Watercolor Your Way: Techniques, Palettes, and Projects To Fit Your Skill Level and Creative Goals

by Sarah Cray

Overview

Watercolor Your Way meets you right where you are with watercolor. Whether you’re dipping your toe in, cannon-balling in, or honing your craft—this book is for you.
 
Written and illustrated by artist Sarah Cray, co-founder of the art education platform Let’s Make Art, Watercolor Your Way is designed to inform and guide you at your current skill level.
 
Each of four chapters focuses on different techniques and supplies, building on each other so you can bring your watercolor art to the next level. Instead of presenting everything about paints, color mixing, and techniques all at once, it’s offered in four small installments, with frequently asked questions, pro tips, and projects geared toward where you are on your artistic path, so you can get to the fun part—creating with watercolor—faster! 
 

• For Those Just Starting Out. Focuses on just three fundamental elements: shape, the wet-on-wet technique, and primary colors.
• Building Confidence and Skill. Spotlights creating value and form with watercolor.
• Finessing and Enhancing. Centers on adding detailed lines and backgrounds, and adjusting values by hue.
• Finding Your Style. Presents a process of how to develop a style that’s uniquely yours.

With Watercolor Your Way, you can explore watercolor the way you’ve always wanted to, with expert instruction on a wide range of exciting techniques, themes, and color palettes that fit your needs as an artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760384664
Publisher:	Quarry Books
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	72,077
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sarah Cray is a watercolor artist, illustrator, and art instructor. She graduated magna cum laude from California State University Sacramento in 2015 with an art studio degree with an emphasis in painting and drawing. She has been creating custom watercolor and acrylic paintings since 2014, and is co-founder of Let’s Make Art, a brick-and-mortar and online retail company committed to making art more accessible for all through education and affordable art kits. Let’s Make Art, a sister brand of Missouri Star Quilt Company, carries art supplies, art kits, and Let’s Make Art branded items. Sarah teaches a variety of watercolor tutorials on the Let’s Make Art website and YouTube channel and is the illustrator of several gift books. She lives in Missouri.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 | For Those Just Starting Out
Essentials
Supplies
Frequently Asked Questions and Pro Tips
Painting Projects
Weeping Willow Leaves
Tulips
Rainbow Carrots
Rolling Hills
Hydrangea Pattern
Chapter 2 | Building Confidence and Skill
Essentials
Supplies
Frequently Asked Questions and Pro Tips
Painting Projects
Misty Mountains
Coneflowers
Green Leaves: A Negative Space Painting
White Tiger
Succulent
Chapter 3 | Finessing and Enhancing
Essentials
Supplies
Frequently Asked Questions and Pro Tips
Painting Projects
Irises
Golden Hour
Magnolias
Hummingbird
Chapter 4 | Finding Your Style
Five Steps to Finding Your Style
Frequently Asked Questions and Pro Tips
Painting Projects
Pop Pink Rose
Atmospheric Landscape
Fluttery Friend
Final Project
Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

"Appealing, colorful projects and a clean layout make this book a great resource for beginning watercolor painters."

—Library Journal

“Working with Sarah’s video tutorials is like being in a classroom with an awesome teacher. She has such a friendly and relaxed demeanor, and the directions are clear and easy to follow.”—Let’s Make Art student Karen Bernaski

"I love Sarah Cray! She is easy to follow and understand and has a kind and caring demeanor. Sarah empowers budding artists not only with tools to succeed but with confidence as well. Thank you, Sarah!"—Let’s Make Art student Stasia Nielsen

"I LOVE Sarah's step-by-step approach, art and teaching skills, and beginner-friendly narrative. The dialogue between her and her cameraman/husband, Michael, while you work through the “filling in” times is entertaining and educational. Great-quality filming ensures you see the details when you need to. Have fun!"—Let’s Make Art student Cynthia Onions

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Artist/educator and first-time author Cray introduces readers to watercolor painting with a series of graduated exercises that build skills while focusing on essential concepts such as shape and color value. Each chapter begins with detailed info about the techniques, colors, and supplies that will be used in the subsequent projects. She keeps her explanations brief, not overwhelming readers with more information than is necessary. Her discussion of color theory, for example, is refreshingly simplified, limited to primary and secondary colors and on creating color transitions. Likewise, she gives suggestions for supplies but encourages readers to use the materials they may already possess. Starting with projects that utilize simple shapes such as leaves and flowers, the book progresses to paintings that allow readers to practice creating dimension and depth through variations in color value. With an emphasis on the accidental nature of watercolor, the book enables readers to let go of expectations and experiment. Frequent practice is a way to find one's unique style, she says. Scan codes lead to video tutorials, and she offers several templates to copy for more complex designs. VERDICT Appealing, colorful projects and a clean layout make this book a great resource for beginning watercolor painters.—Sara Shreve

Library Journal