Interested in Learning How to Paint with Watercolor? A Resource Roundup

When I was teaching myself how to paint I had a hard time finding resources that could show me how to paint the way I wanted to. Possibly because there aren't any that fit with exactly what I had in mind (or, if there are, I haven't found them). I checked many books out from the library, picking up bits and pieces from each one, slowly building up my knowledge while also practicing, practicing, practicing.

For me the most valuable thing has just been to just keep painting. The more you paint, the better you will become. It takes practice and determination, a bit of stubbornness and faith that you can improve. (Need reassurance? Ira Glass's advice for beginners is perfect).

For some reason I didn't look to the internet for instruction. Or maybe I did and had trouble finding what I was looking for (I can't really remember). There's a lot out there. Just doing a google search or popping around on Pinterest will bring up many resources. It's hard to know where and how to get started, but don't let that put you off. The most important thing is to start. And then to keep going.

I've gathered some tutorials and information from a variety of artists who work in watercolor to help you narrow things down a bit. Each artist has her own favorite materials. Each has her own way of working. Each has her own style. Try what speaks to you and eventually you'll find your own.

• Holly Ward Bimba, perhaps better known as Golly Bard, wrote a series on her blog called Watercolor 101. It takes you through all of the basics, from paint and paper and brushes and talks a bit about technique from washes to making different kinds of marks and her practices as an artist.
• Billy Showell teaches botanical watercolor painting in the UK, has written a number of books and also provides subscription-based online tutorials.
• Oana Befort writes a series on her blog called Paper/Color/Brush where she shares a piece she's done and what materials she's used to create it. 
• Anna Mason has created a site dedicated to teaching watercolor painting called Watercolors with Wow. Some of the resources on her site are free and some are paid.
• Yao Cheng teaches a few watercolor classes on Creativebug and has a series of tutorials on The Alison Show blog.
• Geninne Zlatkis shares her favorite tools here and you can watch her technique in this series of videos.

I hope you'll find something useful or inspiring in my list. If you have a yearning (even a tiny secret one) to learn how to paint, stop putting it off. (Read Susan Branch's story of how she learned to paint -- you never know what's inside of you just waiting to get out).

Do you have a favorite resource for art tutorials? Or favorite advice from an artist? I'd love to hear about it.