Every bit as joyful as the cover suggests, this book is a delight! I love Emma's colors and style, and her teaching is equally cheerful. She has you splash right in, adroitly building skills like color mixing, layering, and perspective into step-by-step paintings.

This hands-on approach, paired with illustrations I'm excited to paint, has me smiling and pulling out my palette. And for me, this is the point: to step away from my everyday overthinking and enjoy some creative fun and loveliness.

I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up — perhaps gouache, Emma?

PS While the 20 colors used throughout are named (those missing on page 26 are cerulean blue, Chinese white, and lemon yellow), you'd manage nicely with a smaller palette; Windsor & Newton Cotman pocket and compact sets pop up frequently in the artist's Instagram feed.