Right now, my favorite chapter in my new book, Look at That! – Second Edition, is Chapter 6, called “Introducing…WATER!”

The key to effortless watercolor painting, surprisingly, has nothing to do with paper, or paint or brushes. Nope. The Secret is Understanding Water.

Water is the free, life-sustaining art supply that confounds so many watercolorists.

It’s what gives watercolor paintings their magic and it’s why so many artists say, “Watercolor is so hard!”

But no more.

Watercolor painting becomes a glorious adventure as soon as you learn these 8 watercolor secrets that no one ever tells you.

A well-executed watercolor painting is magical because it looks like a moment frozen in time.

It’s as if, at the very moment when the pigments were suspended in flowing water, the liquid suddenly disappeared, leaving the pigments floating in air. This is the real magic of watercolor, and why befriending WATER is essential.

Some of these secrets may sound familiar, but you have never before seen them organized and explained clearly, together, in one place. They are the puzzle pieces you have needed all along that will enable you to thoroughly enjoy watercolor painting forever. In the past, one puzzle piece was in a book, another in an online course, and a third piece was hiding under the corner of the rug. By the end of this 8-part lesson, you will see all the puzzle pieces come together in one delightful, astonishing picture. “Aha! I get it! Look at that!”

Over the next 8 weeks I will be sharing all of Chapter 6 with you here, for free. This chapter is a mere 14 pages out of the 140 pages of the new book, jam-packed with enthusiasm, information, and of course, inspiration. Enjoy.

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Secret #1 of 8 – Give yourself the gift of creating a “Sketchbook Watercolor” habit.

I want to talk with you about the difference between “hang-it-on-the-wall watercolor” style, and “sketchbook watercolor” style. You use the same equipment for both, but the approach is very different.

A sketchbook watercolor mind-set serves three purposes:

1- It gives you the opportunity to learn step-by-step, at your own pace, while practicing on a small scale. You can try out techniques for creating various textures, exploring wet-in-wet in smaller areas, long before you begin designing full scenes and compositions. And you will have a valuable record of your progress.

2- It eliminates all pressure to create a frame-worthy masterpiece by the end of the first day (!)

3- Finally, surprisingly, it gives you the chance to fall in love with learning, with sketching (pencil, ink, watercolor or any combo) as an artform in itself.  (See page 9 of the Second Edition, or page 11 of the First Edition.)

By studying with a Sketchbook Watercolor mind-set, you give yourself permission to practice and warm-up just like musicians and dancers do. You deserve this rehearsal time and you can enjoy it too! Remember, even accomplished artists do not deprive themselves of this essential practice.

Although the watercolor learning curve can feel steep, it needn’t be painful or hurried. It can be a delight every step of the way.

That’s it for Secret #1: Give yourself the gift of creating a “Sketchbook Watercolor” habit.

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For those of you who have read my last post, you know I am presently doing battle with the Goliath giant called Amazon’s algorithm. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for any inconvenience or added expense you have experienced because for now, on Amazon, this new book of mine is crazily hidden behind the first book, published four years ago! The fix, unfortunately, will take a little longer to accomplish, but in the meantime, you can find the new book by following these links below.

Warning: You must follow these links below to get to the exact version you want. If you go to the page, and start innocently clicking back and forth between the eBook, paperback, and hard cover versions of this new book (LIKE YOU CAN DO WITH ANY OTHER BOOK ON AMAZON—HARUMPH…) you will soon discover that the First Edition and Second Edition are all mixed up together. The reason for this is too complicated to explain. Rest assured; I am working with them to fix it. For now, just come back to this blog post, follow the link to your favorite format, and thanks!

Look at That! Second Edition eBook ($9.99USD) CLICK HERE.

Look at That! Second Edition PAPERBACK- 140 pages ($24.00USD) CLICK HERE.

Look at That! Second Edition GORGEOUS HARD COVER- 140 pages ($35.00USD) CLICK HERE.

If you have already purchased your copy, I hope you are enjoying it! If you are inspired, you can follow these same links to submit your honest review. It will contribute to this book’s future success, and is greatly appreciated, I promise.

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 And, as always, thanks for spending some time “aloft”!