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

by Lacey Walker

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 Learn to Watercolor features 20 gorgeous paintings paired with step-by-step instruction for replicating them at home. Paint directly on the watercolor pad with supplied outlines to create beautiful artwork of your own—no sketching required! The beginner-friendly projects teach you all the painting skills you need as you create frame-worthy art. From social media star Lacey Walker (@rebelunicorncrafts) comes this delightful, relaxing painting experience. In Watercolor This Learn to Watercolor, Tutorials detailing each step so that you can paint the projects in the book Subjects to suit all tastes, from backyard birds to a whimsical whale, mountains to the moon Complete tools and materials section so you can ensure you have everything to paint the projects Outlines that can be painted over within the watercolor pad; there's no need to sketch or trace Watercolor painting techniques, including wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, layering, blooms, and more Video tutorials linked via QR codes included within the book If you are new to watercolor painting or looking for a fun, relaxing painting experience, Watercolor This Learn to Watercolor provides your perfect companion by combining an innovative format with painting instruction and a watercolor paper pad with templates. Whether you are new to watercolor or not, the Watercolor This Book series provides a fun watercolor painting experience with no sketching required. With information on all the basic skills you need to start watercoloring, step-by-step tutorials, and an included watercolor pad with templates, you have everything you need to create frame-worthy art! Also in the Watercolor This Beautiful Butterflies and Flowers.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Kelly-Ann McFern]

This book was lauded and recommended online when I started my watercoloring journey. What a journey it has been! I really enjoyed going through every single exercices in this book (although I have my favorites). The author gives very valuable instructions and they're always well-detailed with the accompanying pictures so you never got lost. You get to try ALL the techniques watercoloring has to offer and you get to see them in action when used seperately and when combined. I loved discovering how water flows and how the paints acted depending on dry or wet techniques. The subjects were varied. There were landscapes, fruits, plants, animals and more abstract things. My absolute favorite exercices were: Hot and Cold Moutains, Marvelous Mountains, A Whale of A Time, Birds of A Feather and Coastal Calm.

The author offers what she uses for paint (QoR, Mission Gold, ShinHan, Winsor & Cotman), but does recommend whatever you have on hand. Thus, I went in with a brand new W&N Cotman Palette Pocket Set and here are the colors that were the most depleted: Lemon Yellow Hue, Permanent Rose, Ultramarine, Sap Green and Yellow Ochre. The results weren't always color-exact with what the author did, but they were sufficiently close that I called them good. As for the brushes, she recommends Princeton or W&N brushes, but I had my own Princeton Neptune and AquaElite, which were those I used.

... But the PAPER. If you feel like your watercolor painting doesn't look like the one the author has made, rest assured, the problem is probably the paper, not you! If you're struggling with spreading the water around and laying the paints, it's the paper. If you're struggling with blending things, it's the paper!

Which is why I docked a point off. I would've gladly paid more to experience these exercices on GOOD paper (300gsm, cotton paper!). This might bias certain people into thinking they're not good, when it's not them, but the paper. This is why I'll probably revisit this book later with professional grade paints and sketch the exercices on better 300gsm paper to see the difference. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and a book I will cherish as being part of the start of my journey into this beautiful hobby. I really recommend!

[Kathy]

Thank you Lacey for inspiring me daily!

[Sher (in H-Town)]

Haven’t done the actual painting but love the included paper designs. Finally finished reading the whole thing. I’m a fan of her beginner watercolor exercises and painting patterns for beginners on her insta page

[Melissa Petit-Clerc]

If you have always wanted to learn watercolour this is the book for you. The paintings can be removed from the book so you can paint them easily and honestly they actually turned out just like the picture after I followed the very clear instructions. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn watercolour.

[Strefa.anii]

