While perusing the shelves at Barnes and Noble one day, I came across a watercolor book that acts like one of those art tutorial reels on Instagram. The Watercolor with Me series by Dana Fox is printed on watercolor paper with pre-sketched images so that you can follow along with the watercolor techniques directly in the book itself. Then, not only do you not have to worry about replicating a drawing, but you have a book full of all of the different techniques that this book has taught you. Below is my review of Watercolor with Me in the Forest as well as how my attempts at these watercolor techniques turned out.

Watercolor with Me in the Forest book layout

The bookstore had both Watercolor with Me in the Forest and Watercolor with Me in the Ocean. I went with forest because I wanted to learn to work with earth tones so that I could apply them to future landscape paintings. And I’m more likely to paint a landscape involving a deer’s habitat than a whale’s.

Aside from a page featuring a color chart and a corresponding introduction page, the book dives right into painting. I just used two watercolor palettes that I already had at home and tried to match the colors as best I could. It suggests using round watercolor brushes of various sizes along with a white gel pen and a black ink pen. I used white paint in place of the white pen.

The book is broken up into four sections: wet on dry, wet on wet, painting fur, and ink and wash. It leads you in gradually, and though I’m still working my way through the book, the difficulty level never gets to be too intense. The shapes of every object, plant, or animal are simply drawn with distinct lines separating the intended colors.

Practicing

Each section starts with practicing the technique on basic shapes. The side you paint on is always on the left side of the page, and the directions are on the right.

Watercolor painting is all about control. Control of the shade, where the paint goes, and how clean it looks is up to the painter. It’s not a type of artform that you can rush through. There’s a lot of stopping and starting as you wait for the paint to dry. But the paint dries relatively fast, and it’s something I just keep on my dining room table and work on throughout each day.

Wet on dry

I started at the beginning with the wet on dry technique. The first subject in the section is a set of acorns. The three colors are broken down along with the suggestion to use a size 6 round brush. Then, there are six steps to follow along in terms of applying layers to each part of the acorn.

With watercolors, you start light and get darker. You also paint those dark layers in specific directions in order to add texture to your top layer.

I definitely struggled to get the shades of each color right. But I think I was able to get them to match the author’s version on the opposite page. It was the shadowing where I struggled. My acorns have distinct outlines versus subtle shading. The top section, which involves a crisscross pattern, also doesn’t look as clean and as the finished product. But it taught me to really pay attention to these details in future attempts.

Taking notes

After the acorn project, I began to write notes in the white space below my paintings. As much as it helps to see my finished product, taking notes about what worked and what didn’t is going to help me when the memory of creating each piece fades.

My lines got cleaner as I went along. And the book encourages you to use black and white pens for those detailed outlines. Outlines can be tricky to paint with watercolors, no matter how controlled and steady your hand. So, you can cut corners without feeling like you’re cheating. You’re just trying to make the painting the best that it can be.

Difficulty level

I wouldn’t say that there’s a distinct difficulty level with each piece. You don’t have to be intimidated that the paintings are going to get harder. Fox just uses each piece to illustrate a new technique. In the ladybug piece, she shows you how to keep certain sections white to make them pop on the page. She also has you practice with outlining in paint versus ink to show the pros and cons of using each.

Plants tend to be easier than animals because their textures are simpler and cleaner. You can make a flower or leaf any color, and it works. But a particular bird or bug is going to require distinct colors. And the shading of those colors also make a difference.

Tips on watercolor painting

As I went along, I worried less about making my paintings match the instructions completely and became more daring in terms of experimenting. I would go hours without returning to paint on another layer or add details.

Also, peering too closely over the painting shows only its flaws. It was when I stepped back a few feet that it all came together. And I had to keep reminding myself that the small part that I was focusing on was not the way the finished product was going to look.

It was also nice not to have to sketch anything out ahead of time. I can usually copy off of a photo or another drawing of an object or creature pretty well. But the frustration of sketching it out can take away the desire to then switch over to painting. So, I liked that the drawings were pre-sketched for me.

The sketches reminded me to keep the pencil marks light so that the paint will cover them. It also showed that you don’t have to draw out every single line. The trunk of a tree could just be one or two lines to guide the painter while allowing them to shape the tree in the way they want it. The lines also show you where to create shadows, especially compared to the final product.

Wet on wet

A new section of Watercolor with Me starts with another practice page. The wet on wet technique is about giving up some of the control. So, each project starts with a layer of clean water. The paint is then dropped onto it and the page is tilted so that the colors run together. It can make a nice tie dye effect and creates a nice blend between colors.

A feathers tutorial has you leave the middle section dry so that when the paper is tilted, it doesn’t hit the center and leaves a white line down the middle the way an actual feather does. It’s not the cleanest line as when the water is tilted; it sometimes runs over the center line. But it’s not about perfection; it’s about blending the colors correctly without making them look muddy.

Wet on wet creates textures by running the brush over the paint while it’s still wet to remove paint instead of add it. I also made use of white watercolor paint when the wet on wet brushing techniques didn’t quite pan out for me. So, even if a technique is unsuccessful, there are still ways to fix it. Sometimes just a fresh coat of water can move the paint just enough to get it where you wanted and create the shade you desired. But if you’re trying to move it off of the tips of the drawing, you either have to do it when it’s wet or accept your missed opportunity.

Painting fur

The wet on wet then leads to the painting fur section of the book which is all about making the right kinds of strokes to create the right kinds of animal fur. This is where it’s especially tricky and requires a thorough read through of the instructions.

By now, the paper does start to crinkle heavily, even if you’re not applying too much water or trying to overcorrect your work. I began using clips to hold the paper down. The last thing you want is your wet paper to flip over while your paint is drying. You also want to keep your paper as flat as possible so that the water runs where you want it to.

The fur techniques were challenging but interesting. It showed different ways of painting fur, from small, fine strokes to big, thick strokes. A light layer of paint is usually necessary. And then it takes additional layering of darker strokes to create the fur. I was more successful at some techniques than others.

Ink and wash

The final section, ink and wash, is one that I was most looking forward to trying. My solution to every art project is to outline it. This one has you outline the sketch in ink first and then add the paint. It doesn’t even have to fill the lines cleanly. The painting can look just as good when the paint doesn’t quite touch the edge of the ink or even runs past it. It gives you that blended watercolor look that watercolor paintings are meant to have in which subjects don’t need to stay inside the lines. I also like the idea of adding textures in ink so that I just have to worry about getting the main colors right.

The instructions warn you to test your ink pen before you use it in the book to make sure that the ink doesn’t run when wet. I tested two different pens and thought I had found one that didn’t run when I tested it on regular paper. However, once I tried it on my practice paper, I found that was not true. It turned out a regular ink pen did the trick.

Final thoughts

I don’t know if Watercolor with Me is a book that you can say you’ve read as much as interactively studied, more like an activity or coloring book. But it definitely lived up to my expectations in terms of helping me learn better watercolor techniques.

I’m still by no means an expert painter, and I feel like I would have to practice each day in order to maintain what I’ve learned. But I like knowing that I have this guide to follow along with the next time I want to do a watercolor painting. And between my practice, my notes, and the instructions, it feels like a great tool to have at my disposal.

Buy it!

Buy a copy of Watercolor with Me in the Ocean here and help support local bookstores. This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.

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