Watercolor Is for Everyone

Simple Lessons to Make Your Creative Practice a Daily Habit - 3 Simple Tools, 21 Lessons, Infinite Creative Possibilities

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on Waterstones.com
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 18 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 11 Aug 2020

Talking about this book? Use #WatercolorIsforEveryone #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

Watercolor Is for Everyone guides you through 21 intuitive, process-based painting lessons that help you discover your own unique artist-within while creating works of beauty you will joyfully send out into the world to share.

In this beautiful book, artist Kateri Ewing, author of Look Closer, Draw Better, guides you through a series of simple creative projects using a soulful, meditative, and reflective process. Whether you're picking up a paint brush for the first time or are an experienced artist, you'll discover and deepen your creative potential through these exercises, because everyone can make art. Each project results in two art pieces: one to keep for yourself, and then another one, such as a postcard or mini painting, to share with someone else or send out into the world, to spread their color, creativity, and joy in new places. 

With Watercolor Is for Everyone, you can learn how to build a daily practice and how to set intentions and create, even if you have just 10 minutes a day. The projects draw inspiration from poetry, music, literature, and the natural world, and invite experimentation with a variety of sources, from tarot and oracle cards to rocks and feathers. You'll pursue your personal passions through accessible projects as you build your artistic skills, confidence, and creativity.
Watercolor Is for Everyone guides you through 21 intuitive, process-based painting lessons that help you discover your own unique artist-within while creating works of beauty you will joyfully send...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781631598593
PRICE US$22.99 (USD)
PAGES 128

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Average rating from 74 members


Featured Reviews

This watercolour guide is incredible! Watercolor is for Everyone incorporated the insights of mindfulness into 12 lessons that can apply to art and life. The book is filled with detailed step-to-step guide on how to express your creativity with watercolour. Every lesson is paired with soft and vibrant watercolour illustrations from the author and her students.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a small book with simple lessons to help us get into watercolor. It's a great option for beginners because you can play with watercolor step-by-step. I love watercolor and I'll be following this book's steps. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Was this review helpful?

This book is great for beginners. It also incorporates mindfulness. It has 17 lessons to guide you through the process and lots of hints and tips for projects and good advice on materials. This would make a great gift for anyone interested in watercolour.


Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a real joy! I've had lots of fun following the daily watercolour prompts as a complete beginner. The author's ethos of freeing yourself from your inner critic (your taste is often better than your skill at the beginning), was really freeing.
It would make a lovely gift. It's a little "woowoo" in places for me - I'm unlikely to treat my art tools like such sacred implements, but it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

Was this review helpful?

The concepts are good, a good way to get an abstract Watercolour, not so easy to execute some of the projects, can’t say I liked any of my results but I never do.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful and inspiring book that is for anyone who would like to have a go at watercolour painting. No matter what your ability, this book is for you and not just for the gifted and talented. There are no expectations of greatness or rules and regulations only the promise that it will be fun playing with paint, paper and a brush. The idea is that you create in a spontaneous and intuitive way.
There is a chapter on materials followed by 21 lessons. The lessons are not intended to follow on from each other, but can be worked through in any order. The emphasis is on exploration and enjoyment and using painting as a meditative ritual. Each lesson is broken down into a series of steps accompanied by photos. There is also a student gallery, illustrating the various interpretations of each lesson.
A great book for anyone who feels they lack confidence and talent but would like to be creative in their own way.

Was this review helpful?

A really neat instructional book on process art in the medium of watercolor painting. In process art, the creation process is more important than what is ultimately made. 'Watercolor Is for Everyone' focused somewhat on the meditative and spiritual benefits of water color painting with tons of project ideas to try and beautiful photography. This would be a great book for hobbyists looking to pursue a creative and relaxing hobby.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I love this book. I love art, but often don’t have the creative ideas as to where to start; well there are plenty in here. I love the ideas of using different emotions, meditation, etc. This is a book I’ll be dipping into for a long time.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful book with step-by-step instructions to create watercolour paintings, perfect for beginners as well as more experienced artists. Each project encourages you to follow your own creativity, as well as exploring the medium, and focuses on mindfulness and well being. The photographs are clear and of high quality, and instructions are easy to follow. Recommend for artists at any level.

Was this review helpful?

What a beautiful book, intuitive, with well explained lessons, mindfully written and with appreciation to all creative aspects.

Watercolor is indeed for everyone! Give it a try, be patient and don't be so critical to yourself. Just stick to your creativity and paint.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

This watercolor book is definitely for beginners. It offers 21 lessons and encourages each student to make time to paint every day. The artist/author
focuses more on the watercolor process than the product. This removes some of the pressure beginning students feel, to be successful.

