Eunice Sun - Watercolor Botanicals: Learn to Paint Your Favorite Plants and Florals

Whether youve never touched a paintbrush in your life or youve been dabbling in watercolors for a while, Im elated to take you on a journey with my favorite medium! I hope this time you spend with me will be as transformative for you as my watercolor journey has been for me. Transformative? you might be wondering. That might not be the first word that you thought when you picked up this book that you bought from a store, found on the handy-dandy Internet, or received as a gift. But I use the word transformative because this book will help you see yourself as an artist and allow you to embrace the vulnerability that comes with trying something that takes time and practice.

I fell in love with watercolors in 2015, after taking a modern calligraphy pointed-pen workshop. I signed up for that workshop because, after eight years working full-time in marketing and sales, I felt a creative itch, a space in my brain that I wasnt accessing. I had a desire to explore my creativity. If that sounds like you, let me offer an I feel you hug! After I took the class, I started with some terrible pointed-pen lettering and decided that I would commit myself to practicing and actually making whatever this was into something. At the time, I had zero premonitions of where this practice would lead me, but I had committed to a journey. And honestly, thats all it takes to get started.

Eventually, I longed for more color and began playing with brush lettering and watercolors. The moment when I realized that I could blend colors with lettering changed my path forever. I then began painting things that I simply liked and was inspired by daily. Those things included flowers, plants, fashion, food, and more plants. I began developing my unique style, which falls somewhere between realistic and abstract. Those around me and my community on social media began to notice. With my passion for watercolors, I eventually began teaching watercolor workshops, designing for others, and finding more ways to share the art. The colors, the way the fibers of the paper absorb paint, and the infinite blending possibilities of watercolor lit a fire in my heart, and Im here to light one in yours.

ONE RULE

I dont like to follow many rules, but there is one that is nonnegotiable for ensuring that your experience with watercolor will be positive, fluid, and restorative.

Therefore, you will begin with this:

I, ________________, will not receive self-deprecating thoughts about my artistic ability. When that little annoying voice comes out, I will take a step back, take a break, and watch my favorite TV show with my preferred snack or beverage, or hug a human or animal. I will then return to my watercolors with the mind-set that learning takes time and creation takes practice. I will remind myself that I am creative, I am able, and I am on my own journey to becoming a watercolor master, pro, or wizard.

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

In this book, I cover 30 topics that range from basic watercolor techniques to tutorials for painting many types of botanicals. I have curated a collection of 22 different flowers, leaves, and plants for you to paint, and many of these tutorials have a Botanical Bonus, which includes a lesson that teaches you how to paint a featured plant or flower from a different point of view. Some tutorials also include a project that helps you get more practice on what you learned in the tutorial, and youll have several combination projects that will allow you to paint different botanicals in one piece. In total, youll paint 44 different pieces and get to spend so much time with me! (YAY, RIGHT?)

In each tutorial, youll find the following:

Color swatches of the paint colors you will need, including paint combinations for when you need to mix colors

A list of the supplies youll need

A list of the techniques that youll be using

Line drawings that will allow you to visualize the shapes and forms of the object that you will paint

Step-by-step instructions and illustrations to guide you through each tutorial

THE Watercolor Botanicals 30-DAY CHALLENGE

I chose to participate in a 100-day challenge on Instagram back in 2015 when I began practicing pointed-pen calligraphy and lettering. I created a lettered quote every day for 3 months and 10 days, and posted it on my Instagram account. Even though it seemed like I only created one piece a day, the challenge encouraged me to consistently look for inspiration, sit down for at least an hour to draft, and create several versions of a piece until I created the one piece I was proud enough to share on social media. By the end of the 100 days, I developed the habit of setting time aside to give myself space to create andin many instancescreate something I had never thought I could make before. It opened my eyes to see daily inspiration everywhere I went. It also allowed me to visually document my progress. It is so valuable for you to see how much youve improved and how much your style changes over time. (Youll see!)

My goal here is to provide you with a structure in which you will set aside time to learn and create for 30 days. That is why Ive designed the tutorials so that you can complete each one in one sitting (with additional Botanical Bonus tutorials and projects if you want to go the extra mile). Simply follow along with this book and complete at least one tutorial per day for the next 30 days. Keep all of your work and look back often to see your progress. This, I hope, will lead you to always look for inspiration in your everyday life, establish creative time and space for yourself, and come out at the end with a set of new skills, confidence, and pride in what you just accomplished!