I love this book. It is so beautifully illustrated. Right off the bat, there are three beautiful pink doughnuts to inspire you to pick up the brush. It leads you step-by-step through the process of creating watercolor. Each day builds on the day before. Will it be the only watercolor book you need? No, not at all, but it is an essential and inspiring piece.

Great book to get someone started with watercolor painting. The book begins by explaining the supplies you will need and explains the color theory. I like the way the book is divided into 30 daily lessons. I found that I would do several lessons in a day. But the short daily lessons kept me motivated to be consistent because I knew I could finish a lesson each day even if I didn’t have a lot of time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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If you have access to the internet and You Tube videos, there is no dearth of water colour painting tutorials. Even if you want to buy a book on how to paint with water colour, 'Teach Yourself' books are a dime a dozen. So there is intense competition in this field and any new volume will have to provide the learners with something absolutely special to justify its price.

Jenna Rainey's Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days is another addition to those illustrated 'how to paint' books. The introductory chapter has a few details on how the author became a 'self-taught artist' because, at a certain stage of life, she 'came across the right watercolor supplies'. She adds immediately…'and something changed for me'. Unfortunately, for this reviewer, that was a spoiler that came too early in the book. Jenna Rainey recommends expensive paints, paper and brushes and one wonders if these are really so essential for a novice or a beginner. Her emphasis on the 'correct materials' to make the process enjoyable perhaps reveals her own infatuation rather than a genuine need. She then endeavours to spread her own infatuation rather candidly: 'I hope the list of supplies and those fundamental tips are getting you excited to paint for yourself!' Thus, the first chapter of the book is more about the "I", the established artist, rather than the "you", the novice learner. Shouldn't it have been the other way round?

Everyday Watercolor will tell you about straight lines and curves, values and volume, shadows and patterns and will help you to learn some basic techniques of water colour painting with illustrated lessons. Jenna will teach you how to add a few layers of paint, one after the other, and how to create highlights and mid-tones. Jenna’s models are mostly natural objects — plants, fruits and flowers in their passive and inert state — a papaya or a saguaro cactus. There are a few very simple landscapes. After a few lessons, it becomes rather mundane and almost frustrating because there are very few live drawings that show objects on the move. Would it have been so difficult to introduce a few interesting scenes in those paintings? A beginner would do well to paint objects of her own choice than copying what is provided in this book.

Jenna Rainey’s words of wisdom like how you can make a beautiful picture without painting in great detail or how two reference photos, one black-and-white and the other coloured, can help you understand the depth and tone, do not impress much because neither her words nor the paintings are able to inspire the uninitiated to try her hand in painting. As the author of a ‘do-it-yourself’ manual, she would have been more successful if she could have stimulated, with her own paintings, her readers to paint for the first time. As Jenna asserts, ‘Break the rules!’

As I have hinted at the beginning, you’ll get better water colour lessons free-of-cost if you search the net and you have a great variety of good books to choose from. It’s a pity that I can’t include Everyday Watercolor in that list of books.

This reviewer received a free electronic copy of the book from Netgalley for an honest review.

You all know how craft challenged I am, and my last water coloring project made me question all my ‘sensible shopping’ techniques. So when I stumbled across Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey in Netgalley, I decided I will give water coloring a final try. And Jenna Rainey delivered exactly what it promised. NO I didn’t turn out to be an artist but now I at least now I can make a not so messy painting (which is by itself a grand achievement).

Everyday Watercolor teaches simple techniques to paint right from brush strokes and increasing the complexity day by day (in 30 days). I liked Jenna Rainey’s encouraging tone and attention to small details while teaching. I definitely will not throw my water color supplies yet.

Final thought: Perfect starter pack for learning water color.
Recommended to: Anyone interested in learning water coloring.