There is a relaxed feeling about the book. Listening to music while painting is encouraged. Thanking your paints, brushes, and materials before you begin
is a concept that is unfamiliar to me but apparently part of the meditative process.

The author discusses the type and use of brushes, paints, and paper.
This is the first watercolor book that emphasizes the type of paper as most important in painting.

This gentle book is not for everyone. If you want lessons that teach you landscapes, flowers, or portraits, you will need to look elsewhere.

Was this review helpful?

As in most art books the author discusses the types of brushes, paints and paper. Following the discussion of materials there are 21 lessons. They don’t have to be followed in any particular order. Each chapter encourages the reader/artist to follow their own creativity and take the time to explore the medium. It also discusses the process of mindfulness and well being. The books has a very relaxed feeling. This relaxed feel seems to remove any of the pressure the reader/artist usually feels to be successful.

The photographs are of high quality and the instructions for each lesson are easy to understand. This is a delightful book and is definitely worth a read if watercolors have peaked your interest before.

I would like to thank the author, Quarry Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a unique book! It combines watercolour and mindfulness all in bite sized lessons anyone can take. I really liked that this book wasn't art focus and reduced anxiety of the reader. I breaks the bounds of traditional art books and focused more on cultivating your creativity. But like this book says, you know need to be creative to make good art. The type of projects in this book allegedly take 15 minutes and are meant to do 1 a day. I thought this was great. It takes away any excuse you make have.
While doing some of the exercises, I really felt so peaceful and creative.

Was this review helpful?

This is going to be a great way to learn how to more properly use my watercolours properly. This looks better than paying for a course. This way I can go through myself at my own pace.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely little guide with a very small number of tutorials that are more inspiration than step-by-step lesson. There are paintings of angels here so possibly offensive to those that are staunchly anti-religion.

Was this review helpful?

Did book provides a different way of introducing watercolor to someone. Many books discuss the multiple techniques of painting with watercolor, such as wet on wet, wet on dry, layering, etc but this book just jumps into lessons and there are a couple where you are not given a "step-by-step" lesson. Even the lessons that are "step-by-step, it's not the traditional method where the artist is informing you which technique you are going to use for each step and if you need to move quickly or not. There is also no talk on color theory, which many books touch on. The lack of techniques and color theory do not keep this from being a great book to have in your watercolor library. Prior to giving this review, I did a few of the lessons and I did enjoy them. I felt like my own creativity was in my artwork and not just duplicating what the artist already created down to line stroke and exact colors. Great book to add to my collection.

Was this review helpful?

Super pretty book.

It goes over different techniques for achieving several different styles of paintings. It encourages you to know what you want do do and be present in the moment. It is not specifically technical with how to hold your brush or things like that.

I think it is for the intermediate or more advanced watercolor artist in that it doesn't really go over basics. If you're looking to expand your technique and find some new ways of perceiving what you can do with your art, this is for you.

I received a free ARC as a reviewer for NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

I really love this book! The artwork is stunning and full of inspiration. I thought it would be more tutorial based but the directions are basic and easy to understand but more along the line of inspiring creativity with guidelines on how to get going. I think it is an excellent learning tool for anyone new to watercolors because it gives you the freedom to sit down with a few colors follow the directions and see what happens.

I highly recommend it.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for provide me with a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
Al alcance de cualquiera. Muy entretenido para explorar la creatividad, mas en estos tiempos de pandemia. Recomendado, para los que buscan una actividad creativa de este tipo para relajarse en estos tiempos de estrés y locura. Cada vez disfruto mas de estos libros. Los recomiendo para cualquiera.

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent book for those just starting out with water colors. I especially LOVE the step-by-step instructions on several paintings, that make it so helpful. I have taught art students grades K-12, and I think this would be a welcome resource in any environment.

Was this review helpful?

eARC provided by NetGalley , thank you to NetGalley and Quarry Books. All opinions are my own.

A watercolour guide for anyone; spiritual, beginners, someone that wants to paint intuitively – or not! Such a welcoming introduction for those new to watercolour or for those that want to reignite their creativity.

Watercolor Is for Everyone
Standalone
Publish Date: August 18th 2020
Cover Rating: 7/10
Non Fiction – Art

The best part of this is that Kateri tackles all the people that say “I cannot draw” by giving them very basic tools to create something quite beautiful, I feel that this is what people lack, confidence and practice mostly.

I have been felt very depressed about my own creative talents and I have to say that this really lifted my spirits, I could only afford the very cheapest tools (which I also think is a part of the problem in the art world ) but I really enjoyed playing around with this medium.

I did not practice all of the lessons but they were very well explained and very easy and uplifting. I think an experienced artist might like this too as Kateri tries to unlock your creativity in a different way. So it would depend on the artist.

