Jenna Rainey

Promising Start, Disappointing Finish - NOT for BEGINNERS

As a beginning watercolorist, I purchased this book thinking it would walk me through some basics in 30 days worth of “lesson plans.” Well, there ARE day-by-day lesson plans of a sort. But the progression made no sense to me.

What was worse is that the written instructions were not always clear. Instead, they were clearly written by a practitioner who already knows what they’re doing or has an image of what they want to do in show more their minds. Unfortunately, knowing is not the same as teaching and this author did NOT have the ability of translating her lesson concept into instructions a beginner could follow. That became very frustrating. Even the drawings and illustrations included were not always sufficient to show how to complete a task.

I did complete most of the lessons (though not all). But I would NOT recommend this book for a beginner. If you already have basic watercolor experience, however, you may find some of the lessons in this book fun to explore. They might even push you you to do something new. But I’m sure there are better books suited for a beginner like me. So, I will keep hunting. show less

Promising Start, Disappointing Finish - NOT for BEGINNERS

As a beginning watercolorist, I purchased this book thinking it would walk me through some basics in 30 days worth of “lesson plans.” Well, there ARE day-by-day lesson plans of a sort. But the progression made no sense to me.

What was worse is that the written instructions were not always clear. Instead, they were clearly written by a practitioner who already knows what they’re doing or has an image of what they want to do in show more their minds. Unfortunately, knowing is not the same as teaching and this author did NOT have the ability of translating her lesson concept into instructions a beginner could follow. That became very frustrating. Even the drawings and illustrations included were not always sufficient to show how to complete a task.

I did complete most of the lessons (though not all). But I would NOT recommend this book for a beginner. If you already have basic watercolor experience, however, you may find some of the lessons in this book fun to explore. They might even push you you to do something new. But I’m sure there are better books suited for a beginner like me. So, I will keep hunting. show less

"Learn to paint watercolor in 30 days". Not an estimate but concrete lessons divided in 30 days. Meaning you can actually learn everything inside the book in a month. I like time frames (or else I don't do things), so I found that way of organizing the information appealing. Each day covers a specific topic and a task for you to complete. The first days are about basic things like swatches (blobs of paint), value scale, shapes, etc. Those will get you used to manipulating watercolors. The show more next days it just keeps incorporating the knowledge of previous days into the new lessons . As it increases in complexity, you move forward all the way to completed watercolor scenes.

This book is great for beginners, it makes it easy for you to start your watercolor journey. Jenna Rainey explains tools, color theory and everything you need to know before moving to the first day. However, what I found more important is that it doesn't only teach you but also entices you to start practicing:

- It gives a defined time frame "30 days of watercolors", so you can see the goal.
- 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 and you go "no way I can 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, meet other students/readers and keep on track. I like the idea of connecting with other people who also read the book and share our projects.

If you are looking for a "draw this specific gorgeous flower in 3-easy-steps" this is not your book. It doesn't focus on making you achieve a specific stylized design, but if you want to build solid foundations in watercolor and go beyond the examples provided, then go for it!. show less

I borrowed this book from the County Library and spent two months working through the 30 lessons. This is an excellent book for learning the baisc techniques of watercolor painting from a highly acclaimed expert. The book is full of step by step projects that teach a solid basic understanding of how to develop your skills and ability to confidently put paint to paper. I have repeated each exercise several times until I could master the technique being covered in each day's project. The book show more is beautiful and teaches by modeling in step by step easy-to-follow written instructions and with excellent pictoral examples of each step in the project. The topics of shading and shadows, color theory, supplies & materials are thoroughly covered, and the author broaches the ethical issue of refraining from copying other's work for commerical purpoess, while heartily endorsing the benefits of copying others' as a part of the formative learning process. I love this book and have learned a great deal from the two months I have spent working through the "30-days" of worth of lessons. It would be a great gift for any aspiring beginning painter of any age, teenage to senior adutl.. show less