Watercolor Book for Beginners

I am a beginner and I am NOT an artist but I am trying to find a creative outlet. I have been enjoying this watercolor book as it explains how to do different techniques and then gives you a space to try a sample.

I began watercoloring in June and have purchased several books for reference and practice. I must say that Sarah’s book should be my first purchase! This is a great basic, fundamental book that teaches you essential ways to work with your brush, paints and understanding water..and provide you with cheat sheet of color recipes that I find useful! Sometimes you are overwhelmed with mixing your own hence the book comes in handy to give you the encouragement to take the “baby steps” and start to do more mixing and experimenting. It has great practice pages, printed on papers that are not easily buckled. Love it!

This was exactly what I was looking for to learn and begin water coloring. Sarah makes it so easy! I really enjoy having an image already drawn out for me - it takes a lot of the intimidation of making a “good” piece of art out of the equation. The lessons really do take around 30 min, which is great for a busy mom. I purchased a travel watercolor kit alongside the work book and I did not have the same colors Sarah mentions in the book but I was able to get really close to her example on most pages. I brought it on vacation and have kept up with the hobby since coming home.

I paint a lot but I wanted something low key to do as well as practice different techniques. This is the perfect book for that. The paper is pretty good - doesn't buckle, but I've only done the basic exercises so far. Hope it holds up well for the projects.

The book is nice but with a major problem: the entire inscription is in small fonts in a too light color, which makes it very difficult to read.
To read the color recipes, you need to use a magnifying glass

I LOVE the final results from following these VERY detailed instructions for each sketch. I have framed over half of my completed pictures. The paper quality was top notch. I did follow the wash instructions for the projects, but used my own color palettes instead of the suggested ones for most of the pictures. The ONE thing I didn’t like was that on the back of your painting is printed the instructions for the next project, which means you can’t remove and frame the project you just finished unless you’ve already completed the next project in the book. That won’t stop me from buying her second book in this series though!!! Absolutely must buy if you enjoy painting watercolor without having to sketch something first.

Just to sit down and the only thing you need other than this book is a few watercolors of any variety and a brush... You don't need to think, just breath and watch something beautiful emerge from your brush strokes. It WILL happen thanks to Sarah breaking through your boundary of "I can't draw" and supplying you with the picture. It is sooooooo relaxing. She has given us all a gift.

The does a good job of teaching how to make a variety of colors, but doesn’t teach any kind of color theory. The pictures are great but there’s no info about creating depth and shadows.
There’s a lot of instruction in the first part of the book but it eventually becomes a coloring book.

These books are fantastic with quality paper and designs

Images aren't dark enough. They're very hard to see

Do NOT buy.

The painting techniques are very poor, the quality of the paper is abysmal - the lightest wet on wet technique doesn’t work, my Winsor newtown Pro paints that works great on all other papers, on this it either doesn’t move or it bleeds out way beyond the edge of the wet spot.

Very very disappointed.

Maybe my ADD but a lot of flipping around (still in beginning) beautiful designs. book is very high quality and nicely done and I am at least painting!! She is very talented artist!

Great information, and well planned. However, almost all the lessons are flower base. If you're not really a flower person... I still give it 5 stars, because that's a personal preference.

It looks like multiple pages were printed on one sheet of paper and then bound that way in the book without being cut. Impossible to work with and cutting them with a scissors leaves an unsightly fray and jagged edge at the top of the pages. Very disappointed in the lack of quality that went into binding this book. It's not at all functional.

This workbook is beautiful. There are a variety of subjects to paint: pets, flowers, birds, and more.
It’s good for any skill level. I was absolutely impressed that the entire book is printed on premium quality watercolor paper which makes it such a good resource. Sharjah even shares color recipes in the book and takes out so much of the hard work. You can be a complete novice and come out painting like a pro or be an advanced watercolorist and use this book to overcome art-block or a little therapeutic paint session. This would be a perfect gift and is can be used for all ages. I plan to do some mommy daughter projects in this workbook myself. Happy painting. 💕

Excellent book! Lots to paint, unlike another book I bought. Clear directions. Beautiful sketches to paint. I'm SO excited to learn to watercolor!!

The illustrations and the paper is beautiful, and the coursework will leave you with a diary of your progress with your watercolor skills.