Also it has a real sense of mindfulness as there is mention to give thanks to your tools and things like that but you don’t have to do that.

Overall ,I loved how easy to follow and easy to use the entire book is. Such a wonderful and beautiful guide perfect for yourself and perfect as a gift.

Rating: 4

Was this review helpful?

Watercolor is for Everyone is a fun book, especially in lieu of the stressful events happening around the world. This book offers a daily reprieve of the stress through small projects of watercolor creativity. This book doesn't judge, and this book doesn't ask for more than you can give as a creator. Less about technique and more about the meditative qualities of art, this book requests that you find meaning in the ritual of setting up an art space and placing intention into every brush stroke. This is a book perfect for me specifically who sees art as a way to relax and enjoy creativity in its own right rather than overtly focusing on my skill as an artist.

Was this review helpful?

A good instructional book for those interested in learning water colors. The lessons are basic and easy to follow with handy tips integrated in the lessons.

Was this review helpful?

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is such a relaxing and meditative book combining watercolour painting with mindfulness in bite sized lessons. Each of the 21 lessons is easy to follow relaxing and reflects onto your creative side too.

The idea of this book is to start with lesson one and go through it lesson by lesson, but it can be used in any way you want so you can start wherever you want to.

This is a beautiful book and fantastic for mindfulness.

Was this review helpful?

A must-needed inspirational book that inspired me in many other ways besides watercolor! I’ve always loved crafts and creativity, but always felt I wasn’t good enough. This book is amazing. I love her beginner’s mind standpoint! Really love the true-life raw photos because they didn’t look perfectly studio based but looked like real art should look. Very detailed instructions. Step by step, with tools to gather and many photos, but she urges you to make it your own. Really love this book. I kept re-reading the beginning because it fit with so much of life and had so much inspiration that can evolve into everything we do. Highly recommended for anyone interested in watercolor, whether beginner or advanced, and anyone who wants to learn a new art. She gives a daily “lesson” with some really good pointers and made it super fun and much less intimidating to learn watercolor. Now maybe I will finally use those watercolors that I've been storing for so long!

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This book is utterly gorgeous. It will help you to think about colour and form, but won't lose you on the way. It helps you to calm your mind and prepare to put paint down in a heart warming and pleasing way. It won't teach you to do photo-realist art, but it will support you to free your mind and make lovely, pleasing water colour pictures.
Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! This book has made a huge difference to me. I recently started trying to learn watercolour painting which I have loved despite a few failures along the way. But what I was finding frustrating was that all the tutorials I was following were very naturalistic and I wanted to feel I had added my own touch to what I was doing, to loosen up a bit! This book has helped me do that. It takes a very different approach that helps you feel less constrained and also to understand colour better and to use it in different ways. This book came at just the right time for me and I loved it! Recommended for artists of all levels as I think everyone could get something out of this book.

Was this review helpful?

This is an awesome beginner watercolor book! The author describes the items needed for watercolor and then there are projects that are so easy and fun and that can be painted over and over with completely different effects each time. Some of the painting projects are abstract and others are not, but each can be added to with more distinct lines after they dry for scenery or for neat art journal pages or just left as they are. Each painting teaches a watercolor technique and also includes a short description from the author of what inspired the painting she is going to teach. I think this book would be an invaluable resource to anyone interested in watercolor or mixed media as some of the paintings include pencil or ink drawings on the painting after it is dry. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. #WatercolorIsforEveryone #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

This was a very intriguing look at painting in watercolor! As a new student of the art of watercolor, I am finding out my "style" or groove, so to speak. This was a fun, insightful look at intuitive painting, painting without criticism and/or expectation. There were some lessons without a lot of instruction, and also some lessons with numbered detailed instructions to a specific project. I loved it!

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent book which offers a wide range of projects for anyone interested in watercolours to try - there is something for everyone! It starts by suggesting vital tools needed to complete the project and I thought this was well explained and reasoned out. Each project is broken into manageable chunks for the reader to attempt to reproduce for themselves.

Was this review helpful?

This is probably one of the best books on watercolors for beginners that I've encountered so far. It's actually more than a guide to watercolors, because it has such a therapeutic vibe, encouraging and meditative effect only from the use of the tools. It explains the steps for each project and also gives examples of students' work, so the reader and pupil in this case can work along and check their progress. On the other hand, the evolution is always seen in comparison to yesterday's self.
I'm in love with this book, how the practice is presented and I believe it can help anyone trying to learn how to paint with watercolors. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Was this review helpful?

A lovely instructional watercolour book, with meaningful mindfulness moments. I throughly enjoyed my time with this book and will revisit again.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: