Watercolor is one of the most fluid and unpredictable mediums, which makes it both exciting and intimidating. One of the biggest struggles for beginners is water control—too much water, and the paint runs everywhere; too little, and your colors won’t blend smoothly. If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated with streaky washes, unwanted blooms, or muddy colors, this guide is for you!

As the vibrant hues of autumn surround us, it’s a perfect time for watercolor artists to dive deeper into the art of color mixing. Fall colors offer a natural, rich palette full of warmth, depth, and subtlety, making it the ideal inspiration for artists looking to expand their color mixing skills. By mastering these seasonal hues, you can create paintings that genuinely capture the essence of autumn.

Are you dreaming of combining your love for art with an unforgettable getaway? After the success of our recent art retreat in France, I’m thrilled to announce that our next adventure will be in Portugal! 🎉 In October 2025, we’re headed to the beautiful Algarve coast for an immersive Portugal art retreat—and you’re invited.

When I released my

last year, I wanted it to be available to as many people as possible. So I’ve worked with my publishers to release a Spanish version and it is now available! I was also surprised the other day with the Italian translation at my front door!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love Winsor & Newton's professional watercolor paints. They have been a favorite for a long time, and I use them in many of my projects and classes, so I was so excited when they approached me to put together this palette of colors!

I’m happy to be able to share that I am a guest instructor for Wanderlust 2024 and to celebrate, you’re invited to join me for a LIVE painting session where we’ll be painting mini abstracts in our sketchbooks! Sign up and download a fun freebie here!

Wanting to start a new skill is daunting. It's overwhelming with all of the free and even costly online tutorials, courses, and blog posts.

In today’s post, I wanted to discuss one of my favorite art forms: botanical watercolors. There’s something magical about capturing the delicate beauty of nature on paper, isn’t there? The vibrant hues, intricate details, and organic shapes all combine to create a stunning pieces of art that can brighten up any space.

Join me at the Sketchbook Party live online weekend creative retreat! I’ll be teaching a fun watercolor sketchbook spread and showing you what to do for an extra boost of creativity.

In this video, I gave you a few options for painting white flowers with watercolor but wanted to share that you can lighten the paint color using more water.

Watercolor Leaves: how to easily paint multiple styles & learn to layer leaves creating depth for an interesting piece of art that you can frame, digitize to use in your design work and enjoy painting over and over again! This online watercolor for beginners class will show you how to mix paint, use my favorite brush and create depth, movement and flow to your painted piece.

’ve been sharing them on my IGTV over here and on my Instagram account here. I’ll try my best to upload them to this post daily, but in case I can get them up quick enough, make sure to follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss out!

Registration for this classes closes on February 16th! This class will launch again in the spring but at a higher price. The best part about getting into the class now is not only do you get in for a lower price, but you automatically get access to all updates as I improve the class and add more content to it!!

If you have any questions about this class, email me anytime at nicki@lifeidesign.com!

Introduction to Modern Watercolors for Beginners is a class that I developed and teach in a way that helps you learn easily, through simple projects, how to become familiar with watercolor paints but practice, observation and fun!