Cześć. Jak wam mija tydzień? Czytacie coś ciekawego?
Ja na razie nie zwalniam tempa publikacji i wrzucam wam jeszcze krótką recenzję książki Lacey Walker "Lekcje akwareli. 20 projektów z instrukcją krok po kroku + blok do akwareli", której zawartość prezentowałam wam w ostatniej rolce. Zapraszam do recenzji:
Za egzemplarz książki serdecznie dziękuję Wydawnictwu Publicat @wydawnictwo_publicat
📌 Jeśli obserwujcie mój profil to mogliście zwrócić uwagę, że raz na jakiś czas miewam artystyczne zrywy 😀 i nie chodzi tu o uprawianie jakiejś wielkiej sztuki ale o czysty relaks. Tworzenie czegoś nowego na papierze po prostu mnie relaksuje, to trochę taki odpowiednik medytacji tj. skuteczne wyciszenie myśli i emocji, które we mnie siedzą. Często maluje intuicyjne, ale lubię też uczyć się i poznawać nowe techniki, w czym bardzo pomocne są książki takie jak "Lekcje akwareli".
📌 W ogóle bardzo mi spodobała historia samej autorki, która będąc osoba bardzo kreatywną w dzieciństwie, pod presją rodziny porzuciła swoje artystyczne marzenia i rzuciła się w wir "normalnej" pracy, która pożerała jej czas i ja unieszczęśliwiała. Po pewnym czasie zdecydowała się jednak wrócić do pasji z dzieciństwa i dziś, z sukcesem, uczy innych i zachęca do malowania na swoim profilu @rebelunicorncrafts
📌 Sama książka jest bardzo przystępnie napisana, składa się z dwóch oddzielonych od siebie części. Jedna to teoria, w której autorka omawia materiały i narzędzia niezbędne do malowania, a także różne techniki akwarlowe oraz instrukcję krok po kroku pomocną przy wykonaniu proponowanych obrazków. Druga część to blok do akwareli z gotowymi szkicami dzięki, którym użytkownik książki może się skupić na ćwiczeniu danej techniki i czerpać radość z malowania, nie przejmując się przy tym, czy równo naszkicował motyla.
📌 Podobało mi się, że przy każdym obrazku jest wskazane jakie narzędzia, kolory i jaka metoda została zastosowana (z podaniem numerów stron i kodów QR),to znacznie przyspiesza pracę. Dodatkowo część teoretyczna jest napisana lekkim, bardzo przystępnym językiem i jak na tak niewielką objętość, zawiera całkiem sporo treści.
📌 Książkę serdecznie polecam w szczególności osobom początkującym oraz osobom, które chcą w bardzo przyjemny sposób poszerzyć swoją wiedzę o akwarelach. Myślę że doskonale sprawdzi się też jako prezent dla kogoś o artystycznych zapędach.
#publicat #laceywalker #akwarele #lekcjeakwareli

[Souls of Books]

[współpraca recenzencka ]

𝐌𝗼́𝐣 𝗼𝐩𝐢𝐬:

Czekasz może na idealny dzień, by w końcu zapisać się na lekcje akwareli? Nie masz czasu, a może po prostu nie masz jak dojeżdżać na zajęcia? Spokojnie, z pomocą przyjdzie Ci książka pod tytułem „Lekcje Akwareli”

Poradnik zawiera 20 projektów służących do nauki malowania akwarelami. A na dodatek, każdy z nich ma już gotowy szkic, więc nie musisz umieć rysować! Nie wiesz jak zacząć? Nie martw się - autorka szczegółowo opisuje wiele przydatnych technik i potrzebne przybory! Dodatkowo na wielu stronach załączone są kody QR , odsyłające do filmików. Halo?! Na co czekasz? Chwyć pędzel i naucz się wreszcie malować!

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐣𝐚:

Hej! Jeżeli mnie znacie to wiecie, że uwielbiam wszelkie kreatywne rzeczy. Z racji, iż w moim życiu wiele się dzieje, nie zawsze mam czas, na wszystko co bym chciała. I tutaj, nawet nie wyobrażacie sobie mojego szczęścia, kiedy odkryłam ten poradnik! Od dawna chciałam nauczyć się malować, jednak nigdy nie miałam na to czasu. Dlatego, jeżeli zachęciłam Was wstępem to opowiem nieco więcej!

Książka jest naprawdę wygodnie rozplanowana. Podzielona została na dwie części: jedną z projektami, a drugą zawierającą porady, potrzebne techniki i materiały.
Projekty zawierają inspiracje o bardzo różnorodnej tematyce. Mamy tutaj między innymi szkice owoców, gór, zwierząt, a także kwiatów. Kartki służące do malowania są wystarczającej gramatury( jeżeli ktoś nie zamierza robić powodzi na papierze ;) ), a szkice zostały delikatnie nadrukowane szarym tuszem.

Jeżeli chodzi o część teoretyczną, autorka opisuje nam potrzebne materiały, które swoją drogą wcale nie muszą być specjalistyczne. Jednak bardziej chciałabym skupić się na opisach technik malarskich i instrukcjach dołączonych do każdego projektu. Wszystko opisane jest w łatwy do zrozumienia sposób i bardzo zachęca do dalszego zagłębiania się w dany temat. Często bardziej skomplikowane techniki zawierają zabawne, lecz naprawdę mądre tłumaczenia. Instrukcje do szkiców dodatkowo mają wypisane używane do nich techniki, jak i potrzebne kolory.

Uważam, że książka jest świetna dla osób, które chciałyby nauczyć się czegoś nowego. Szczerze Was zachęcam, bo kto wie, może odkryjecie nowy talent?


