The Art for Joy’s Sake Journal: Watercolor Discovery and Releasing Your Creative Spirit (Artisan Series)

This book is more than just a book, it's an experience, and a delightful one for that matter! Each page is so thoughtfully designed to give the reader the feeling of going in an adventure in making art just for the joy of it. I love how Kristy tells us which materials she used as well as an example of how she interpreted the subject and her tips on how to tackle it. Since this may be the readers first coloring a book, it's great that they can take the finished paintings as a springboard for their own coloring experience. I also love that the double pages came back. It's so comforting to know that even if I'm not entirely happy with the way I watercolored the first time around, I can simply flip the page and have another go! I'm also super happy that Kristy added space for us to flex our creative muscles and do our own thing. Last but definitely not least, the story behind the art is the best. I'm always curious as to how the artist got the inspiration for their work, and Kristy not only give us that, but also the most inspirational tidbits to go with it! And the joyful tips are so helpful, I'm really digging that!Now for the quality of the paper - It is superb, just as Kristy's other books. I know she takes great care to choose the best watercolor paper and once again, she does not disappoint. The high quality paper is tick enough to take even very wet washes, and it's smooth so I can add details with pens, colored pencils, fineliners, etc, which I love to do. And the book has a sturdy and beautifully decorated hardcover with an elastic band to keep it all together. This is excellent because as we paint the pages the book becomes bulkier so the elastic helps to keep it together neatly.I am so happy to add this gorgeous book to my collection of Kristy's books (I have them all) and as a die hard watercolor lover and coloring book enthusiast, I highly recommend this book as I am sure I will have countless hours of pleasure painting the gorgeous line drawings and reading all the fun and inspirational stuff. I'm so excited to get started and ready to purchase several extra copies to give as early gifts to my friends so we can have a holiday painting party!

I have learned to paint from Kristy's books and this one does not let me down in any way! It's gorgeous! The gold edges make the pages super luxurious!I've found using a decent watercolor brush makes a big difference in the way the water flows on the pages. This book has amazing color images of Kristy's work and recipes. Ideas. Beautiful art. Helpful techniques and just blank pages to play and journal. I love it!

I have followed Kristy Rice for at least 10 years. She recently offered me a complimentary look at her newest book in exchange for this honest and transparent online review. Once again she has outdone herself in inspiring us to just pick up a brush and paint with joy in our hearts rather than self-judgement. I have enjoyed her other books and yet this feels like the pinnacle book of "just jump in and do it". Her words of inspiration and the beautiful photography are so amazing, close up and real. It is so great that an artist as busy as she is takes the time to share her gifts encouraging others to start something they probably feel insecure about. All I can say is THANK YOU Kristy!! I am honored to review this book.

I was disappointed in this book. After looking at all the great reviews I just had to have it and waited very patiently for it to arrive. It has a few simple "lesson" type of pages. A lot of the works that are already painted as examples and very few pages to actually paint yourself. The book is 60 pages but out of that there are only 18 pictures to paint. And there are doubles of each picture. So really there are only 9 pictures to paint.( Front and back of a page) the pages are not very thick like watercolor paper. So if you paint directly on the pages some spots soak through to the other side. Ruining the other picture to be painted. If you are looking for a very simple book, then this would work fine. If you are looking for more of a watercolor book to have pictures to paint. Not many options in this one. You'd probably be better off getting a regular (much cheaper) coloring book and transferring the pictures to watercolor paper. The best part of this book is it's cover.

Love, love this book. I had absolutely no problem with this paper. It doesn’t buckle or bleed through to the other side. I was able to perfectly duplicate her drawings which was loads of fun. And then as a bonus, I could do it all over again using my own color palette.My only complaint is that I wish there were a few additional projects because I burned through this book quickly. Thanks Kristy, this was a home run!

The perfect book for those who love watercolor. Since I am not the best artist, Kristy’s illustrations are perfect for me to play with my paints. She also has pages to practice various strokes and just playing with your paints and brushes. It really is a great book to get comfortable with the medium and explore your own creativity. I liked it so much, I’m buying it as gifts for fellow artists.