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

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 am someone with intermediate artistic skills, but because of life (right?) I didn't get to do much "art" for a really long time. When I decided to get back to it, I wanted an art book that teaches me how to paint but mostly makes me WANT to paint. And this is THAT book!! There are too many times where I buy a book and it's like "the is the concept of color, or here is the concept of..." or whatever because I don't really care, I'm not looking to major in art; I just want to paint. I was picturing in my mind a book that's like "here's a painting, and here's how you paint that" and Let me tell you, this is THE book!! in PICTURED steps! I also love that this book has three different levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) so people with different skills can all use this book, but also that so people can progress . And the content of this book, the paintings are just so beautiful. I was really happy with my purchase.

I signed up to take a watercolor class through community ed and bought this book after the first session so I could keep practicing at home. I like the lessons, tips, and step-by-steps in book more than I like the class! As many others have commented, the lessons are broken up by skill level, which is really helpful. The beginner lessons are small enough that they can be repeated in a single sitting, helping me reinforce and improve the skills I am learning in each exercise. I don’t have any drawing training, and I find the illustrative style much more forgiving than the classic style, so I don’t get frustrated in the same way as I do otherwise. And as I am enjoying the practice sessions so much, I keep coming back for more; I attend class and keep thinking silently to myself that what the teacher is telling us to do is something I practiced in my fun book at home. I am so happy I found Emma Block’s book!!!

This book is good, it's just thicker than what I thought, making it heavier to tote around.

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.

I was doing watercolor painting for about a year when life derailed me and I took about 3 months off. When I tried to start back up I felt a bit stuck -- not really liking anything I was making. I started looking for a book with specific lessons. I found a lot that gave general instructions for various techniques but I know I work better with lessons that are more of the "follow along" variety. This book offered the lesson structure I was looking for. I've done a few lessons now and I'm really feeling like its helping me get back to being comfortable with the paints and how they move.My favorite thing about this book is how the lessons are broken out by skill level. If you're new to watercolors and want to get really good, you can start at the beginning and move through the lessons, building on skills as you go. I've found that since I have some experience, I've been skipping around, looking for lessons that include some of the skills I feel like I need to brush up on.

The media could not be loaded.  Muy buen libro para principiantes. Las explicaciones están claras y cada lección utiliza las técnicas. El estilo de la autora me encanta.

Brilliant book, really useful

Lo consiglio molto per chi vuole essere autodidatta con la pittura di acquarelli

As a true beginner I wanted an accessible book so that I wouldn't give up right away. And this book will not disappoint! Even if you can't draw, like me, this is actually very doable. Okay, it might take a bit longer (at least for me), but it's mostly fun to do. And the more you practice, the easier it will become.I will definitely be buying the sequel!

Good buy for someone wanting to learn watercolours. Many aspects covered. And well illustrated and explained.