are filled with colour and personality, and embrace a range of subjects that includes flowers, animals, people and places, all influenced by the countries and cities she's lived in and the people she's met during her life. This beauti
Watercolor For The Soul: Simple painting projects for beginners, to calm, soothe and inspire book cover37

Watercolor For The Soul: Simple painting projects for beginners, to calm, soothe and inspire

Sharone Stevens

4.1
Watercolor Workbook: 25 Beginner Botanical Projects on Premium Watercolor Paper (Watercolor Workbook Series) book cover38

Watercolor Workbook: 25 Beginner Botanical Projects on Premium Watercolor Paper (Watercolor Workbook Series)

Sarah Simon

4.1

Learn to watercolor with confidence using this watercolor workbook for adults, featuring 25 beautiful and beginner-friendly projects printed on premium watercolor paper!This easy-to-use watercolor workbook for adults includes unique and elegant flower and nature sketches that are ready for you to paint—no drawing skills required. Each page offers clear, step-by-step instructions so you can confide

39

Watercolor Painting: A Comprehensive Approach to Mastering the Medium

Tom Hoffmann

4.1
The beauty of a watercolor painting lies in its diaphanous layers, delicate strokes, and luminous washes. However, the very features that define the beauty of the medium can make it difficult to master. This complete guide to understanding the relationships between color, value, wetness, and composition unravels the mysteries of watercolor to help your practice evolve.

Experienced teacher and accl
40

Painting Weathered Buildings in Pen, Ink & Watercolor

Claudia Nice

4.1
Capture the beauty and charm of wonderful weathered buildings!

Paint may fade and iron may rust, but the character of buildings strengthens with age. Join Claudia Nice as she shows you how to portray the mellow hues, weathered wood, cracked windowpanes and other imperfections that make old buildings perfectly wonderful subjects to paint.

Using the exciting combination of pen, ink and watercolor, Cla
41

Powerful Watercolor Landscapes: Tools for Painting with Impact

Catherine Gill, Beth Means

4.1
Banish boring watercolors forever! This guide gives you the "power tools" you need to transform dull, flat landscapes into robust, colorful expressions of your artistic vision. Each chapter focuses on a specific strategy for tackling tough challenges, complete with inspiring examples, hands-on demonstrations and instructional diagrams to make these strategies easy and fun to learn. Following this
The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World book cover42

The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World

Gabriel Campanario

4.1
The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), this beautiful, 320-page volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is being practice
43

Creating Nature in Watercolor: An Artist's Guide

Cathy Johnson

4.1
Experience Nature with an Artist's Eye

This guide is a rare opportunity to experience the joy of painting nature with Cathy Johnson, a beloved artist, naturalist and teacher. With lively instruction and an approachable style, Cathy takes you on an enjoyable hike through the great outdoors, showing you how to see and paint the wonders of nature in a whole new way.

Open this unique guide and see how a
44

Creativegirl: Mixed Media Techniques for an Artful Life

Danielle Donaldson

4.1
Find your artistic creativity with delicate doodles, big colors and lavish layers!

CreativeGIRL features art projects that teach you how to draw and paint your story using pencils, watercolor paints and simple mixed-media supplies. Danielle Donaldson shows you how to draw the pretty pictures from your imagination, infuse your art with delightful color combinations and work through creative frustrat
The Joy of Watercolor: 40 Happy Lessons for Painting the World Around You book cover45

The Joy of Watercolor: 40 Happy Lessons for Painting the World Around You

Emma Block

4.1
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
46

The Natural Way to Paint: Rendering the Figure in Watercolor Simply and Beautifully

Charles Reid

4.1
This instructional book approaches the figure organically, showing readers how to observe its basic shapes and subtle nuances through practical exercises and lessons in the art of seeing with a painter’s eye. Step-by-step demonstrations in contour drawing teach how to capture the overall essence of the human form, then lessons in gesture drawing emphasize the body’s linear rhythms in various poses
47

Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors

Ray Hendershot

4.1
Transform your watercolor paintings from ordinary to extraordinary!

Discover a range of effective methods to liven up your watercolor paintings by using Ray Hendershot's texture techniques. Filling in the gaps where other books fall short, "Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors" elaborates on the fine details that distinguish a good painting from an excellent painting. With Hendershot's guidan
48

Watercolor Workshop: Learn to Paint in 100 Experiments

Sasha Prood

4.1
Learn to paint gorgeous contemporary art by practicing watercolor technique directly in this instructional sketchbook. Through 100 different experiments, artist Sasha Prood teaches you traditional techniques like wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, and flat washes, and also encourages you to play with the paint through colorful ombrés, unique bloom textures, and added elements like salt and sponging. Each exp
1,500 Color Mixing Recipes for Oil, Acrylic & Watercolor: Achieve precise color when painting landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and more book cover49

1,500 Color Mixing Recipes for Oil, Acrylic & Watercolor: Achieve precise color when painting landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and more

William F Powell

4.1
Just when you thought there was no hope of ever finding a comprehensive color-mixing resource for oil, acrylic, and watercolor artists, along comes the 1,500 Color Mixing Recipes for Oil, Acrylic & Watercolor!

This collection of Walter Foster's bestselling Color Mixing Recipes books, including Color Mixing Recipes for Oil and Acrylic, Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits, Color Mixing Recipes for W
50

An Illustrated Journey: Inspiration From the Private Art Journals of Traveling Artists, Illustrators and Designers

Danny Gregory

4.1
Travel + Sketching = Inspiration

When we travel, we don't want to follow the same itinerary as everyone who's come before us. We want to feel like explorers, adventurers in undiscovered territory. And that's exactly what sketching can bring to the travel experience.

An Illustrated Journey captures the world through the eyes of 40 talented artists, illustrators and designers. You'll experience the wo
51

Zoltan Szabo's Color-By-Color Guide to Watercolor

Zoltan Szabo

4.1
This easy-to-use reference guide is the key to choosing the right color every time.
52

How to Draw Inky Wonderlands: Create and Colour Your Own Magical Adventure

Johanna Basford

4.1
Unleash your inner artist and learn to draw with ‘queen of colouring’ Johanna Basford.

In this beautiful, accessible guide Johanna shares the fun, simple, no-skills-needed secrets to creating your own flora, fauna and fantasies inspired by her bestselling and beloved colouring books.

With step-by-step exercises, inspiring prompts and plenty of pages to colour, let your creativity run wild. How to Dr
Watercolor Made Simple Workbook: Simple techniques and projects for beginners and beyond―no sketching required! - 20 all-new paintings on watercolor paper book cover53

Watercolor Made Simple Workbook: Simple techniques and projects for beginners and beyond―no sketching required! - 20 all-new paintings on watercolor paper

Nicki Traikos

4.1

Learn watercolor with confidence—no sketching required! This beginner-friendly workbook includes a watercolor pad with pre-printed line art so you can jump right into painting.Watercolor Made Simple Workbook is the perfect hands-on guide for anyone looking to develop their painting skills in a stress-free and accessible way. Created by watercolor instructor Nicki Traikos, this workbook features 20

54

The Complete Watercolor Course: the ultimate step-by-step guide to painting landscapes, still lifes, and portraits

Richard Taylor

4.1
Contributing artists: Harold Bartram, Chris Bramley, Ken Cox, Sharon Finmark, Michael Grimsdale, Lavinia Hamer, Xiaoeng Huang, Wnedy Jelbert, John Raynes, Tom Robb, Ian Sidaway, Adrian Smith, Hazel Soan, Tig Sutton, Richard Taylor.

color ill.; 30 cm.

