Watercolor Made Simple: Techniques, Projects, and Encouragement to Get Started Painting and Creating - with traceable designs and QR codes to online tutorials

by Nicki Traikos

Overview

Learn to paint in watercolor—with joy and confidence—as you explore simple techniques, popular subjects, and simple papercrafting projects.

Watercolor is a wonderful medium to explore your creativity, unwind, and have fun. Whether you’re new to watercolor painting or looking to expand your skills, Watercolor Made Simple will guide you to connect more personally with your watercolor practice and build your painting skills in a relaxing, welcoming way. Nicki Traikos, founder of the popular online art school life i design, wants to help you avoid the struggles and frustrations she experienced when learning to paint with watercolors by providing encouraging instruction, easy tutorials, and beautifully illustrated step-by-step projects.
 
Consider this your invitation to the world of watercolor as you:
 

• Get familiar with paints, brushes, and papers
• Learn fundamental watercolor washes and brushstrokes
• Explore simple color theory and color mixing
• Use a sketchbook to gather inspiration
• Paint more than 15 popular subjects, such as flowers, leaves, feathers, still lifes, and simple landscapes, step by step

 
You’ll also find:
 

• Links to helpful video tutorials
• Charming papercrafting projects to feature your watercolor paintings
• Tips for storing and displaying your art—and even what to do with paintings you don’t love

 
With gentle encouragement and techniques she has honed through teaching tens of thousands of watercolor students, Nicki will soon have you painting your favorite subjects with ease and enjoyment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760383209
Publisher:	Quarry Books
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	795,840
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Nicki Traikos is the founder of life i design,through which she teaches thousands of students to paint in watercolor, produces books, and inspires people to live their most creative lives. A self-taught artist who has also worked in the corporate world and as a makeup artist, she has taught more than 50,000 students from around the world in her Watercolors Made Simple courses. Nicki and her work have been featured in a number of magazines, including Where Women Create, In Her Studio, and UPPERCASE magazine’s Compendium. Nicki has published two books of trace-and-paint images and also teaches monthly live classes on the Michaels website. She lives in Unionville, Ontario, Canada.

Website: lifeidesign.com
Instagram: @lifeidesign
YouTube: Nicki Traikos @lifeidesign
Facebook: life i design @lifeidesign
Pinterest: life i design @nickitraikos

Nicki Traikos is the founder of life i design,through which she teaches thousands of students to paint in watercolor, produces books, and inspires people to live their most creative lives. A self-taught artist who has also worked in the corporate world and as a makeup artist, she has taught more than 50,000 students from around the world in her Watercolors Made Simple courses. Nicki and her work have been featured in a number of magazines, including Where Women Create, In Her Studio, and UPPERCASE magazine's Compendium. Nicki has published two books of trace-and-paint images and also teaches monthly live classes on the Michaels website. She lives in Unionville, Ontario, Canada. Website: lifeidesign.com Instagram: @lifeidesign YouTube: Nicki Traikos @lifeidesign Facebook: life i design @lifeidesign Pinterest: life i design @nickitraikos

Editorial Reviews

"An innovative, highly useful work for beginning watercolorists."—Library Journal

"An ideal and comprehensive introduction to the medium and unreservedly recommended."—Midwest Book Review

"This is a delightful introductory visit to the watercolor domain, with skillful lessons and warm encouragement radiating through the pages."

—Portland Book Review

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Traikos (Trace and Paint Nature) provides straightforward advice and encouragement to aspiring watercolor painters, in this book offering guidance and 15 basic painting exercises. Adapting the book from her online watercolor-painting classes, Traikos gives readers permission to accept imperfections, placing emphasis on the process instead of the finished product. Starting with an overview of necessary supplies, the book takes readers through basic watercolor techniques, such as waking up paint, mixing colors, applying wet-on-wet and dry-on-wet strokes, and layering. It also demonstrates the ways to hold a brush to alter the thickness of lines. Stressing the importance of muscle memory in the learning process, Traikos suggests simple, repetitive exercises—creating color swatches and easy shapes such as leaves, for example—to gain comfort with watercolors. Readers are encouraged to repurpose their practice pictures into bookmarks, gift tags, and other paper crafts. Templates for each of the painting exercises can be copied from the book or downloaded, and scannable codes accompanying the techniques lead to short videos that illustrate the methods. VERDICT An innovative, highly useful work for beginning watercolorists.—Sara Shreve

Library Journal