Beginning Watercolor ─ Tips and Techniques for Learning to Paint in Watercolor

From the first brushstroke to the finishing touch, let the Portfolio series guide you as you begin your artistic journey in watercolor painting.

Beginning Watercolor teaches aspiring artists everything they need to know to get started painting in watercolor. This helpful resource begins with a basic introduction to the essential tools and materials artists need to get started, including choosing the right paintbrushes, watercolor paints, sketchbooks, and canvas. Additionally, artists will learn the fundamentals of watercolor, as well as a variety of painting techniques, including creating washes, mixing colors, creating soft blends, rendering realistic textures, and working wet-into-wet. Beginning Watercolor guides beginners through a series of easy-to-follow, step-by-step projects covering a variety of watercolor methods and techniques, including helpful tips and advice when painting landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and more. With helpful tips and detailed, beautiful artwork to guide and inspire,Beginning Watercolor is the perfect resource for watercolor artists just getting started in this colorful medium.

Maury Aaseng has always been excited about drawing and art. After graduating with a BFA in graphic design from the University of Minnesota--Duluth, he moved to San Diego to begin an illustration career. His freelance work over the last eight years has spanned a variety of subject matter and styles. The range of his work has included anatomical illustration and cartoons for medical textbooks, informative illustrations for young adult nonfiction, custom watercolor work for independent authors, and logo design and creation. The variety has continued to fuel the creative spark that makes illustration work rewarding for him. In 2010, his artwork was featured in the Upstream People Gallery 7th Annual Color: Bold/Subtle Juried Online International Art Exhibition. An avid nature enthusiast, Maury moved back to Duluth in 2009, where he supplements his illustration work with wildlife photography and painting, hiking, skiing, and canoeing in the northern forests that border Canada. Maury lives with his wife, who works as a graphic designer at the university.