I’m trying to expand my watercoloring skills, but it can be difficult when I don’t know the names of the flowers I’d like to paint. Up to now, I’ve been skating by with colorful blurbs. This is a beautiful book that’s taking my work to the next level. It offers helpful well-written guidance alongside beautiful scans of step-by-step floral watercolors. There are over 25 flowers and cacti included, from Anemones to Organ Pipe Cactus.

That’s key because now I can research the flowers by name and climate to see if I’m painting the right ones for the scenes I’m painting (looking at you, Hobbiton/New Zealand). The tips are super helpful and very practical, like how to handle the gradients and negative space between flowers. A lovely, wonderful book for any aspiring watercolorist — like me!