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

Practical info and fun paintings to try. Good instructions for each painting. Good for beginners and intermediate artists.

Bought this for a twelve year old interested in painting and he has been creatng art ever since. Such a great book with excellent examples and detailed instructions.

Wow! All of positive praise for this stout book. Before even opening my flawless copy, I got one of my Demco library style book covers and covered it. I do that for most every book I get. I respect the author and the physical book. My picture is Cosmo my Pug, secure and relaxed with me and Joy of Watercolor on my beddy. The binding is tight, no shelf bends. I will buy from this vendor again. The book arrived almost overnight without any “Overnight” shipping charges. I have been doing watercolors, etc my entire life, 68 years, and just now my darling hubby no 2 , who believes in me, said to order what I needed to grow my art. I had painted a picture a few years ago, and thank God I had a great graphics store reproduce it for me. Never did that. My pic on the wall has started to fade, change color. I joined WetCanvas.com and researched watercolors. I sent away for some small sets, and I like the Holbeins very much, for me. These new paints all account for their lightfastness, meaning will they fade on their own or time and light? The permanence was also rated. I am starting to paint color swashes on watercolor paper, learning about the characteristics. In Joy of Watercolor, Emma Block, with grace, guides me into a workspace, materials, workbooks and undertonesthen into mixology. Great watercolor pictures done simply illustrate throughout the 240 page compact 8 x 8” x 1” thick book. Yes, great things come in small packages. I still consider myself a beginner, and some guide books are too complex for me. I discovered that I will need to buy some archival paper if I want to paint a picture for my grandchildren, and a few much better brushes that don’t leave a hairy trail behind on a stroke of color. Ack! Shedding Brushes! I appreciate Emma’s sensibility for how to choose a brush amongst the thousands that are for sale. How to save on paper costs, and allow yourself to feel free to experiment and not be constrained by the price of watercolor papers. I agree with her recommendation to buy a few highest rated colors artist, proffesional quality instead of our old school paints. I have all of mine still, and now I am seeing what the differences are. Emma also provides the way to learn your own style of painting, not copying other pictures, but by really looking for real. Pages and pages with additional tips to guide your handof how to make a watercolor with a background and foreground of colors.I believe this book is a treasure, and will help me gain confidence and knowledge that I can bank on. And, my wonderful husband who told me I should get a few brushes, and paper.

I loved the author's introduction to watercolor, giving a broader context to the artform. The tutorials are straightforward and fun.One complaint I have is that some of the tutorials require special materials beyond paints and paper. I'm trying out this hobby with minimal investment so I'm probably just not going to be able to do those lessons.

I love the easy-going approach to painting with watercolor, but also the step-by-step suggestions & tips to get practicing in a successful way with minimal supplies (pencil, paper, paint, water, brush). I looked through the book multiple times after purchasing it, and finally dived in with a pineapple lesson (since I just happened to have one sitting on my countertop - which I found very helpful in "seeing" it in a new way besides slicing it up and eating it). I followed the instruction and to my amazement....I actually painted something that looked like a pineapple vs. my general swirly mixed color renderings, AND, I was having fun...my inner kid thinking, "Hey, look what I painted!" The suggested practice lessons (such as flowers, fruit, buildings, cactus, animals & people) are rated from beginner (the single pineapple) to intermediate (a group of cactus/cacti), to advanced (full scenes) - so you know what you're getting into. Although hardcover, the book stays open with pages laying flat with true to life color and lots of examples and things to try.

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.

I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone that has any interest in watercolor specifically or in general learning something new. I have NEVER been artistic and certainly have never been able to draw or paint. I wanted to try something new with my additional time at home due to quarantine. This book is beautifully laid out and offers detailed instruction that is easy to follow. There is a wide range of projects for both difficulty and interest. After working through a few of the projects my confidence grew to the point I started making my own little changes to the proposed examples. The purchase of this book and devoting a little time to painting every day was one of the best things I have done for myself through this difficult time. Buy the book, invest in yourself. You won't be disappointed.