Equipment and techniques
Watercolour landscapes
Watercolour still lifes and portraits
Watercolour interiours
Gouache and mixed media
Glossary.
55

Just Add Watercolor Happy Thoughts: Easy Techniques and Beautiful Patterns for True Beginners

Robin Pickens

4.1
Fall in love with watercolors, and create beautiful expressive paintings that you can be proud of! Positive, inspiring messages and quotations are the perfect subject for watercolor lettering. This skill-building portfolio book for absolute beginners will teach you everything you need to know to get started with watercolor art. Talented artist Robin Pickens introduces you to all the basics of pain
20-Minute Watercolor: 52 Projects Using 7 Paint Colors and 1 Brush - Beginner Friendly Projects to Build a Daily Painting Habit book cover56

20-Minute Watercolor: 52 Projects Using 7 Paint Colors and 1 Brush - Beginner Friendly Projects to Build a Daily Painting Habit

Emily Olson

4.1

Discover the joy of watercolor painting with 52 beginner-friendly projects you can complete in just 20 minutes each—using only 7 paint colors and 1 brush.You don’t need a huge time commitment or fancy tools to start watercolor painting—just 20 minutes a day, 7 basic colors, and 1 good brush. With 20-Minute Watercolor, bestselling instructor Emily Olson makes watercolor approachable, enjoyable, and

57

On the Ocean Floor (The Magic School Bus, #5)

Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen

4.1
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Scholastic is re-releasing the ten original Magic School Bus titles in paperback. With updated scientific information, the bestselling science series ever is back!

When Ms. Frizzle drives the Magic School Bus full speed ahead into the ocean, the class takes a submarine expedition that's anything but ordinary. With a well-meaning lifeguard in tow, the class takes a
58

Painting Vibrant Watercolors: Discover the Magic of Light, Color and Contrast

Soon Y. Warren

4.1
Paint Watercolors that Shine!

Make the most of watercolor's fresh, vibrant nature through light, color and contrast. In the first few chapters, artist Soon Y. Warren helps you lay the groundwork - everything from choosing and lighting subjects to color theory and perspective. Then, follow along with a thrilling series of step-by-step demonstrations to put your ideas into action for paintings that
59

How to Paint Landscapes Quickly and Beautifully in Watercolor and Gouache

Nathan Fowkes

4.1
60

The Chinese Brush Painting Bible: Over 200 Motifs with Step-By-Step Illustrated Instructions

Jane Dwight

4.1
Chinese brush painting uses minimal strokes to describe the essence of a subject and capture its rhythm and grace. This beautiful book contains 200 exquisite motifs to re-create, from flowers and fruits to wildlife and scenery.

Each motif includes an explanation of its symbolic meaning, a palette of colors, and step-by-step instruction in the order, direction, and type of brushstrokes.

An introducto
61

The Watercolor Artist's Bible

Marilyn Scott

4.1
This hardcover book with internal wire-o binding is 6.5in x 8in, a perfect size for readers to keep handy in the studio, and reference often. The stylish design of this book, along with the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginning painters and provides useful tips for more advanced artists.

This book is divided into three sections. In
62

Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory

Stephen Quiller

4.1
Internationally renowned artist and best selling author Stephen Quiller shows readers how to discover their own personal "color sense" in Color Choices, a book that offers readers a fresh perspective on perfecting their own color styles.

With the help of his own "Quiller Wheel," a special foldout wheel featuring 68 precisely placed colors, the author shows artists how they can develop their own uni
63

Artist's Journal Workshop: Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures

Cathy Johnson

4.1
Discover the Joy of Art Journaling

An artist's journal is a powerful creative tool, offering you a safe place to experiment, explore, consider and improve. Artist's Journal Workshop provides all the guidance, structure and inspiration you need to create a meaningful art-journaling practice. Starting with the question, "What do you want from your journal?" you'll build a sound journaling concept tha
Wildflower Watercolor: The Beginner’s Guide to Painting Beautiful Florals book cover64

Wildflower Watercolor: The Beginner’s Guide to Painting Beautiful Florals

Sushma Hegde

4.1

Let Your Creativity Blossom with 30 Beautiful Watercolor Projects Immerse yourself in the world of watercolor with Sushma Hegde’s array of stunning botanicals. Wildflower Watercolor, an instant bestseller, is the essential comprehensive guide for beginner painters to learn how to create perfect floral masterpieces. With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations, it’s never been ea

65

Watercolor Bright and Beautiful

Richard Karwoski

4.1
Richard Karowski paints watercolors that sparkle, and in this book, he shows painters of all levels how to ring a new freshness and luminosity to their work. In twenty exciting and original exercises, he invites artists to experiment with new techniques and subject matter. He shows how to create color mixtures that are fresh and vibrant and how to use unpainted white area to define forms and make
66

A Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook

Jude Siegel

4.1
Keeping an illustrated nature sketchbook can be eye opening, and anyone can do it, at home or while traveling. This step-by-step guide to painting by the ocean, near rivers, and in valleys, forests, desert, and mountains offers dozens of practical tips for combining watercolor and ink to create pages rich in personal meaning. With her gentle humor and low-key approach, popular teacher Jude Siegel
67

Paint Watercolors That Dance with Light

Elizabeth Kincaid

4.1
Discover simple and effective techniques that will infuse your watercolor paintings with stunning highlights and vivid depths, all demonstrated in clear step-by-step exercises. Inside you will learn how to:


Create paintings brimming with color using transparent layering techniques
Innovate with masking materials to create crisp edges and eye-catching light effects
Use tone and contrast to bring your
68

The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook - Landscapes

Gordon MacKenzie

4.1
Painting with watercolors gives you endless opportunities to create the world you want. You choose whether to let the sun blaze or the rain pour, to move a maple tree here or make the trail wind over there, to subdue a hillside with quiet greens or make a forest glow with dazzling golds and reds. It's not only a matter of what to paint, but how to go about painting it.

This book examines, one at a
69

David Bellamy's Skies, Light & Atmosphere in Watercolour

David Bellamy

4.0
Skies, light and atmosphere are perfect subjects for watercolour, and David Bellamy's mastery of the medium shines out in this inspiring and practical book.
The Art of Ponyo book cover70

The Art of Ponyo

Hayao Miyazaki

4.0
Relive the story of Ponyo and Sosuke in this full-color movie art book!

From the animators of Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Academy Award winner Spirited Away, comes the new Studio Ghibli film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, is a hand-drawn feature-length film. The art of the film involves n

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Botanical Illustration Course: With the Eden Project

Rosie Martin, Meriel Thurstan

4.0
This is simply the best and most complete course in botanical illustration ever produced, with each chapter a perfectly constructed and self-contained class. Created in conjunction with the internationally renowned Eden Project—home of the only jungle in captivity—it’s put together by two leading figures in the Project’s famed art school, and uses many beautiful works from its students. Artists an
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Watercolour Textures (Collins Artist’s Studio)

Ann Blockley

4.0
Ann Blockley is a very successful artist, known for the innovative way in which she uses texture as a key element in her work. This book, in Collins Artist’s Studio series, looks at how she achieves her stunning effects and provides essential guidelines for the intermediate painter wishing to develop this aspect of their own painting.


Creating texture in watercolour can be quite a challenge but thi
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Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours: Painting with Freedom, Expression and Style

Jean Haines

4.0
Jean Haines’ enthusiasm for watercolours burst through every page of this inspirational book that will guide you, step by step, to creating beautiful and unique paintings of your own, whatever your ability.
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The Art of Heikala: Works and Thoughts

Heikala

4.0
The Art of Heikala: Works and Thoughts is the first major publication by popular Finnish illustrator Heikala. Heikala’s artwork combines traditional watercolor painting and inks with a fresh, enchanting approach - fans love her charming characters and scenes that are largely influenced by Finnish and Japanese cultures. This combined with her in-depth sharing of her processes and knowledge, has giv
75

Portrait Painting in Watercolor

Charles Reid

4.0
"Where this handy, horizontal, and beautifully laid-out book treads on new ground is portraiture in aquarelle in a dashingly dramatic style". -- American Artist. In an appealing volume, Reid leads artists through 24 detailed step-by-step demonstrations on painting the portrait.
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Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques

Thomas Thorspecken

4.0
While most sketching guides leave the artist with static bowls of fruit and flower vases to develop their skill, Urban Sketching takes its inspiration from the living, breathing world around us! Contents include the nuts and bolts of sketching and drawing as well as a range of techniques specific to this artistic genre. Readers will discover:

Rules on perspective that will aid inn capturing landsca
Painting Calm: Connect to nature through the art of watercolour book cover77

Painting Calm: Connect to nature through the art of watercolour

Inga Buividavice

4.0
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The Decorated Page: Journals, Scrapbooks Albums Made Simply Beautiful

