Thinking in Watercolor: A Daily Practice to Unlock Your Creativity & Discover Your Inner Artist

by Jessie Kanelos Weiner

Overview

A 30-day masterclass in the art of using watercolor to tell your own stories. 

Unlike most watercolor instruction books based on rote copying of classic watercolor subjects, Thinking in Watercolor encourages readers to use art as a means of self-expression. Author and in-demand illustrator Jessie Kanelos Weiner encourages readers through foundational watercolor techniques and shows how to adapt them to share their personal experiences over the course of several days. On Day 10 they’ll illustrate a family recipe; on Day 14 they’ll go on a scavenger hunt through a local museum—and so forth.

As both a commercial illustrator and professional art instructor, Jessie is uniquely poised to offer readers insider tips and clever visualizations of the creative process—and she brings each lesson to life with her vivid illustrations and stories from her life as an ex-pat in Paris. It all adds up to a volume that’s at once inspiring, charming, and informative—the perfect gift for anyone looking to begin or reignite a personal art practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781648293320
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/04/2025
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jessie Kanelos Weiner is a watercolor illustrator, author, and teacher. She is the coauthor of New York in Stride and Paris in Stride and the author of Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables, and The New Victory Garden Wall Calendar series. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, Vogue, T Magazine, The New York Times, and Cherry Bombe, and she was named a rising star in food illustration by Food & Wine. She regularly collaborates with brands like Chevrolet, LVMH, Fragonard, and Nespresso. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she has been based in Paris for more than fifteen years, where she teaches drawing at several art schools and hosts watercolor workshops and retreats for brands and students of all levels. See her work at jessiekanelosweiner.net and subscribe to her Substack newsletter, La Vie en Watercolor / Jessie Kanelos Weiner.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Getting Started
 
DAILY EXERCISES
Days 1 to 5: Washes 101
Days 6 to 10: Drawing Is Seeing, Seeing Is Painting
Days 11 to 15: Observation Station
Days 16 to 20: Experimentation
Days 21 to 25: Idea Generation
Days 26 to 30: It’s Personal
 
Epilogue
Resources
Acknowledgments
 

Editorial Reviews

"Jessie Kanelos Weiner is one of my favorite Paris artists. An American-in-Paris, a Substacker, a stand-up comedian and a stand-out watercolorist, I’ve loved Jessie’s work since I saw it in an early issue of Cherry Bombe Magazine — it’s lyrical, smart and beautiful.... that her passion for what she does extends to wanting to help others find joy in painting is a gift to us. Her newest book is a guide to becoming a storyteller through art."—Dorie Greenspan, xoxoDorie

"Weiner’s new book, Thinking in Watercolor, reflects her passion for making art accessible and joyful."—Jenn Rice, Forbes

From the Publisher