This review is simply for the excerpt as read via netgalley. To quote the excerpt "Throughout this book, we’re going to develop muscle memory and train our eyes to look for basic shapes and curves in every subject. No matter how complex and detailed a subject may seem on the surface, everything you paint or draw can be broken down into very simple shapes, like circles and ovals. We’ll start developing good brush and painting technique by practicing these basic shapes, training our eyes to look for unifying color palettes, and following rules of composition." This is what sells this book to me. When I teach art to children or others, I teach them how to look and practice the fine art of observation. This is on my must read list for the library since I didn't get to read the whole book.

I received a copy of Everyday Watercolor from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days is ideal for any beginner looking to get into water coloring. Unlike many other “how to” art books, Jenna Rainey doesn’t try and force the reader to learn to paint in her specific style. Instead she uses simple techniques in increasing difficulties that allow the beginner to find their style while they learn. This is the ideal style of training, in my opinion.
Rainey walks the reader through all the basics, from supplies (listing optional brands as well as her preferred brands) up to more advanced workings. I particularly enjoyed the little tips and tricks she’s picked up over the years (such as how she prepares her paints). With a set project each day (for which Rainey gives the estimate time it’ll take, a brilliant move) learning to paint becomes less intimidating and more enjoyable, which really is the goal of the whole thing to begin with.
I love the Rainey not only encouraged her readers to share their works on social media (a great way to boost esteem and further the learning process), but provided a hash tag for them to use (#everydaywatercolor). By doing this she’s allowing readers to come together as a group and see what the others are doing, as well as show off what they’ve learned.

From the moment I looked at the cover I knew this book would be amazing. It's gorgeous! The book is geared towards a beginner but moves quickly. Basic information including supplies to use, color theory, composition and painting techniques are clearly presented at the very beginning. Daily lessons build on each other. Estimated times for completion are given as well as clear steps to practice the daily skill. Lessons are separated into sections and start with basic strokes, curves and circles, straight lines and triangles, layout, compound strokes, light source and shading, and move into more and more complex techniques such as gesture, movement, values, perspective, grayscale, and final projects. The author explains everything so well in a simple way but not looking down upon or making a beginner feel like an idiot! She has a great knack for teaching and encouraging throughout the book. Her art is amazing and makes me want to paint more and more. Love all the colors used and different techniques presented. There's something for everyone in this book: those who like landscape, animals, floral arrangements, etc great book for a novice looking to develop skill. I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to post a positive review.

Beautiful book full of colour, ideas and inspiration. It really made you feel like attacking that blank page and having a go, even if you are a complete beginner. The exercises at the beginning were great confidence boosters and the step by step projects were really manageable even for a beginner. I enjoyed the variety of projects and the lovely colourful illustrations. A beautiful book to own - thank you.

This was a great book! I love that the book includes step by step directions and information on watercolor supplies and techniques. This book is perfect for beginners. I love that there are daily lessons. I will definitely be reading this book again and again.

We All Are Made To Be Creators


In EVERYDAY WATERCOLOR: LEARN TO PAINT WATERCOLOR IN 30 DAYS, author Jenna Rainey gives us a step-by-step approach to learning how to paint. I am not skillful in painting, and was curious to see if this book would be helpful for a beginner. It is indeed.

The beginning of the book provides tips on what tools and materials to buy. I found these sections to be practical, as I don’t really know how to get started. Jenna explains the differences in the tools and the paints, in a simple, clear way. As a beginner, I found this very helpful.

Day One starts off with just simple brush strokes. Succeeding days add more detail and complexity—but it all builds up slowly and gently. The pace is gentle and easy. Day Two has the student trying simple curves and circles. By Day Thirty, we are finalizing our “Jungle Piece.”

So all in all, I found EVERYDAY WATERCOLOR to be an outstanding book. The lessons start with very simple techniques, and slowly build-up. The material is presented in a friendly, easy-to-follow format. The artwork and other illustrations are encouraging as well.

I especially liked the author’s vision of what it means to be an artist: “We all are made to be creators. All it takes is practice, a lot of passion, dedication, and most importantly, patience.”

