Joyful Coloring
A color-oriented approach to watercolor pencils. Start with blank paper and create freely with joy and sunshine!
Joyful Coloring is an online art course that has 8 exercises. The course has 13 videos (about 5 hours total) and a 30-page document for more inspiration.
4 Lessons – 8 Joyful Colorings
Every lesson has two projects – a small and a bigger drawing. You can do both projects, or either one.
Sept 16 – Lesson 1 – Happy Place
In Lesson 1, you will start with colors and arrive at a joyful landscape.
We will color the landscape freely on blank paper.
You will learn a simple way to create an atmospheric space.
Sept 30 – Lesson 2 – Mind’s Garden
In Lesson 2, you will draw ornamental flowers and plants.
We will start with wild doodling, and then tame the doodles.
You will learn an unconventional and fun way to design ornaments.
Oct 14 – Lesson 3 – Human Connection
In Lesson 3, you will use geometric shapes creatively.
We will color rectangles and squares and then alter them.
You will learn to express more by coloring.
Oct 28 – Lesson 4 – All Together
In Lesson 4, you will create a modular picture.
We will draw geometric shapes and then fill them.
You will learn to keep the joy going – even at times when you have limited energy.
Seemingly simple techniques lead to images with dynamic shapes, depth and layered complexity that I could never have achieved before. I thought the small warmup project was an excellent teaching method- the result was lovely and I really benefitted from building confidence with something smaller.
Anna Carlton, USA
Learning Together
With Joyful Coloring, you will also get a membership for the Bloom and Fly Facebook group, where you can share your work and have conversations with the teacher and fellow artists. This membership is for 2025, so you can continue coloring and sharing your art for the rest of the year.
Supplies: Watercolor Pencils
You will need watercolor pencils, paper, narrow brushes, a water cup, a sharpener, an eraser, and a pencil.
The teacher has Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle watercolor pencils (landscape assortment + a few extras) but you can use any watercolor pencils. The teacher uses thick drawing paper (200 gsm/94 lbs) but smooth watercolor paper works great too. You can adapt the course for colored pencils, but notice that spreading the color with water is faster.
The course introduced me to watercolour pencils. I love colour pencils but find I’m limited in what I can do. These allow me to create bigger pieces, faster and with brighter colours. I find it easier to start a new piece. I like the idea of a living line and can see how it could help me to develop my own style.
Debbie Curwen, Portugal
When Colors Speak Freely …
Your teacher Päivi Eerola says:
“A single watercolor pencil looks modest but it holds many wonderful things.
Press it gently on paper, and it produces a light pastel feeling.
Press more, and the atmosphere gets deeper.
Add water, and joy spreads on paper.
And when colors interact, they bring liveliness that makes us imagine and see further.
When colors speak freely, they take your mind inward, and thus forward.”
This course is for all adults who love colors and want to put watercolor pencils to use.
Yes, I Want to Join Joyful Coloring!
Price: 59 EUR (about 62 USD)
Pay with a credit card or PayPal.
After the purchase, you will get the course document with the links to the videos and you can start creating right away!
Technology Needed + Refund Policy
All the information and services are provided in electronic format. You will need Internet access and a personal email account. The document is in PDF format, and the videos are offered as a streaming service on a web page. You can access the material as long as you want if you download the document and the videos to your computer within 6 months from the purchase. If you download videos, you will also need an application to view and download MP4 videos. You have to be over 18 to join the Bloom and Fly community. All sales are final.