Archives: Walter Foster Books
This travel-friendly toolkit translates William F. Powell’s proven method into 35 sturdy cards, a booklet, and a reusable acetate color mixing grid for precise, repeatable blends. Built for watercolor’s unique needs, each card presents a finished swatch, exact pigment proportions, and helpful notes on dilution/values so you can match a target hue and its light-to-dark range quickly.
With a find-follow-measure-mix workflow, you’ll locate a color in the guidance index (say, flamingo pink, seashell white), follow the numbered recipe, measure on the acetate grid, and blend a clean, reliable mix—ready for washes, glazing, or fine detail.
Follow these four simple steps to mix more than 400 color combinations:
- Look in the Color Guidance Index in the booklet for the subject you want to paint—for example, “Eucalyptus Bark.”
- Find the Color Recipe Card with the subject’s recipe number (“293”) and an example of the actual paint mixture.
- Use the Color Mixing Grid to measure each paint color.
- Mix the color.
It’s that easy! Perfect for students, teachers, plein air, and studio watercolorists alike, the deck’s compact format shines in all settings where speed and clarity matter. Because every recipe is visually verified and ratio-based, you can recreate favorite hues day after day, across papers and palettes, without guesswork. Whether you’re painting landscapes, still lifes, or people, this portable system brings confidence to color choice and control—keeping your attention on timing, edges, and brushwork while the color math stays simple and repeatable.
Walter Foster’s bestselling Color Mixing Recipes series also includes Color Mixing Recipes for Watercolor, Color Mixing Recipes for Oil & Acrylic, Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits, and Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes. These books contain hundreds of precise color mixing combinations for realistic results, as well as two acetate grids for measuring paint units.
This compact set distills the essentials of Powell’s classic reference into 35 durable cards together with an instructional booklet and acetate mixing grid, so you can measure, mix, and repeat results with confidence—whether you’re at the easel, in class, or painting on location.
Each recipe card pairs a full-color swatch with clear pigment ratios and a cross-referenced index, making it simple to look up a target hue, confirm the formula, and mix exactly what you need—no guesswork, no wasted paint. The cards extend the learning with concise lessons on value control, complementary mixing, and natural graying to keep colors clean, believable, and harmonious across subjects—from landscape greens and coastal neutrals to skin tones and shadow families.
Designed for oil and acrylic painters at any level, the deck’s step-by-step process is quick to learn and easy to teach.
Follow these four simple steps to mix more than 400 color combinations:
- Look in the Color Guidance Index in the booklet for the subject you want to paint—for example, “Sunflower Yellow.”
- Find the Color Recipe Card with the subject’s recipe number (“8”) and a photo of the actual paint mixture.
- Use the Color Mixing Grid to measure each paint color.
- Mix the color.
It’s that easy! Because ratios are visual and repeatable, you’ll build a personalized palette that stays consistent from study to final. Portable, practical, and pedagogically sound, this deck turns color theory into action—so you can spend less time testing and more time painting with intent.
Walter Foster’s bestselling Color Mixing Recipes series also includes Color Mixing Recipes for Oil & Acrylic, Color Mixing Recipes for Watercolor, Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits, and Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes. These books contain hundreds of precise color mixing combinations for realistic results, as well as two acetate grids for measuring paint units.
Quick Start Drawing Beginner Animals makes drawing accessible by showing you how to sketch animals in a clear, structured way. Using proven teaching techniques and visual guides, this beginner-friendly workbook introduces artists to the basics of drawing a wide range of animals—both familiar and exotic.
Each lesson begins with a simplified version of the animal and gradually adds detail, helping learners focus on shapes, construction, and form without getting overwhelmed. With a wide variety of animals to practice—like cats, dogs, birds, bears, horses, lions, and more—this book makes learning to draw both fun and rewarding.
Inside you’ll find:
- Clear, step-by-step tutorials for a range of animals
- Visual construction guides to help you map out proportions and poses
- Fundamental skills like line work, volume, and contour
- Built-in practice space so you can draw right in the book
- Confidence-building repetition to help solidify progress
Created for new artists of all ages, Quick Start Drawing Beginner Animals is perfect for anyone eager to draw animals with accuracy and personality. Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time or refreshing your skills, this workbook offers a supportive and rewarding entry point to drawing animals.
The Quick Start Drawing pads are part of the best-selling Big School of Drawing series. With helpful tips and easy-to-follow, step-by-step lessons, it is the perfect series for beginning artists ready to grab a pencil and get started drawing. With practice, you’ll soon be able to create your own realistic pencil drawings. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Also available from the series:Big School of Drawing People; Big School of Drawing Animals; Big School of Drawing Manga, Comics & Fantasy;
Big School of Drawing Manga, Comics & Fantasy Workbook; Big School of Drawing; Big School of Drawing Workbook; Quick Start Drawing Basics; and Quick Start Drawing People
Learn the satisfying, on-trend craft of macrame with this accessible reference featuring guides to fibers, supplies, and knots, as well as 12 step-by-step projects.
