Watercolor for the Soul: Simple painting projects for beginners, to calm, soothe and inspire

by Sharone Stevens

Overview

Learn how to use watercolor to soothe your soul with this beginner’s guide to painting for relaxation.

This fresh approach looks first at the process of painting as a means to de-stress and unwind. Many people love the idea of painting but hold themselves back from starting because they are worried about not being good enough or not feeling as though as are creative. In this guide for the absolute beginner, artist and teacher Sharone Stevens shows you that watercolor can be accessible to everyone and that just painting very simple lines, patterns and shapes in calming colors, concentrating on each brush stroke, can have a powerful meditative effect, while at the same time allowing you to create beautiful art you can be proud of. She also encourages you to connect more with the world around you, finding inspiration in your every-day life and discovering the beautiful textures found in nature, from tree trunks to fruit and butterflies!

The aim of the techniques and projects in this book is to create art that relaxes both the artist and the viewer of the finished piece. Projects range from simple gift tags, bookmarks, cards and small wall pieces to larger art pieces that you never thought possible – all done with a focus on relaxation – which is so important in today’s fast-paced, increasingly digital world.

Learn how to mix a calming color palette, try simple painting exercises to get into a relaxed flow, and create beautiful artworks that will lift the spirits both during the painting process and beyond, as finished pieces of art.

Author Sharone Stevens is an established art teacher and talented artist who is passionate about using art for relaxation and encouraging others to build a regular creative practice. Her gentle lessons and nurturing reassurance will guide even total beginners through the process of making soothing, soulful modern watercolor art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781446308998
Publisher:	David & Charles
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	296,321
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sharone Stevens is a watercolor artist, illustrator and modern calligrapher for whom art is not just a career but a therapeutic process. She is passionate about encouraging and inspiring others to have a regular creative practice that provides them with a way to relax and feel joy, showing how watercolor can be a wonderfully beneficial mindful activity that can be accessible while also being satisfying and rewarding. She started her art business in 2018 following maternity leave, teaching watercolour online on Skillshare. She now has 17 watercolor classes on the platform and became a Skillshare Top Teacher in 2019. She is an Ambassador to Princeton Artist Brush Company, one of the largest brush suppliers in North America. She enjoys engaging with the art community on Instagram, encouraging others to share their work, and has over 100k followers. This is her first book.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4 Connecting with your practice 6 Materials 10 PAPER 10 BRUSHES 11 PAINT 12 OTHER SUPPLIES 13 CHOOSING YOUR PALETTE 14 Watercolor Basics 16 COMMON TERMINOLOGY: A QUICK GUIDE 16 GETTING STARTED 17 WATER CONTROL 18 Mixing Colors 20 VALUES 20 THE COLOR WHEEL 21 MUTED COLORS 23 COLOR PALETTES 25 Techniques 26 BRUSH STROKES 26 PAINTING SHAPES 28 METHODS OF APPLYING PAINT 30 WASHES 32 CREATING HIGHLIGHTS 35 PAINT SPLATTERS 37 The projects 3 8 LAYERED SHAPES 40 LEAVES 44 JELLYFISH 50 WHALE 54 AVOCADO 58 CARROTS 62 POTTED PLANTS 66 LEAFY WREATH 70 PEBBLES 74 LOG SLICE 78 CITRUS FRUITS 82 GEMSTONES 86 SNOWY MOUNTAINS 90 FEATHERS 94 ECHINACEA 98 BIRCH TREES 102 REEDS AT SUNSET 106 BUTTERFLIES 110 MAIDENHAIR FERN 114 TURTLE 118 MORE INSPIRATION: PATTERNS 122 MORE INSPIRATION: MOSAICS 124 About the author 126 Acknowledgments 126 Index 127

Preface

Painting with watercolor is one of my favorite ways to relax and unwind, and to find peace in the rush of everyday life. With its uniquely transparent colors and soft, unpredictable blends, it is a beautiful, enchanting medium that has the potential to nourish our minds and souls as we paint, connecting us to the abundance of beauty and inspiration in the world around us. It has the ability to transform something ordinary, an everyday object, into something captivating on the paper. This book was born out of my desire to share my love of watercolor with you; to encourage and inspire you to have a regular, creative practice that provides a way to relax and feel joy. I am passionate about showing you how watercolor can be a wonderfully beneficial, mindful activity that can be accessible while also being satisfying and rewarding. It does not need to be complicated. Even painting simple lines and shapes, concentrating on each brush stroke, can be incredibly therapeutic and calming I have always enjoyed being creative and have explored many different hobbies over the years. There is something special about creating by hand, no matter what it is and no matter how small or simple it may be. It allows us to concentrate our focus as we watch something develop before our eyes, something personal and unique made from our own hands. These days, it is so common to bombard ourselves with noise and distractions from our phones, social media, news, and the internet. It is all constantly vying for our attention. I believe we are all naturally creative as humans but, as we grow up, responsibilities, noise, and stress from the world around us can stifle that creativity. Watercolor, for me, is a way to switch off and break away from that noise. To be more mindful as I concentrate on simple brush strokes or watch the water carry the paint across the page. It also gives us the opportunity to interpret the world around us in our own unique way, telling a story through a painting and expressing our emotions on the page.