It’s not every day you get to become a great watercolor artist… or is it?
Welcome back, fellow artist, to my “art-themed book reviews” series! Er, at least, that’s what we’ve been calling it, since we covered a wide range of painting-related books so far.
Today, though, we’re going to look into a book called Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey. I’m going to take you through some of the pages and projects included in the book, and then I’m going to help you determine whether or not this book would be worth it for you to check out. See the video below for my full review, or scroll down for a quick summary.
Watch the Video Book Review
A Fast Review: “Everyday Watercolor”
Up front, I’m just going to tell you guys: this is probably the best art book I’ve reviewed so far!
Let’s see why, though…
Every Single Day is a New Challenge
One reason I actually loved this book is the fact that it offers you a guided, step-by-step watercolor project to try each and every day. Of course, only 30 days are included, but you get a lot for your money in those 30 days, if you know what I mean!
The first few days do cover just the basics, like how to mix your colors and how to paint simple shapes. However, the further through the days you get, the more challenging your projects will become. It’s like every day builds upon the last, giving you the confidence to move forward with the tougher projects.
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And the Painting Aesthetics Are Great
Now, I’m not just saying the physical page layouts of this book are just “on point” or anything (even though they are, too)… but I want to say that the aesthetics of the painting projects are really “on point”!
Aside from the first few “basic” projects, the painting projects in this book are actually really pretty, and seeing pictures of the finished results do encourage you to dive in and make them. And I know this is just a minor detail to some artists, but I personally really appreciate projects that I know are going to turn out pretty in the end! This is just as opposed to some other books I’ve reviewed where the painting projects of the book are just “eh” in comparison.
For example, some of the projects you can find in Everyday Watercolor include a desert scene, mountain scenes, and a pretty lil’ elephant.
But it Leaves Some Questions…
Mainly, the question of “what do I do next after finishing all 30 days of this book?”
And, again, this really is just a minor detail to note, but I personally prefer when painting books give you the tools you need to paint and then show you how you can use those tools on your own, outside of using them in the book itself. Because putting things you learn about the world of art, like color theory as an example, into practice is really important.
And, if you check out this book for yourself, let me know in the comments below or over on my YouTube channel!
If you’d like more painting classes and tutorials, you might also enjoy checking out my online Canvas Academy learning platform. Canvas Academy is a great tool for all levels of watercolor artists, and it’s a great resource for learning how to paint everything you’ve ever dreamed of—from landscapes and objects to even portraits and more.
And happy painting…
–Kari