Whether you’re a beginner to soft crafts, looking to try a new craft, hoping to improve upon your existing macrame techniques, a DIYer, or just in search of a beautiful coffee table book, Sweet Home Macrame: A Beginner's Guide to Macrame offers the instruction and inspiration you need to succeed, as well as gorgeous eye candy!
Top Etsy seller Casey Alberti is the founder of Sweet Home Alberti, a small business selling macrame items and knotting lessons. In this complete guide to working with macrame, Alberti shares her techniques and showcases her fresh, vibrant macrame art.
Learn about:
- The supplies you’ll need for macrame, including cord and rope
- How to make the most common knots, such as lark’s head, square, and gathering
- Selecting a color palette
- Personalizing your macrame pieces
- And so much more
The 12 step-by-step projects show you how to make gorgeous items such as:
- Plant hangers
- Coasters
- Wall hangings
- A fruit basket
- A disco ball hanger
- Earrings
- And more
All are done in eye-catching color schemes, such as rainbow, rose gold, black and gold, and crystal, but each item can be personalized to your own favorite colors using Alberti’s expert advice.
In addition to the projects and techniques, find helpful tips for forming an artist’s community and starting your own business.
Use the online videos from the author, available on her social media, to boost your understanding.
Macrame is one of the trendiest crafts of the year, and macrame items make beautiful gifts, home decor, and more. Learn how to make your own artwork with Sweet Home Macrame: A Beginner's Guide to Macrame.
Practice the mindful art of hand embroidery with 18 gorgeous projects you can use to create home decor, upcycled clothing, and personalized gifts.
Creative Embroidery & Beyond expands on the best-selling Creative…and Beyond series, which includes Creative Lettering & Beyond, to focus on one of the most popular crafting methods out there: embroidery. In this visually stunning book that presents hand sewing as accessible and fun, three talented, on-trend artists—Jenny Billingham (@flynn_and_mabel), Theresa Wensing (@get.stitch.done), and Sophie Timms (@mindfulmantra_embroidery)—each present six designs. They are ideal for embroiderers of all skill levels, from total beginners to more advanced. You will find:
- Step-by-step embroidery projects featuring flowers, animals, insects, and more
- Instructions for how to embroider on denim, hats, and t-shirts
- Primers on essential stitches, including whipstitch and satin stitch
- Information on embroidery tools and how to use them
- Advice for threads and brands to use
- And so much more
Embroidery is a fun, accessible art medium that’s proven relaxing and mindful for millions of crafters around the world. Make your own embroidered gifts and more with Creative Embroidery & Beyond.
Illustrated by Marc Ordiali, this book invites you to add stickers to complete 10 mini shops—from a bookshop and bakery to a flower stall, cheese counter, café, and more—each filled with whimsical details and adorable animal characters. If you love kawaii stationery, interior design, and soothing craft moments, it’s the perfect relaxing, screen-free creative escape.
Rather than designing scenes from scratch, this activity offers a gentle, calming process: simply follow the sample layout, match each shop to its corresponding sticker sheets, and layer transparent stickers to build out the scene. Each sticker adds furniture, décor, products, and character moments that bring the tiny shop to life. The result is a finished, cozy vignette that feels deeply satisfying.
It’s the perfect way to unwind, with no pressure—no drawing, no complex crafting, just a soothing sequence of placing carefully illustrated stickers onto 3D shop backgrounds.
Inside, you’ll find:
- 10 cozy miniature shop scenes printed in an aesthetic isometric style
- 300 transparent, repositionable stickers with décor, signage, shelving, plants, foods, and cute animals
- Completed image templates that show how the finished scene should look
- A no-stress activity ideal for evenings, travel, hanging out with friends, or mindful relaxation
- A collectible, giftable format perfect for those who love kawaii art and cozycore aesthetics
Whether you’re placing pastries in Sweet Crumb, shelving books in Story Nook, or arranging flowers in Mini Bloom, each stickered scene becomes a tiny world of calm and charm. Mini Shops Sweet & Cozy Sticker Book offers a gentle, aesthetic craft experience—a sticker book that transforms simple stickering into a delightful moment of everyday coziness.
Explore even more cute, cozy spaces with Mini Home Sweet & Cozy Sticker Book.
Illustrated by Marc Ordiali, this book invites you to add stickers to complete 10 mini rooms—from bathrooms and bedrooms to workshops, gardens, and cozy living spaces—each filled with soft details and adorable animal characters. If you love kawaii stationery, interior design, and soothing craft moments, it’s the perfect relaxing, screen-free creative escape.
