I spent a lovely afternoon painting with this easy to follow watercolour book

drawings of a panda and flamingo in watercolour using book
(Image credit: Future)

I might be married to an illustrator and work on an art and design site, but I am definitely not an artist. My drawings can be described as either "absolutely terrible" or "naive", depending on how nice you're feeling.

But with a bit of instruction from a drawing book or tutorial, I get along better. When I tried the Simply Draw book a few years ago, I found that I could draw simple shapes with reasonable success.

And I've found a new book that I've been really enjoying. It's called Animal Watercolour in 10 Minutes by Miriam Sugranyes and it's available to pre-order now (it comes out on 5 August in the US and 17 July in the UK).

book that says animals on it with different animal drawings

(Image credit: Future)

The book takes you through the basics of watercolour before giving simple step by step instructions of how to draw various animals, including a panda, otter, elephant, flamingo and penguin.

drawings of a panda in watercolour using book

(Image credit: Future)

The steps are pretty easy to follow, even for a novice like me. After my first attempt trying to draw a panda (above), I attempted a flamingo (below):

drawings of a flamingo in watercolour using book

(Image credit: Future)

The first step is always a line drawing, which I chose to do with a pencil as I didn't trust myself to go straight to watercolour.

drawings of a flamingo in watercolour using book

(Image credit: Future)

Next I added some colour. The book suggests which strokes to use and where, which I followed with varying degrees of success.

drawings of a flamingo in watercolour using book

(Image credit: Future)

I then added more details until I eventually got to something that resembles a flamingo, but alas, doesn't look a huge amount like the picture. But this is my fault for not following the instructions carefully not, not the book's!

drawings of a panda and flamingo in watercolour using book

(Image credit: Future)

So now I had a flamingo and a panda. After that I went on to draw a tortoise.

watercolour of a tortoise

(Image credit: Future)

I honestly had a lovely time making these drawings. I used Staedtler's 60 karat aquarell watercolour pencils to make these, but next time I want to try out some proper watercolours like M. Graham Artists' Watercolours.

watercolour of a tortoise, panda and flamingo

(Image credit: Future)

Other beginner watercolour sets like the one below are currently on sale as part of Amazon Prime Day, so you can bag yourself a bargain.

Artecho  Watercolour Paint Set 50 Colors
Artecho Watercolour Paint Set 50 Colors: was $18.99 now $15.98 at Amazon

This watercolour art kit comes with 46 classic colours plus four fluorescents. You also get a couple of brushes, a drawing eraser, pencil sharpener and pencil and there's even some watercolour paper to get you started. All you need to start experimenting with watercolour.

Read more
Astistro Watercolor Paint Set
Astistro Watercolor Paint Set: was $29.99 now $16.99 at Amazon

There's a huge 43% off this watercolour paint set that includes a range of vibrant colours to get you started on your watercolour journey as well as fluorescents and metallics. It comes in a sweet tin box with paper and brushes also included.

Read more

And don't forget to pre-order Animal Watercolour in 10 Minutes for $19.99 at Amazon as it comes out soon. I fully recommend it to beginners and those who want to improve their skills. Plus it would make a great gift for a budding artist.

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Rosie Hilder
Deputy editor

Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.

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