Watercolor Success in Four Steps: 150 Skill-Building Projects to Paint

by Marina Bakasova

Grab your practice book, paint brushes, and discover the beautiful art of watercolor - no experience required! The ultimate beginner's guide, Watercolor Success in Four Steps will teach you how to perfectly paint 150 objects, from fruits and flowers to animals, household items, and more! Understand the basics of watercolor with tried-and-true techniques and create beautiful watercolor paintings in just four simple steps. Each project offers a sample selection of colors to get you started, followed by approachable, step-by-step painting instructions to complete each design. Once you've accomplished each project, you'll be equipped with all the skills and techniques you need to design and create your own watercolor works of art!

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Taun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book proved a little hard to come by, but after flipping through a copy at a bookstore, I knew I absolutely needed it on my art shelves. (Eventually found a copy on Barnes & Noble website)

The book is well written, basic yet thorough in its sections detailing what you’ll need to paint, and not over long, as some instructional books (of any kind) can be. You’ll need watercolors, brushes, the right paper, and a jar of clean water. Let’s get to it.

Each painting is broken down into four steps of gloriously easy drawing & painting. Subjects range from desserts to plants to animals & more. I loved the fact that this book focuses on a more realistic painting (which is my preferred style), instead of cartoony types. I highly recommend it for beginners to advanced, there’s lessons for all skill levels. As an amateur watercolorist & occasional art tutor, a lot of value in this simple, yet highly effective book.

Beautiful illustrations, well executed techniques. Five stars all the way!

[Chantel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for beginning wc artists. Easy to follow instructions and pictures to draw without complicating the process. I've painted almost every page in this book, trying my hands out on objects I never thought I'd paint or even draw.
Its worth its weight in gold!

[k mandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is definitely attention-getting and promising. Unfortunately, it does not deliver as promised. There are a lot of “projects” presented here in a lot of categories: fruits and veggies; food and drinks; plants and flowers; animals; everyday objects; sea life; transportation options; holidays, etc. The author takes a couple of pages to share six pictures of herself and/or a pet dog (??) and then shares information about various watercolor supplies such as paint, brushes, pencils, paper and palettes. Some simplistic and brief information is covered regarding techniques such as building up, applying washes, masking, mixing, etc. The information is minimal and not presented with any depth. The various projects are actually presented in four steps, as promised; the difficulty enters when the projects get filtered down to the four steps by actually eliminating steps that are essential. Step one involves an illustration for each project, which is especially handy for those who may not feel that drawing is a strength. The author then uses arrows to point out where a specific color should go and whether that step is on wet or on dry paper. There are illustrations for the steps but there are obvious steps that are not included, such as lifting and shading. Since the blurb on the back cover states that “no experience is needed”, this leaves the reader at a distinct disadvantage. Additionally, some of the final versions of a few projects do not appear finished, such as the example that focuses on lavender, which looks like a blob of watery color. The book does present some useful information for beginners but it falls far short of delivering a process that is successfully condensed to four steps. This reader was able to find some useful bits within this book but was definitely disappointed overall.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent resource..

[Aravis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don't review my artsy books but this is the best watercolor book I've ever found, and I still use it years later. Fantastic, must have for beginners

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am new to watercolor but not new to art - I have a background in charcoal and pastel. After a long break from drawing I wanted to learn a new skill. The tutorials are easy enough to follow and do help build skills step by step. Not a technique-heavy book but it lends itself to “getting your hands dirty” — which has its own benefits for people inclined to perfectionism, ie me.