Getting Started with Watercolor Workbook Simple
Most people grab Watercolor Workbook Simple because they want a structured way to practice without spending hours figuring out their own curriculum. The basic premise is straightforward: exercises laid out in order of difficulty, with clear visual references and step-by-step instructions for each painting. It's aimed at beginners to early intermediate painters who want a system instead of winging it. It's a collection of downloadable exercises designed around fundamental watercolor techniques — wet-on-wet, dry brush, color mixing, negative painting, and so on. Each workbook focuses on one or two concepts per spread, giving you a constrained problem to solve rather than saying "paint whatever you want" and hoping you learn something. The files are typically PDF-based with printable sheets. You print them out, keep a reference next to your paper, and work through the exercises in sequence. That's essentially it. No fancy app, no subscription, just pages you can use with whatever supplies you already have.
How to Use It Without Frustrating Yourself
I picked up a copy about three years ago after watching too many tutorial videos that never actually led to finished paintings. The workbook itself is fine, but there's a trap beginners fall into that I want to warn you about. People treat it like a coloring book and try to make every exercise look identical to the reference image. That approach kills progress faster than anything else. Work through the exercises at your own pace. Spend two weeks on a single page if you need to. The progression structure assumes you're building skill cumulatively, not racing through to check boxes. I once tried to complete all twelve exercises in one sitting and ended up with a mess of overworked paper and muddy colors that taught me nothing. Took me about three months to go through the whole thing properly, one session per exercise. One specific issue I ran into: the exercises use a particular brand and type of paper in the reference photos — cold press 140lb cotton. When I used cheaper student-grade hot press paper, the wet-on-wet blooms behaved completely differently and some exercises became nearly impossible to replicate the intended effect. I switched to a mid-range cold press and the results aligned with the examples almost immediately. Paper choice matters way more than people admit in these workbooks.
The Core Exercises Break Down
The workbook covers roughly eight to twelve core exercises depending on the edition. Here's what you'll generally find: Each section explains the technique, shows a before-and-after progression, and gives you a blank layout to attempt it yourself. Some editions include optional challenge rounds for people who finish ahead of the recommended pace. You can find the downloadable versions at the official publisher site or through major educational platforms. The standard file runs about twenty-five to thirty megabytes as a PDF bundle. There's also a companion video series available separately if you prefer watching the techniques demonstrated rather than reading them. I'd recommend starting with just the PDF unless you know you struggle with visual instruction — the videos add value but they're not essential for getting through the exercises.
Here are the things that aren't obvious until you've already made the mistakes: Brush quality matters more than the workbook claims. The exercises assume you're working with a decent round brush in sizes four and eight. If you're using a cheap pack from the craft store, your washes will pool unpredictably and the technical demonstrations won't match your results. This is the #1 reason people think the workbook isn't working for them. Don't skip the value studies. They're in the back half of the workbook and some people bounce to the color sections because they sound more fun. Skip them at your own risk. Value control is the foundation everything else builds on. The painters who get real results from this material are the ones who grind through the grayscale exercises before touching hue.
The limited palette assumption is aggressive. Most exercises specify a three- or four-color setup. If you reach for every color you own, you'll get muddy results and wonder why the technique "didn't work." Follow the palette restrictions seriously, even when they feel arbitrary. The limitations are there for a reason.
When It Doesn't Work
I should be honest about the limitations. This workbook is not designed for advanced painters looking to develop a personal style or push into abstract territory. It's remedial and foundational by design. If you already understand washes, layering, and color theory, you'll find it redundant within the first few exercises. There's also a gap in the later stages. The transition from single-object painting to full composition is where the workbook gets thin. The exercises don't provide enough scaffolding for compositional decision-making. You'll finish the material and still feel stuck when you try to paint something original. I got around this by pairing the workbook with a separate drawing composition study — something like Burne Hogarth's Drawing the Head and Hands or similar value/composition resources. The workbook handles technique; you need another source for the structural thinking. Another real limitation: the workbook doesn't address paper stretching or taping. Wet-on-wet exercises on unprimed paper buckles immediately and wastes expensive paper. A simple solution is to tape your sheets down with masking tape on all four sides before you start. This is mentioned nowhere in the material but it's critical for success.
Bottom Line
Watercolor Workbook Simple works if you respect its scope. It's a technique primer, not a career launcher. Two to three months of consistent practice using the exercises will give you solid foundational skills. Beyond that, you need to supplement with independent painting practice and compositional study. The material itself is clean and the exercise design is sound. The main bottleneck is the user's willingness to follow constraints rather than improvise on every step.
