"After 25 years of teaching thousands of novice watercolorists the simple methods contained in this book, I firmly believe that anyone willing to follow the directions and do the work cannot fail to achieve a successful picture. If I can do it, so can you." —Jack Reid

In this beginner-friendly guide, Jack Reid will show you the hows of watercolor painting. He covers it all in clear, easy-to-understand terms—beginning with what tools and materials you should buy to get off to a good, affordable start. You'll find simple, step-by-step exercises to help you:

• control your brush with ease
• master the 4 basic watercolor techniques—the flat wash, the graded wash, the wet-in-wet and the dry-brush
• take the "Five Steps to a Painting"—step-by-step demonstrations guide you from one color to five, to make your paintings "sing" with color
• use photography and photocopying to create paintings inspired by life

Then put everything you've learned into action by following along with 7 painting projects. Before you know it, you'll be creating your own beautiful watercolor paintings!