BOOK REVIEW: Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey

Watercolor is such a tricky medium to work with, but also so rewording. It takes a while to figure it out and a right instruction is invaluable. The new book by illustrator Jenna Rainey  –Everyday Watercolor is an excellent starter or a refresh course for anyone who wants to paint with watercolor.

The book is literally meant to be used every day, with lessons for 31 days of the month. It provides material for a consistent practice, introducing new skill every single day. Each activity builds on the previous one. The book starts with introduction and continues on to week 1 – Technique, where we learn how to handle watercolor , select colors and getting a feel of the brush. Week 2 is Form, Perspective and Light, followed by Complex Shapes in section 3. Value, volume and depth as well as application are discussed in Sections 4 and 5. Each day has an exercise that includes detailed steps and palettes for the proposed work. The book is very easy to follow and gradual buildup of skills helps with confidence.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who always wanted to try watercolor, but was afraid to do it. I definitely recommend it as a fun daily practice or a refresher course too. 5 stars.

I received this book via in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

BOOK REVIEW: The Watercolor Course You’ve Always Wanted by Leslie Frontz

My own artistic journey is only beginning and many things seem difficult or confusing. There isn’t always time or funds available for formal painting lessons. That’s when one truly appreciates the book like “The Watercolor Course You’ve Always Wanted”. The author, Leslie Frontz, is an artist with forty years of experience and numerous teaching credentials.

Let’s take a closer look at the book. As most of the books of the kind it starts with the description of materials needed to have a successful journey towards mastering watercolors. I was pleasantly surprised my the relatively small list  of necessities. The techniques of preparing a surface for painting are clearly explained. From then on each chapter carefully but straightforwardly lays out various elements of creating a watercolor painting — working with shapes, value, how the  colors work together, how to create a desired texture and how to express the mood and atmosphere on the paper. Each chapter has step-by-step demonstrations. I especially liked that paintings on demonstrations are created from the photographs, as it is how I am painting now. Numerous artworks are included to illustrate each point brought up in the book.

Overall impression: This book proved to be a valuable source for me. It clears up many questions that I had. I appreciate the fact that while each chapter is comprehensive, the material is presented in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the beginner like me. Five stars.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair an unbiased review.

BOOK REVIEW: Just Add Watercolor by Helen Birch

I have a great passion for art (even if I’m only a beginner myself),  that’s why I was excited to receive Just Add Watercolor by Helen Birch. Watercolor as a medium is great, but somehow it always seemed intimidating to me. Hopefully, this book will help me learn how to make my watercolor paintings more magical.

The structure of the book: The book is not big in size, slightly larger than a postcard (approx. 7,5 inches by 5 inches/ 15×10 cm), it has a very simple layout- there is a painting on the right side and short analysis of the technique on the left. The analysis includes tips on how to create similar effect and information about medium used. The mediums explored include Traditional Watercolor, Guache, Digital, Mixed Media, Other water-based media, and  non-paper media. All of these sections are color coded, which is helpful for a quick search. There is also section on watercolor basics at the very end.

I enjoyed going through this book very much. If I have to have one complaint it would probably be the size of the book. While it’s convenient to carry around, some paintings have tiny details that I’d love to explore if they were a bit larger. This book is very pretty, so many inspiring projects! Information on how each painting was created straightforward and easy to understand. I went “Aaaah, that’s how” a few times already, and I’m still reading it. I have started using it already and I’m sure my art will get better and better with this book’s help.

My attempt to create wet-on-wet monochrome painting

Overall impression: This book is lovely to look at,and is absolutely helpful for a beginner like me, I imagine it will be useful for an experienced artist as well. Excellent gift for anyone who’s interested in art. Five Stars

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

BEST SEASON OF ALL 2014: DAY 1-5

Our week was crazy. Again. We try to make small changes around us to enjoy the season.

Here’s what we’ve done these first five days of December:

Day 1:

We put up lights inside the house, as always minimalism is the concept 🙂

Snowflakes inside!