I can't create a picture worth a damn but I enjoy making pretty things. This was an absolutely perfect introduction for watercoloring for me. I have enjoyed the entire process, reading the instructions to outlining the pictures to the actual painting. The author gives easy to follow instructions and a relatively simple and forgiving list of supplies to get started.

Her recommended supplies for the entire book:
#1 round brush
#4 round brush
01 or 02 Micron Pigma waterproof pen
Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor tube paints in:
Lemon Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Alizeran Crimson
Burnt Sienna
Cobalt Blue
White (any)
Ivory Black
Oxide of Chromium (professional)
Payne's Gray (professional)
Optional extras - Perylene Maroon and Perylene Violet.

There are some good discount art supply stores online to get the paints at halfish price so it's not a bad investment if you try to stick with the recommendations.

The paper quality feels hefty and easy to work with and the designs are aesthetically pleasing without being too complex or too boring. She walks you through every step with clear instructions and provides examples. The painting pieces themselves are big and one-sided so you could cut them out, crop and frame. She encourages experimentation and having fun, and her writing feels like you're painting with a friend.

I think this is a good buy for any creative type, professional or novice. My mother has a disability affecting her grip and dexterity, and I think she could use this book to paint. She's creative but as her issues have progressed is easily discouraged to try new art hobbies. This is relatively easy and still sophisticated. I might outline some of the sketches for her, show her a couple tricks and let her have at it. You DONT HAVE TO PAINT IN THE LINES to be pretty.

I've pre-ordered Sarah's next book and want her to make a dozen more please. If the author reads this I have some ideas for a version of your workbook that is even more accessible for folks with impaired vision or dexterity.

Have the drawings already outlined black, perhaps ever so slightly bold for better contrast.
Keep an even simpler color palette with less need to mix.
Include more examples of loose and undefined boundaries. Show how going outside the lines can be pretty.
Keep the boho, soft floral aesthetic that lean slightly simpler in shapes. (the illustrations are gorgeous)
Perforate the pages to make it easy to detach. Maybe a spiral binding for even easier use.
Increase the text size and contrast.
Include a larger avatar/finished example.
Recommend brushes that are more ergonomic, maybe a round brush with a fatter handle.

I've gone down the Amazon rabbithole and so far there hasn't been a workbook quite like this. I am a fan!

The book has a lot of good information in it and if that’s what you want Great. However, you cannot use the book as it directs you to because how do you paint with water and not ruin the whole book? You can’t tear out the Pages so I’m at a loss.!

I just started this book love it! It’s excellent for any watercolor beginner who wants to learn the basics of color and technique before jumping into painting a complex picture and getting frustrated.. The author teaches how to use water and color and the book has examples to practice. I love the section on mixing colors. I feel much more confident now about that plus better prepared to move on to more complex projects. Well explained and a resource to keep to refer back to even when getting more skilled. Highly recommend for beginners.

I love having the watercolor paper next to the page with the colors, steps to paint, and pro tips. I gave only four stars because the recipes are geared towards a certain line of paints and it is too time consuming to try to match those paints with what I have on hand. My goal is to learn the process and not even stress about exactly matching colors in the book.

The book its ok, but i dont like the color recipes, you have other ways of getting the recomended colors.
And teh color chart it's to small

It must be mentioned that many of the "color recipes" involve mixing white, which I usually avoid. BUT the author is using white to demonstrate the large pallette you can create with a limited amount of colors. I just use the color suggestions as a mixing exercise to find something similar.

The great thing is the example colors printed on the watercolor paper are really accurate and natural looking. The printing quality is just top notch.

I'm halfway through the book and so far I love having the different paintings as a color reference for future botanicals projects. Great instructions, great reference and fun practice for a low price. Buy it!

Am really enjoying this book and find it very helpful. I will most likely use the whole book as it has a wonderful manner of teaching. I am just an amateur and not a very good one, but I have learned a lot having only gone halfway through the book.

This book is a great resource for encouraging frequent practice to grow your watercolor skills. There are helpful exercises and color recipes for color mixing. The step by step instructions are easy to follow. Having the drawings printed directly on watercolor paper makes it quick and easy to get to painting. Highly recommend!