3-Colour Watercolour

30 sweet and simple watercolour projects for beginners  gain confidence in colour mixing using just 3 colours at a time!

Artist Katie Putt, New Designers 'One to Watch' (London, 2019), guides you through simple step-by-step instructions for 30 mini-masterpieces. Each of the 10 chapters in this book is based around a different 3-colour palette, from jewel brights to Scandi calm. You'll need just 3 'pure' paint colours to make a start. From these, you will learn how to mix a surprising range of different colours - every hue you'll need to complete the 3 easy-to-follow watercolour projects in each chapter, which range from animals, flowers and plants to baked goods and more.

By working with 3-colour palettes, you'll get to know each different colour of paint intimately. You'll gain an understanding of how different colours interact when mixed or layered, and you'll become a pro when it comes to the different characteristics of dark and light washes. By the time you've completed the projects in this book, you'll have a sixth sense for colour.

All 30 projects contains tips and simple instructions throughout, and each of the 10 sections is supplemented with generously sized colour charts to make colour matching super simple.

This is the perfect book for beginners as well as more developed artists who want to play around with more limited colour designs to truly gain an understanding of their paints.

Book Contents

Introduction 8
The basics 10
Tools 12
Colour essentials 14
Three colours 18
Colour charts 19
Layering 20
Steps 21

THE PALETTES 22

Jewel brights: patisserie, pomegranate, potted plant 24
Beach spirit: rockpool crab, cocktail hour, surf’s up 34
Scandi calm: eucalyptus, wicker basket, photo time  44
True romance: trainer, lantern, hot-air balloon 54
Tropical sun: lemons, tiger, chameleon 64
Magic touch: shell, ice lolly, flora 74
Spring fresh: bird’s nest, flower power, springtime bird 84
Summer swoon: flowering cacti, parasol, journal entry 94
Autumnal glow: iced doughnut, fungi, latte art 104
Festive vibes: red lipstick, bedside lamp, present 114

Colour index 124
Author biography 128
Illustration credits 128