Gwen Diehn

4.0
79

Watercolor Fairy Art: Rules for Making the Best Art Ever

Sara Burrier

4.0
Watercolor paint has a life of its own. The colors blossom and bloom on the page. They mix and bleed, dance and shimmer, some showing through, some sinking back into the hollows of the paper. What better medium for capturing the magical and enchanting world of fairies? Here, illustrator and art instructor Sara Burrier shows the artist how to harness the magic of watercolor with tried and tested ru
80

Artist's Color Manual: The Complete Guide to Working with Color

Simon Jennings

4.0
Developed by the same team that created Artist's Manual and Art Class, both top-selling art reference books, Artist's Color Manual is the ultimate guide to color for visual artists. Whether they work in oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, or inks, artists of all stripes will find information and ideas flowing from every profusely illustrated page. Renowned art instructor Simon J
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Peggy Dean's Guide to Nature Drawing and Watercolor: Learn to Sketch, Ink, and Paint Flowers, Plants, Trees, and Animals

Peggy Dean

4.0
This fun and easy-to-use nature drawing and watercolor guide is perfect for anyone inspired by nature to draw, doodle, ink, and paint colorful flora and fauna.

Artist, author, and popular art instructor Peggy Dean presents this nature drawing guide that teaches you how to master drawing and watercolor techniques from sketching and shading to washes and blending. With Peggy's easy and energetic l
82

The Watercolor Painter's Problem Book

Tom Hill

4.0
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Interpreting the Figure in Watercolor

Don Andrews

4.0
Qualities of colour, value and shape rather than a laborious anatomical approach are highlighted in this course in watercolour painting. In explaining how to capture the essence of the human figure the author provides information on materials and discusses such techniques as gesture drawing and painting, light and shadow definition of the figure and linking darks and lights for unity, painting bac
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Vibrant Flowers in Watercolor

Soon Y. Warren

4.0
Paint Flowers with Feeling

You can paint watercolors that capture the beauty and personality of roses, peonies, zinnias and many more brilliant blooms - and achieve color more vivid than you ever dreamed possible with watercolor. Artist Soon Y. Warren will help you:


Capture the unique shapes, textures, details - and temperaments! - of magnolias, hibiscus, sunflowers, bougainvillea, gladiolus and mor
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The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent

Carl Little

4.0
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) stands among the greatest of watercolor painters, along with J.M.W. Turner, Winslow Homer, and other masters of this difficult medium. Watercolor was more than a distraction from the portrait and mural commissions Sargent labored over; after 1900, watercolor became central to his artistic vision. His aquarelles are, simply stated, masterworks. Portraits, interiors,
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The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature

Cathy Johnson

4.0
This lavishly illustrated sketching and watercolor primer reveals how creating art can enhance any wilderness experience. With a skillful blend of inspiration and instruction, artist and naturalist Cathy Johnson offers personal anecdotes, exercises, and helpful tips to guide even first-time artists in using sketching and painting to deepen their understanding of the natural world.
Featuring simple,
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A Ball for Daisy

Chris Raschka

4.0
Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal

This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist C
88

Flowers: The Watercolor Art Pad

Rachel Pedder-Smith

4.0
With its simple instructions and stunning inspirational illustrations, Flowers: The Watercolor Artpad is the perfect introduction to the timeless art of painting flowers in watercolors.

Inside the book are 15 pages of simple line drawings of flowers—from wild poppies to sculpted calla lilies—printed on high-quality watercolor paper for you to remove and paint. The outlines allow you to skip the sk
89

Zoltan Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques

Zoltan Szabo

4.0
With a seductive painting style described as "realism with a soul, " Susan Harrison-Tustain casts new light on a favorite subject among watercolorists. She captures the "essence" of flowers in their natural settings, complete with bumblebees, dew drops and other whimsical touches of life.Artists will learn her unique priming method, along with other techniques for creating vibrant colors, realisti
90

The Art of Botanical Drawing: An Introductory Guide

Agathe Ravet-Haevermans

4.0
The Art of Botanical Drawing is an introductory guide to the techniques of botanical painting and drawing. Beginning artists and gardeners looking to capture the beauty of the plants in their garden will learn how to recognize and draw a wide variety of flowers and leaves, including succulents, vegetables, trees, perennials, and grasses. Botanists and naturalists who need to understand the fundame
91

Fantasy Fashion Art Studio: Creating Romantic Characters, Clothing and Costumes

Meredith Dillman

4.0
Live out all your fashion fantasies!

Flower fairies, water spirits, enchanted forests, Victorian ladies and more! Immerse yourself in timeless stories inspired by nature, myths, legends and literature!

