This is a lovely short guide on watercolor techniques. Starting with a guide for beginners and moving on to more detailed techniques for experienced users of watercolors, this meets your needs at every skill level.

I’m a huge fan of Sarah Cray and her Let’s Make Art videos and kits. They helped give art back to me when a chronic condition made digital editing for my art painful. I doubt I would have picked up painting without Sarah! I started with a set of paints that were in my garage, a pad of paper and a couple brushes.

I like that all projects in the first chapter can be completed with the three primary colors of a liquid dye based watercolor on cellulose (wood pulp) paper and two basic brushes. By the end of chapter one you’ll know whether you like watercolor or not.

As you progress through the book she suggests different brands of paint and paper to allow you to experiment and explore different grades of materials. Different papers and paints can yield different results, but I wish the book stressed that you can continue with less expensive supplies if the longevity of your art isn’t important.

Unlike many art books Sarah doesn’t bombard you with tons of technical information. She gives you enough information at each stage of development for you to begin your journey. She adds bits of knowledge as you gain experience. Along the way she is supportive and encouraging of each painter.

The projects build in complexity with each chapter and by the end you’ll have a good grasp on understanding the skills needed to watercolor.

This is a lovely book for a beginner and would make a lovely gift with the chapter 1 supplies for a beginning watercolorist or someone looking to explore artistically.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

Watercolor is medium that I use most often and most comfortable with because in college, it was the required medium. Although years of practice, I know that I still have more to learn specially when trying to paint in details. This book is great because it teaches you the basics like how to form the proper shape in order to build up the image you are trying to create. It breaks you the step by step instructions which you might have not even thought of before reading from this book. It also explains properly the proper way to use the brush and the amlunt of water to use depending on what you are are trying to aim for.

Beautiful, amazing, detail book. Such a good job explaining everything to help you paint better and understand concepts. She puts great examples of what to do and it is just so beautiful. Definitely recommend.

I am fairly new to watercolor and was thrilled to get an ARC copy of Sarah’s book. Great information for beginners and some great projects to get you started. It is such a pretty book!! Highly recommended for anyone wanting to start their watercolor journey.

Watercolour Your Way by Sarah Cray is absolutely delightful and a different take on watercolour painting. There is good advice for the beginner and what I really liked was the section on shape. Cray has clear sub-headers and this immediately grabbed me as I like to be able to access a book as quick reference after I have read it

The Pep Talk section is a really nice touch. This book is more like learning alongside a friend than with a teacher

The Step by step guidance to create projects is very well presented, but I also like the "What You Will Need" sections, that give a shape guide, colours and supplies. The shape guide and colours is indispensable if you like ot keep things organised

This is more like a guided workbook that is not work? The next section focuses more on light as opposed to tone and I like this different perspective (I had chosen three different watercolour books for this very reason, to be comprehensive and cover a wide vareity of different perspectives)

The finessing and enhancing section was really helpful as this is something I do struggle with and there were a lot of useful tips. The author has also included a section to find your style. She encourages you to eplore and find your own techniques and I really like this gentle approach. Then on to FAQ's and templates

This book had a gorgeous aesthetic and was a joy to read

Thank you to NetGalley for this stunning eARC. This review is left voluntarily

Of all of the watercolor books that I've dabbled with, this is my favorite. The early exercises are appropriate for actual beginners, and the discussion of materials is accessible. Rather than pushing a certain brand or emphasizing the need to buy every watercolor product known to man, this book encourages practical, useful materials to get the best results. I read a book like this recently that included a discussion of materials after the exercises and I was so confused! Was I supposed to purchase them after practicing? Fortunately I already own what I needed, but that just doesn't make sense to me from an organizational perspective.

I also read a different watercolor book that got deep into color theory. I have to say that is much too complex of a topic for an overview of an art topic, and this one is like ... we are not getting into the overwhelming topic of color theory. Sounds good!

