Art for Mental Health & Wellness

Meditative, peaceful and calming, watercolour painting offers a sense of control and self-worth to everyone, with no judgement or goal beyond the joy of painting itself. This book shows you how to calm and enhance your outlook through the movement of brush on paper. Master artist Jean Haines leads you on a journey through paint, showing you how to wipe away your worries with the soothing, gentle strokes of watercolour paint.

Watercolor Is for Everyone helps aspiring artists discover their creative potential through soulful, meditative painting exercises.

Painting can be so much more than a mere hobby - it can be a vehicle transforming your mind, body, and spirit! Painting and bravely embracing the challenges of creativity sparks a revolution that involves heart, creativity, courage, and trust! Artistic pursuits such as painting have the power to soothe, heal, and connect a person to their truest self. Creative Revolution is the reader's key to unlocking the door to their own personal journey while making beautiful art. Creative Revolution is the culmination of Flora's life's work as an artist, offering guidance for others to embrace their authentic selves through paint. She has taught more than sixty workshops since she wrote her first book, Brave Intuitive Painting, and has witnessed miraculous things when people engage with the intuitive painting process. Creative Revolution is the next best thing to taking a course from Flora. Many readers and students can't help but exclaim, "This was about so much more than painting!" After reading Creative Revolution, readers will have a deeper connection to their intuition, increased confidence to make bolder choices, freedom to let go and explore various options, an understanding that everything is transformable, the trust that it will all work out in the end, and a renewed sense that creating can be fun and playful. All of this powerful transformation begins with paint. Creative Revolution is an insightful and practical guide for realizing the transformational power of fully embracing your creativity.

Combat stress and anxiety and release your own inner creative with this beautiful mindful watercolour book. In this simple and vibrant guide, hugely popular Instagram muse @TerryRunyan explores the art of watercolour through the lens of mindfulness, presenting activities and projects which you can paint along with as you allow your creative side to flourish. This watercolour guide is easy and accessible for beginners, as Runyan gently delves into the basics of the artform, starting with simple techniques which you can follow along with, as well as presenting some fun projects ideas for painters to explore. Alongside beautiful examples of the techniques and styles explored in the book, Runyan also encourages readers to practice mindfulness as they paint, and explores the ways in which art can be used to help improve mental health. Exploring the idea of 'perfectly imperfect watercolours', Runyan places emphasis on self-expression and allowing yourself to make mistakes. Painting Happiness also includes fun projects for readers to try at home, including: Turning blobs into birds Creating wild hairstyles Experimenting with different prompts to paint at least one thing a day From technical skills and notes on materials to insight into the creative process, this book has everything you need to start flourishing in watercolour. Painting Happiness offers playful, expressive watercolour painting techniques and projects that will help you find your calm.

Break free of your comfort zone, sharpen your perception, and find happiness in play. Paint Mojo is not about replicating particular techniques; it is about play and spontaneity. Tracy Verdugo gives encouragement to overcome fear of doing something wrong in painting. There are no mistakes--only opportunities to grow. Incorporating various media (including pastels, acrylic paints, ink, collage and more), this book is filled with exercises, self exploration and practical techniques. They include creation of a personal symbols library, using a grid to break down composition, and drawing on life experiences as prompts. In addition to Tracy's art, 15 talented contributors--Erin Faith Allen, Seth Apter, Orly Avineri, Lisa Sonara Bearn, Jessica Brogan, Juliette Crane, Kecia Deveney, Louise Gale, Jess Greene, e'Layne Koenigsberg, Laurie Mika, Peter Perez, Jesse Reno, Mary Beth Shaw, Roxanne Evans Stout, and Judy Wise--share lessons, exercises, tips and inspiration.

Unleash your creative spirit while caring for your mind with this inspiring, practical and joyful painting handbook.An accessible guide to both discovering your inner artist and nurturing your mind, Start Painting Now provides readers with brilliant new tools for relaxation and self-care. Instagram's favourite artist Emily Powell and her sister, Sarah Moore (PhD), will guide you through the process of learning to ignore your inner critic and unwind from the stresses of daily life through painting.Whether you're returning to art after a long break or starting as a complete beginner, this book will inspire you to just pick up a brush and see where it takes you. Backed by the latest research on the benefits of art for mental health and wellbeing, Start Painting Now will empower you to put aside the fear of failure, turn off your phone and throw yourself into the joy of creativity. Complete with inspiring examples from a range of female artists and set alongside examples of Emily and Sarah's own work, this book will give you all the tools you need to start painting now.

