Expressive Watercolor Painting: A Beginner's Guide

From the Publisher Loose Stripes

Stripes are one of my favorite patterns to paint. I love letting the paint lead the way and often get the best results from "happy accidents", where colors merge and bleed to create exciting shapes and new tones.

Concentric Circles

The repeat circles are so relaxing to create, it almost feels like mindfulness. These simple concentric circles are easy to paint and fun to embellish. I always fall into a calm state when working on this style of painting.

Soothing Scallops

This fun project allows you to focus on colors, textures, and embellishments without the need to consider composition or form. The shape is simple, yet these overlapping curves are the perfect basis for a dynamic effect.

Stylized Flowers

This approach is simple and effective and by varying the size and colors of the circles you can create anything from large, lush bouquets to delicate floral beauties. Flowers can be tricky to paint, so instead, turn basic watercolor circles into abstract blooms!

Organic Trees

This is a good introduction to using basic circles and oval shapes, but feel free to experiment with other shapes and watch your confidence (and forest!) grow. Nature is a constant source of inspiration, from its organic forms to seasonal colors.

Striped Seascape

Retaining the white space allows the brighter, warmer pebble colors to pop through the vivid blues and greens of the sea. This is the first project in the book that uses masking fluid to mask off the pebbles and paint loose waves over that area.

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