When the COVID 19 pandemic hit, I really thought art would be a place I could escape to. But I found I had little enthusiasm to even pick up a brush, I'm really not sure why. Early on I could barely pick up a book to read, but found audio books a great distraction particularly during restless nights of sleep.
Then in July I got the chance to review Kateri Ewings, Watercolor is for Everybody. I picked up the book and started flicking through the pages and looking at some of the tutorials. I sat down with a cuppa and read through the exercises, then I got out my paints.

The book is about using watercolours to create patterns, seeing how the paints and water merge and flow on the paper. A chance to create without the pressure of a fixed detailed scene.

The author shares in detail all the items and materials required, and why she chose them, you also get to see her paints in detail. Most items I already had as a hobby watercolourist, though I did not have the metallic paints though not essential to enjoy the exercises.

For each exercise you will find a list of materials, it also has a name, and an explanation on how painting is more than just paint or a scene, the author talks about emotion, mood, and creativity. Also suggested is putting on music that you love to listen to whilst painting, adding drops of essential oil to your pot of water. I particularly enjoyed Many Voices, One Song exercise which involved using some coins something everyone will have to hand. You can see a copy of my creation below.

This book contains 20 exercises to help you enjoy relaxing with watercolours, bring benefits to both health and well-being. Most of these exercises I had not come across before and theyare certainly aimed at everyone. They can be repeated time and time again as your confidence grows in understanding how the paints move and blend into each other, and how your mood takes you.

I received an ARC of this manual from NetGalley. I enjoyed trying several of the exercises in this book, they were explained and illustrated well and I was able to use several of the techniques in later pieces. I think for someone just starting out this would be a great gift as it walks you through several different paintings and styles.

This is a lovely book bursting with inspiring ideas. I love the format of the book and love browsing through the lessons for a creative boost. You will definitely be reaching for your watercolours to have a go. I love the way experimentation is encouraged as well as sharing your work with others. Establishing a daily habit is a must even if it is only 10 minutes a day. This book is for everyone, beginners to advanced, and there are no rules or expectations. Just have a go and enjoy. Overall a lovely gift book to inspire anyone interested in watercolour.

This book is great for inspiration. The projects embrace the looseness of watercolors in a variety of ways. I loved all the student gallery images of different interpretations of the lessons. The idea of creating a soapstone or stamp monogram was a great tip, I plan of doing this for my own paintings.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
I found this book to give a great introduction to the art of watercoloring and provided the right tools to get started. The mini lessons were great to digest and build upon my skills. I definitely recommend this and makes a great gift for those who are looking to start watercoloring.

I personally did not enjoy this book as much as some other people. This book teaches watercolour as a way of being mindful and meditative, which I think is really nice, but I just didn't enjoy making art in the style of the author and artist of this book.

Be encouraged to use watercolor
Self-taught artist, author and teacher Kateri Ewing presents "Watercolor Is for Everyone. Simple Lessons to Make Your Creative Practice a Daily Habit - 3 Simple Tools, 21 Lessons, Infinite Creative Possibilities" which was published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. Ewing's goal is to help artists discover their uniqueness through twenty-one intuitive, process-based painting lessons which help them with the creation of "works of beauty" that they will joyfully send out into the world to share. She states "intuitive, process-based watercolor means that we create from a place of no expectations of how our finished artwork will look. Instead of planning out our work–which can increase our perception of failure if it doesn't turn our as we expected–we operate from a safe place of simply appreciating a moment in time by playing with colorful paints, a beautiful brush, and a lovely textured paper" (p. 7). She hopes that the artists will be lead to make their creative practice a daily habit.
Every lesson contains instruction which tools to gather and the steps to accomplish the lesson. Furthermore the book offers a page with the basic information "Resources for the creative practice" and an index. I highly recommend the book for beginning and advanced artists because Ewing does leave the artist a lot of freedom how to put the lessons into practice. Furthermore, she does not only present her own execution of the lesson but also presents students' works which is inspirational, encouraging and shows creative variety.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#WatercolorIsForEveryone #NetGalley

This is a creative watercolor book with a variety of projects. I really didn't get into some of them but liked others. Even though I usually devour art books, this is one that I kept putting aside and didn't ultimately get to finish the entire book before it was archived. It does look like a really nice book for those who want assignments and who want a more mindful approach to their art.

This is a really informative book, great as a reference book taking the beginner step by step on their journey in watercolour.

I’m a complete beginner to painting but during lockdown I bought some watercolours and thought I would give it a go. This book is so useful as it explains paints, paper and the process of preparing to paint.