Get creative expressing yourself with watercolor paint by focusing on having fun and getting to know this versatile medium. More than 100 lessons help those who have never picked up a paintbrush before enjoy the pleasure of watercolor. In each chapter, you will progress through quick, simple exercises designed to get you started, then practice pages build on techniques. This book also shows those with more experience how to be inspired in new ways. Includes information on choosing supplies, mixing colors, making those first few brushstrokes, and quick, simple projects that range from making a joyful mess to beautiful pieces you can be proud of.

Break the rules and explore acrylic paint in a free and fun way. This book encourages you to get over the fear of the blank canvas and the anxiety over the outcome so you can focus on the process of painting and the pure joy of creating. Whether you're a novice who doesn't know how to get started or a classical painter looking to try something new, you will benefit from the activities in this book, which range from quick, messy and expressive exercises to relaxing and meditative paintings. Courtney Pilgrim shares 100 prompts, projects and playful activities that will build your confidence, inspiring you to roll up your sleeves and play with acrylic paint in a pressure-free way. There is no right or wrong way to create a painting, so enjoy the journey, relax, unwind and have fun!

Discover a fresh, fun approach to painting unique flowers! Forgo reference photos and discover a more organic and joyful way of painting! With its friendly step-by-step format, Painting Imaginary Flowers features a simple, three-stage approach to creating flowers only you can make...

1.Drop in color (ink, watercolor or fluid acrylics) to create abstract backgrounds full of beautiful textures and "blooms."
2.Just like spotting shapes in the clouds, search for shapes in your background that suggest blossoms and leaves. Paint around them and watch the flowers emerge!
3.Add patterns in pen to create a lovely, faux collage effect.

With plenty of mixed-media techniques throughout for building up luscious texture and color, even beginners can achieve happy results. Ten demonstrations show the versatility of this approach--from large-format pieces, to work in a series, and even Zen doodle landscapes. Never again will you be stuck for ideas or dependent on a photo. Every flower you paint will be unique, personal, and fresh from your imagination! Let your imagination blossom!

"True to its title, this is a complete course in painting watercolor flowers for anyone who is inspired or curious about giving it a try, but who may be intimidated by a lack of experience or skill" - BOOKLIST Packed easy-to-follow techniques, quick exercises and 20 outlines - so there's no need to draw anything. From the bestselling Absolute Beginner Art series. Expert artist and teacher Fiona Peart helps you to take your first steps with watercolor, showing you step-by-step how to produce modern, lively and colorful artworks using this exciting medium. Build the essential skills you need to paint a range of gorgeous flowers, then move on to find out how to add depth, soft backgrounds, light and texture to your artwork. * Easy-to-follow techniques * 21 outlines included - no drawing skills required! * 6 varied projects in simple steps * Includes a wealth of finished paintings to provide ideas and inspiration New in the best-selling Absolute Beginner series, this book is suitable for absolutely everybody who wants to take their painting skills further and become an accomplished flower artist.

Would you love to take your art in a new direction? In Abstract Art Painting, you will enter a realm of tactile, intuitive excitement, combining pastel and acrylic to achieve results as unique as you are. You'll learn how to explore the use of color theory in abstraction and to use underpainting to bring structure and depth to your art. In addition you'll begin to understand how to work in a series and how this can help you develop your own personal style. A sampling of what you'll add to your creative toolbox- .Pastel and acrylic techniques to use to complete your own paintings .The benefits of expressing your ideas abstractly .How to loosen up by using your nondominant hand and drawing to music .Ways to express emotions through mark-making .Using color and symbolism for expression .Working with photos for inspiration .Tips for using color studies Step into your own abstract frame of mind today!

Squeegee Art Revolution makes painting abstract art with a squeegee easy, fun, and relaxing.