Rather than designing rooms from scratch, this activity offers a gentle, calming process: simply follow the sample layout, match each room to its corresponding sticker sheets, and layer transparent stickers to complete the scene. Each sticker adds furniture, décor, plants, household items, and character moments that bring the tiny space to life. The result is a finished, cozy vignette that feels structured, approachable, and deeply satisfying.
It’s the perfect way to unwind, with no pressure—no drawing, no complex crafting, just a soothing sequence of placing carefully illustrated stickers onto beautifully designed room backgrounds.
Inside, you’ll find:
- 10 miniature room scenes printed in an aesthetic isometric style, including a bathroom retreat, kitchen nook, garden, craft workshop, bedroom sanctuary, and more
- 300 transparent, repositionable stickers featuring décor, lighting, plants, textiles, furniture, appliances, and cute animal residents
- Sample completed images that show how the finished room should look
- A no-stress activity ideal for evenings, travel, cozy afternoons, or mindful relaxation
- A collectible, giftable format perfect for those who love kawaii art, interior styling, and cozycore aesthetics
Whether you’re arranging towels in Bubble Bliss, styling outfits in Cozy Closet, setting the table in Nibbly Nook, or watching your garden grow in Petal Patch, each stickered scene becomes a tiny moment of comfort and calm. Mini Homes Sweet & Cozy Sticker Book transforms simple stickering into a delightful escape—a sticker book that turns everyday interiors into cozy, pocket-sized worlds.
Explore even more cute, cozy spaces with Mini Shops Sweet & Cozy Sticker Book.
Learn to paint your favorite everyday items using watercolor, gouache, ink, pastel, and more.
From food and kitchen tools to clothing, gardening supplies, home decor, cosmetics, and more, Paint Every Little Thing will show you how to see the beauty in the everyday—and how to capture it with paint as well!
Start by learning about the supplies you will need with the help of the tools and materials section; then peruse the painting and mixed-media techniques, which include layering, blending, glazing, and more. You’ll also learn how to mix colors.
Once you’ve learned the basics, it’s time to dive into the creative prompts and step-by-step painting projects. Covering fun, appealing subjects, these include:
- Food (your favorite foods, ingredients, restaurant items, and more)
- Kitchen tools (what you cook with!)
- Clothing
- Random things from around the house
- Outside items (gardening tools, plants, and so on)
- And much more!
Throughout the book, find beautiful, original artwork. The creative prompts will inspire you to create art of your own with more open-ended suggestions, while the step-by-step projects feature complete instructions for painting in professional artist Kristine Lombardi’s trademark loose, beautiful style.
The Inspired Artist series invites art hobbyists and casual art enthusiasts to have fun learning basic art concepts, relaxing into the creative process to make art in a playful, contemporary style. Following closely after the successful first book in the series—Draw Every Little Thing—Paint Every Little Thing is the ideal resource for artists of all skill levels looking for a creative outlet in their everyday lives.
Also available from the series: Block Print for Beginners and Watercolor Painting at Home.
Draw and paint your dream town—no passport required! In Paint the Town with Urban Anna, illustrator Astrid Wielinga—known online as Urban Anna—shows you how to bring scenic urban architecture to life in pencil, fineliner pen, and watercolor. With 17 step-by-step projects, this inspiring guide walks you through her full creative process, from materials and drawing basics to adding watercolor magic.
Each project features:
- Globally inspired storefronts—from Parisian patisseries to Irish pubs
- Step-by-step instruction for sketching and painting details with confidence
- Tips for developing your own style and finding inspiration in everyday scenes
- Printed watercolor templates and downloadable tracings, so you can start painting right away
Filled with inviting, feel-good art and gentle guidance, Paint the Town with Urban Anna makes watercolor urban sketching fun, relaxing, and beautifully achievable for artists of all levels.
Find the beauty in everyday architecture—and paint your own whimsical world, one storefront at a time.
Copycat Drawing makes learning to drawfun, easy, and totally stress-free! With more than 650 step-by-step tutorials, this delightful book teaches you how to sketch everything from adorable animals and tasty foods to cozy homes and bustling city scenes. Each subject is shown in just 3–5 simple steps, making it perfect for beginners of all ages.
What makes this book special is its interactive format—every page includes a traceable outline and space to draw your own version, so you can learn by copying, tracing, and practicing. The charming, Kawaii-inspired style by illustrator Nozomi Kudo ensures every drawing is cute, approachable, and fun.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Easy 3–5-step drawing tutorials for over 650 subjects
- Categories, including food, pets, people, animals, and city life
- A mix of tracing and freehand practice to build drawing skills
- Cute, Kawaii-inspired art perfect for all ages
- A relaxing, creative way to unwind and enjoy art every day
Whether you’re looking to unwind, fill a sketchbook, or build drawing confidence, Copycat Drawing is the ultimate creative companion for doodlers and aspiring artists alike.