𝟓/𝟓 ★★★★★

[k mandra]

Would have given this 4.5 if I could . It is a great entry level for exploring watercolor painting. Adequate coverage of supplies. This book not only has 20 different projects to work on but it also provides actual watercolor paper. The paper is adequate, not great--good enough for practice. I have no art background so having the sketches for each project already on the paper is wonderful!! It takes away the frustration of having to sketch so you can focus on the actual painting. The drawbacks, for me, are that i do not like all the projects (bricks, abstracts, space, fruit slices) but they still provide good practice; I do not like that the sketches are so dark. I would prefer lighter sketching so that paint would cover up the lines. The sketches are so dark that they remain obvious for any lighter to mid-range pigments. The book is also designed with the paper on one side and the book on the other--this allows you to keep the book intact since pages are being removed from that side. Fun practice all in one book. You just need a water cup, couple of brushes and your paint. I hope they create another book with more projects.

[Anna Ganey]

I starting teaching myself watercolor (through books) in the fall of 2025. I still consider myself a beginner. This is the 3rd "beginner's" instructional book that I've worked through. This by far is my favorite and most instructional. My constant complaint with WC books is that even though they are labeled for beginners there are a lot of things that are taken for granted. Lacey is so thorough in her instructions; nothing was left for me to guess on. She teaches core competencies in the book portion and then has you put them in practice though the projects (pre-drawn templates included on WC paper). There were so many ah-ha moments.  When working through previous books I often wondered why something happened (bloom, wash, etc), but Lacey explained it! She also includes very helpful QR codes with short (less than 3 mins) videos showing some of the trickier processes. I cannot recommend this book enough to people who are wanting to start or increase their WC skills. I'm walking away a much better and more knowledgeable "artist".

[Crista Lash]

The watercolor projects in this book have the potential to be beautiful, and the instructions are clear enough to follow. Unfortunately, the paper included in the book is disappointing and significantly affects the final results. Watercolors don’t perform well on the cheap paper provided, which made my paintings turn out far worse than I expected - & I tried several different types of paints.

Fortunately, I've used several other watercolor instruction books, so I know the subpar paintings aren’t necessarily a poor skill level on my part. To test my theory, I recreated one of the paintings on higher-quality watercolor paper and saw a dramatic improvement in the finished piece.

I briefly considered buying another copy of the book and tracing the designs onto better paper to work through the projects again, since the artwork itself is appealing. However, given the extra effort required to compensate for the paper quality, I probably won't.

[Elis Griner]

This isn't the only watercolor book I've read, but this one contains the best instructions I've seen so far. I got it digitally first, then decided 2/3rds of the way through that I needed to own it physically, too. I try not to buy too many physical books because I don't have a lot of space in my little house, but this one was worth it and I'll read the book over and over. If you want to try watercolor, but have no drawing skill or you feel lazy, get the physical copy as it has outlines on watercolor paper. I read this book and worked out of it through the entire month of June. 

[Jacqueline Nyathi]

*Learn to Watercolor* is aimed at absolute beginners, with a focus on materials and theory, and with only a few very basic projects included. It will be good enough for you if you’re at that level, especially as there are QR codes linking to related videos. Not recommended for anyone who is not new to watercolour. (NB. Because I reviewed a digital advance copy, I did not get the full experience of included watercolour paper and tracings.)

Thank you to Walter Foster and Edelweiss.

[Cindy Forrest]

I really enjoyed this book, and I learned a lot. I painted all the pictures in order, and I forced myself to mix the paints as Lacey suggested, even when I really wanted to use other colors. I’ve learned so much about mixing colors (brown! Gray! Dark dark blue black! Lovely purple! Teal!) and lifting, shadows, washes - I can see huge improvements in my other watercolor work. This book is a great way to learn.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads)]

This was a great book on learning to watercolor. The author does a great job breaking down different techniques and providing fun sketches to paint. As someone who has never painted with watercolor, I learned a lot and found a new crafting hobby.

[Jill]

If I was a watercolor beginner this would be the perfect book. As it is I would recommend it to anyone interested. I can’t speak to the quality of the watercolor paper for the projects although I like the idea; I read my copy digitally from my library. 📚

[Debbie]

Great book to learn Watercolor painting.

[Pascale]

It’s a perfect book/workbook for true beginners.

[Ellen Roberts]

Lovely book, well written, easy to follow. With the drawings included so I don't have to stress about them, just paint!
Can't wait for her second book.

[Jackie]

I loved the included videos

[Debbie]

I was so excited to get my hands on this book. As soon as my watercolors arrive I will give this medium a try! I especially can’t wait to do the Bird of Paradise