With Fantasy Fashion Art Studio, you'll learn the basics for sketching and watercolor painting; you'll also learn to draw and paint beautiful, ethereal characters!

Inside you'll explore:


Lessons and tip
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Watercolour Flower Portraits

Billy Showell

4.0
Learn how to paint exquisite flower portraits in watercolour, following Billy Showell's highly detailed, step-by-step instructions. Packed with stunning pictures and technical advice, this book is truly inspirational.
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Watercolor Mixing Directory

Moira Clinch, David Webb

4.0
These easy-to-use directories explain color theory by demonstrating a range of color mixing techniques. The 256-page, full-color books feature more than 50 carefully selected colors that, when used with a basic palette, provide artists with more than 2,000 color mixing options! Each combination is shown as a pure mixture straight from the palette, demonstrating endless tint variations.
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Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party

Erin Barker

4.0
“There’s a party at Mr. Pumpkin’s tonight. A banquet with friends in the autumn twilight. And at this soiree we’ll see and we’ll find ghoulish delights of every kind.” You are cordially invited to Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party—a delightfully quirky twist on a counting book, incorporating gorgeous, deep-hued watercolor illustrations, as well as spooky elements and unique characters at an unexpectedly cha
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Watercolor, You Can Do It!

Tony Couch

4.0
This bible for watercolorists has been helping students learn the essentials of the medium for 9 years. Tony Couch backs up his "You can do it!" promise with clear, friendly instructions.
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The Tao of Watercolor: A Revolutionary Approach to the Practice of Painting

Jeanne Carbonetti

4.0
Combining the best of Eastern philosophy with the best of Western technique, this book is the first in a three-part series that offers inspiring and empowering advice for artists and creators of all levels. 100 color illustrations.
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The Ultimate Watercolor Course: Simple Techniques to Paint Like the Pros

Reader's Digest

4.0
From the editors of Reader's Digest Whether you are a newcomer to the world of watercolor or a more experienced painter, this practical painting course will let you master the essential skills and techniques necessary to capture the fascinating qualities of this medium. Divided into nine sections, this informative book describes such basics as mixing a wash and laying it on both wet and dry surfac
Creative Abstract Watercolor: The beginner's guide to expressive and imaginative painting book cover98

Creative Abstract Watercolor: The beginner's guide to expressive and imaginative painting

Kate Rebecca Leach

4.0

Learn how to create dynamic, original abstract art using easy techniques and nothing more than watercolor paints and a few pens.Let your creativity loose and start making art, without getting bogged down in detail or accuracy - just allow yourself to experiment, have fun, be present and play with colour, shape and texture to your heart's content.In this unique step-by-step book, you'll discover wa

99

No Excuses Watercolor: Painting Techniques for Sketching and Journaling

Gina Rossi Armfield

4.0
"I can't control the paint."
"It's not colorful enough."
"It's intimidating!"

With the fun and easy techniques in Gina Rossi Armfield's No Excuses Watercolor, your excuses for not painting with watercolor don't stand a chance! As you try the demonstrations and exercises, you'll learn the techniques and tricks necessary to achieve amazing, colorful results in your artist's sketchbook.

After getting t
100

Sara Midda's South of France: A Sketchbook

Sara Midda

4.0
A wondrous sketchbook from a year spent in the south of France—an artist's personal journal carried everywhere and crammed with drawings and notions and thoughts surprising and whimsical.

Delicate watercolors shine like jewels set into each page of this exquisite book. In tones of sea and morning sky, stucco and brick, olive leaf and apricot, rose and geranium, sara Midda captures the land, the pe