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.