And yet the tips and techniques in here are great, I loved the exercises, and the book itself is beautiful. Would highly recommend for true beginners and those trying to learn new things or find guided exercises. I'll go back into a deep dive of color theory at a different juncture.

<I>Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoy watercolor books. I learn something new from each one I read.

The tutorials were detailed and the instructions were easy to follow. The projects looked better than simple beginner projects. When completed, you could have a framable piece of artwork to be proud of.

I would definitely want to add this book to my watercolor art instruction library. I would also recommend it to those artists I know that dabble in watercolors.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher
for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

As someone who is fairly new to watercoloring, I knew I had to check this book out! This book has some really helpful background information and tips around the basics of watercoloring.

Rather than focusing on specific techniques, this book serves as more of a how-to guide to watercoloring specfic images (rolling hills, carrots, leaves, flowers, etc.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Watercolor Your Way is an excellent introduction to watercolor painting. Sarah Cray explains the basics without overwhelming the reader. Begin painting with just a three colors and two brushes! Basic strokes and easy to learn step by step techniques lead to lovely compositions. By the end, you will feel accomplished and proud of your work.

What a great guide for beginner and advanced painters alike! I've dabbled in watercolor and am entirely self-taught, unless you count 8th grade art class. The tips, tricks, and skills laid out by Cray are incredibly well-thought out and each section guides the reader smoothly through each skill in a very approachable way. This is a book I will reference over and over as I continue to practice and grow!

A beautifully illustrated how-to for beginners and beyond with in-depth step by step instructions that are quite easy to follow. I am actually having a lot of fun learning with this book. I thank Quarto Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is hands-down my favorite watercolor tutorial book I’ve come across thus far. First of all, I’ve been following Sarah Cray since the pandemic and have learned SO much from her and the other artists at Let’s Make Art. She made watercolor one of my very favorite mediums. This book is everything you could want, if you’re ready to start watercolor art. The pages progress from beginning information and projects, all the the way to bigger challenges for even the most seasoned artist. One of the aspects that really pushed this to my favorite tutorial book, was the barcode scan assistance! If a certain part feels tricky, she doesn’t leave you hanging in confusion. Simply scan the barcode and one of her wonderful videos comes up to help explain in detail the task. Her writing style is also easily digestible, personable, and fun. Highly recommend for all artist levels!

Watercolor Your Way : Techniques, Palettes, and Projects To Fit Your Skill Level and Creative Goals. This is a lovely book for beginner artists. It starts with the basics and gets progressively harder. The step by step instructions are easy to follow, and the projects are very pretty and a joy to try. It is more suited to beginner or intermediate artists and would make a lovely gift.

2.5 stars. I was really excited for this, because early in the pandemic my aunt sent me one of the "Let's Make Art" watercolor kits -- she had ordered their art box and loved it, so she sent me one. I enjoyed it (although I did find it challenging, as I'm not skilled in this area, so I've only done one or two of the paintings that came in the multi-painting kit).

The paintings in here are BEAUTIFUL. And the technique explanations and the "why" behind using certain techniques or paint types is great information.

But, this did remind me of those "how to" drawing books from elementary school that I hated because step 1 was to draw a line and then step 2 the entire house was drawn. Step 1 in one of the first paintings in the book is "paint a tulip" and step 2 is "paint 3 more". A visual breakdown would have been a bit more helpful. The hydrangea piece is another one that is beautiful but has this issue -- step one is to draw several circles (easy peasy). Step two all the hydrangea flowers are already painted and complete...not particularly useful to someone who has potentially never used a paintbrush before. As someone who gets frustrated easily when I don't pick up a new task quickly, I think if I tried to follow along with this I would very quickly put things away. I am willing to give it a try, but I don't have high hopes. (If it turns out to be better than I expected, I'll come back and update my review and boost the rating).