It also encourages the reader to experiment and not to be worried about the outcome. The enjoyment of the process is just as important. I will definitely be trying some of the projects in the book.


Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this beautiful book.

This is a wonderful book. Taking a beginner through the ritual of painting in watercolours. From which paper, brushes to use and why, to step by step instructions to paint your own version of some art. The process of preparing to paint, according to the author, is as important as the act. Details about where to place your equipment, including the water, is also given. Painting could be seen as a form of meditation, if followed this way.
Would recommend this as an interesting read and instructional book.

I am a total novice to watercolor and painting, but my sister loves to watercolor as a creative outlet and a stress reliever. To me, I thought you could only do that if you were extremely talented, because messing around with art when you're not good at it doesn't seem fun or therapeutic. This book definitely changed my mind on the subject. Ewing's methods are beautiful and simple, and throughout, she encourages you that you don't have to be perfect, you just have to try and be inspired. These make great cards, but they also make great keepsakes for yourself and notes on your own improvement. I enjoyed painting along with her and would definitely love an audiobook or video accompaniment of her teaching in addition to the written instructions. Thank you Kateri!

This is a gorgeous little book which would make a great inspirational gift that keeps on giving, encouraging the reader to take on creative challenges while improving techniques and developing their own artistic style. Watercolour is an excellent, easily accessible medium - inexpensive, relatively 'clean', portable and appealing, hence why it is for everyone as the title claims. I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If I'd realised this was a mash up of watercolour painting and mindfulness, I would not have requested it - and I would totally have missed out! I really, really enjoyed this. Some of the practices are things I won't necessarily pick up (there's no way I'm thanking my watercolours!) but on the whole, it was a great book. I enjoyed the set up of a lesson a day and loved the focus on using colours intuitively and spontaneously. As an almost total beginner, I also loved the fact that there was no definite result to work towards and the emphasis on whatever you create is worthwhile.

A refreshingly simple, accessible, and helpful book for beginners interested in developing a personal art practice. I have picked up many art books and usually put them down convinced of the artist's skill and my lack of skill. Watercolor Is for Everyone is a great introduction for anyone interested in developing art as a practice. I found the intro guidance and lessons to be incredibly helpful. Kateri provided enough guidance to begin but continues to emphasize the practice of art rather than focusing on the results. The author included some mystical language and faith practice that I do not share but I still found the book to be one of the most helpful guidebooks I have used.

A lovely instructional watercolour book, with meaningful mindfulness moments. I throughly enjoyed my time with this book and will revisit again.

Wow! This book has made a huge difference to me. I recently started trying to learn watercolour painting which I have loved despite a few failures along the way. But what I was finding frustrating was that all the tutorials I was following were very naturalistic and I wanted to feel I had added my own touch to what I was doing, to loosen up a bit! This book has helped me do that. It takes a very different approach that helps you feel less constrained and also to understand colour better and to use it in different ways. This book came at just the right time for me and I loved it! Recommended for artists of all levels as I think everyone could get something out of this book.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This book is utterly gorgeous. It will help you to think about colour and form, but won't lose you on the way. It helps you to calm your mind and prepare to put paint down in a heart warming and pleasing way. It won't teach you to do photo-realist art, but it will support you to free your mind and make lovely, pleasing water colour pictures.
Highly recommended.

This was a very intriguing look at painting in watercolor! As a new student of the art of watercolor, I am finding out my "style" or groove, so to speak. This was a fun, insightful look at intuitive painting, painting without criticism and/or expectation. There were some lessons without a lot of instruction, and also some lessons with numbered detailed instructions to a specific project. I loved it!

This is an awesome beginner watercolor book! The author describes the items needed for watercolor and then there are projects that are so easy and fun and that can be painted over and over with completely different effects each time. Some of the painting projects are abstract and others are not, but each can be added to with more distinct lines after they dry for scenery or for neat art journal pages or just left as they are. Each painting teaches a watercolor technique and also includes a short description from the author of what inspired the painting she is going to teach. I think this book would be an invaluable resource to anyone interested in watercolor or mixed media as some of the paintings include pencil or ink drawings on the painting after it is dry. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. #WatercolorIsforEveryone #NetGalley

This is an excellent book which offers a wide range of projects for anyone interested in watercolours to try - there is something for everyone! It starts by suggesting vital tools needed to complete the project and I thought this was well explained and reasoned out. Each project is broken into manageable chunks for the reader to attempt to reproduce for themselves.