The author concludes the book with this encouragement: “Keep painting and dedicating this practice to yourself as an artist and creative individual.” I appreciate the author’s helpfulness, and warm encouragement.


Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

I am a beginner when it comes to watercoloring. I LOVED this book! It started out with true basics. It has daily lessons, that build upon each other. I also loved that inside each daily lesson she went over choosing a color palette & putting paint to paper. I would highly recommend this book if you are a beginner!

Look at that cover! Isn't it gorgeous! The author is well known for her wonderfully impressionistic flowers and I have seen and admired many of her beautiful work on Instagram. Loose florals are her strong point.

I was therefore rather disappointed when I saw that she did not include more step-by-step instructions on how to paint flowers.

Still, Everyday Florals will be useful for the beginner watercolorist.

Thank you, Netgalley and Ten Speed Press, for giving me an ARC.

Yes! a book that not only teaches you but also entices you to start practicing.
The sections of the book are divided into days, each day covering a specific topic. The first days start with the basics and it increases in complexity as you move forward all the way to completed scenes.

What makes Everyday Watercolor unique is that it makes it easy for you to start your watercolor journey, it removes all the mental limitations we have when approaching something new:
- It gives a defined time frame "30 days of watercolors"
- Each day has an estimated time to complete, thus allowing you to organize your day better.
- The example images are not intimidating and portrait only what you are supposed to learn (not astonishing pieces that obviously required more knowledge than what they teach you and before you even start you think "of course I cant do something like that" and give up.
- It invites you to share your work on social media with hashtag #everydaywatercolor , which can be great to add accountability and keep on track.

If you are looking for a "draw this specific flower in 3-easy-steps" this is not your book, but if you want to build solid foundations in watercolor and go beyond the examples provided, then go for it!.

This is a well thought out guide to developing watercolour painting skills. The aim is to take one guided exercise everyday, each one building a particular skill - starting with basic shapes, then looking at things like the effects of light, hue, perspective, creating volume and depth. Each day's exercise takes between 40 minutes and an hour so it isn't an arduous or time-consuming programme to follow. The final week involves combining the techniques that you have learned into a painting. This section didn't really resonate with me - it is based on desert landscapes and jungle. Whilst my interest lies in landscape painting, I live by the rolling hills and green landscapes of the Cotswolds. Nonetheless this is an inviting book to encourage you to develop your skills from a zero or low base. Will your work be perfect after thirty days? Almost certainly not, but I think the book instils a discipline to paint a little everyday - and eventually that will pay dividends.

A lovely step-by-step guide for watercolor painting - yet somehow whenever I try to paint with watercolors everything ends up looking like an awful blob. But at least with this book you can see what it looks like when done right.

For many of us to begin a new practice is really hard as surely there will be difficulties and one has to be very motivated to go on. One has to insert the new activity in the daily routine, without big sacrifices. The ideal should be practice every day a bit, a little step every time. This is the method applied in this book that introduces to watercolour painting and guides the reader for a month through little exercises of 20-60 minutes. From the very basic brushstrokes to a simple, but complete painting, explaining the elementary concepts of painting. Only for beginners.

I can't say enough about this beautiful book. I felt like I hit the lottery with the easy-to-follow techniques and suggestions.

Very useful, beautiful illustrations and some great tips! Perfect for beginners

Beautifully illustrated book with very clear tutorial to learn watercolor techniques, with a lot of color theory to learn why color works as it does. The writer sounds very interesting and encouraging.

Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

A good book for the serious and dedicated watercolor beginner. This book would be of great use to someone who knows they will be pursing this art form and wants a serious course in watercolors. But for the casual beginner who isn't quite so sure, this isn't the right book. The suggested supplies are expensive and not only is no alternative given, but any alternative is looked down on. The book starts off with a lot of material on color theory instead of teaching it as part of the lessons.

Want to be the best watercolor painter you can be? This is a great starting point. Want to play with a new medium and see where it goes? Perhaps another book would be best.