The more complex (tiger, etc.) paintings do have outlines that can be used to trace, which is helpful. But, I think for a true beginner, or someone without much art skill, this could still be intimidating. There are QR codes throughotu to get access to templates digitally (and some video tutorials for the color gradient techniques, which is helpful, but I would prefer video tutorials of the painting itself).

Note for publisher: when I went to the QR site, it said to click on the links below to download, but there weren't any links. Perhaps it just hasn't been posted yet because it hasn't been published, but I wanted to alert you that the QR codes don't have any downloadable content.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

"Watercolor Your Way" by Sarah Gray is an exceptional guide for beginners venturing into the world of watercolor as well as intermediate artists and beyond. Gray skillfully breaks down the intricacies of watercolor painting, offering a step-by-step approach that makes the learning process accessible and enjoyable. The inclusion of techniques such as "wet on wet" and "wet on dry" provides a comprehensive foundation for beginners to explore and experiment with various styles.

One of the book's standout features is its progressive difficulty, allowing readers to seamlessly advance their skills as they move through the chapters. Gray's thoughtful guidance is akin to having a personal instructor, making the learning journey both informative and engaging. This aspect is particularly valuable for those, like myself, who wish to apply watercolour techniques to creative endeavors like bullet journaling and reading journals.

What sets this book apart is Gray's emphasis on adaptability. She wisely advises on materials suitable for each stage of the learning process, advocating against the misconception that beginners must invest in top-tier supplies. This approach not only encourages experimentation but also helps individuals discover their preferred paints and papers, aligning with their unique watercolouring style.

As someone interested in incorporating watercolor into journaling, I found Gray's insights and practical tips invaluable. Her encouraging tone and user-friendly instructions make "Watercolor Your Way" an ideal introductory text for anyone looking to enhance their artistic expressions through watercolour, making it a must-read for both aspiring artists and journaling enthusiasts alike.

There were a couple of typos that I came across in the book, but these didn't detract from the overall readability of the book.

Beautifully illustrated and easily accessible to beginner artists, this guide will provide you with the foundational skills and detail the tools you will need to get started using watercolors as a medium.

I haven't painted in a long time and this was a nice kickstart to get me going again! To be fair, I skipped over the first one and a half chapters, but I think it's suitable for absolute beginners.

There were some fun exercises that built up on each other and were easy to follow along.

The only thing that bothered me is that each chapter had different paints and different papers recommended. Especially beginners probably don't want to invest in a variety of different paints, etc. It's good that you always get an explanation WHY the particular medium is preferable and you can still follow along the instructions with different equipment, but not with exactly the same results, I guess.

I am absolutely in love with this book. It does a wonderful job explaining various techniques for watercoloring. I have put it on my to purchase list.

Watercolor Your Way is a really beautiful guide to developing your skills with the medium. Probably best suited for beginner to intermediate levels, the four sections (Just Starting Out, Building Confidence and Skill, Finessing and Enhancing, and Finding Your Style) combine to form a developmental approach to teaching watercolor painting. The projects included are beautiful, and although they are all themed around nature, there is a lot of variance, from basic florals, to various styles of landscapes, to insects and birds, and even a stunning white tiger! The collection of projects is cohesive but still varied enough to keep you engaged.

You can really tell the author has experience teaching others. Her developmental approach is evidenced not only in the arrangement of chapters and projects, but also in her timing of presenting skills to practice. In my experience, a lot of times watercolor books will have a section in the very beginning that outlines tools and skills all at once, and then they will include the projects later. In Watercolor Your Way, concepts are introduced or expanded upon throughout and alongside the projects. For instance, the author included basic information about the primary colors needed in the beginning of the book and encouraged readers to learn by experimenting and painting. Then, in the third section, color theory is revisited, after the artist has time to play with the basics on their own. I find that to be somewhat unique to this book, and I really enjoy it.

I hadn’t heard of this author before, but now I am definitely inclined to check out more of her work. Definitely would recommend!

*Thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Quarry, and Sarah Cray for the opportunity to review a free eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!*