Emily Lex Watercolor Workbook Review: Relaxing, Cute, and Not Perfect

Introduction

The Emily Lex watercolor workbook promises something a lot of us want: the chance to sit down, zone out, and paint something lovely without having to plan an art piece from scratch. Everything is laid out for you, from sketches to step-by-step guidance, so the experience sits somewhere between a coloring book and a genuine watercolor lesson. We spent a full painting session with it to see whether it lives up to the cozy promise, and the honest answer is a mix of genuine charm and a few real compromises worth knowing about before you spend your money.

Who This Product Is For

This workbook is best suited to people who want low-pressure creative time. If you enjoy making things but freeze when facing a blank page, the pre-sketched designs remove the hardest part entirely. It also works well for anyone short on time: in roughly an hour and a half of relaxed painting, including drying breaks, three complete pieces came out of it. Parents, busy workers, and anyone who wants a 20 to 25 minute creative wind-down will find the format genuinely convenient.

It is also a legitimate learning tool for beginners. The front of the book covers watercolor techniques like mixing colors and creating gradients, and every painting page pairs with a finished reference page you can copy or use for palette inspiration. That teaching content is part of what you are paying for, and it is done well.

What the Workbook Includes

The structure is simple. The book opens with instructional pages on supplies, color mixing, and gradients, then moves into a series of sketched illustrations, each with a small step-by-step guide alongside it and a finished example for reference. You just pick a drawing, follow the steps, and paint. Think of it as a watercolor coloring book with training wheels.

Design-wise, the book is very well made and clearly thought through. The illustrations are cute, the color palettes on the reference pages are genuinely inspiring, and the whole thing is aesthetically pleasing, which is a big part of why it has grown in popularity since its release. One small delight: you can cut along a dotted line to remove your finished artwork.

The Paper Is the Weak Point

Here is the honest caveat, and it matters. The watercolor paper in this book is very smooth, and it does not soak in pigment the way traditional watercolor paper does. Even with highly pigmented, professional-grade watercolors, it was difficult to build deep contrast and rich color. Layers required multiple passes, and results dried a bit blotchier than ideal. In practice, the paper behaves more like thick card stock suited to colored pencils than true watercolor paper.

If you are a casual painter who does not care about deep saturation, this may never bother you. But if you are particular about watercolor performance, temper your expectations. We also noticed a lot of blank practice pages, one sketch per page with a filler practice page following it. The book labels itself a workbook, so blank pages for practice make some sense, but at the current price the amount of actual artwork feels thin.

What We Painted and How Long It Took

The projects themselves are genuinely fun. A Christmas tree painted in loose minty strokes came together quickly, and experimenting with a glowing yellow star and pastel ornaments was relaxing rather than stressful. The wreath design encouraged messier, more gestural brushwork, which is exactly the kind of technique many painters struggle to practice on their own. Because you did not draw the piece, there is less pressure if things go wrong, and that permission to experiment is quietly one of the best features of the format.

The wrapping paper page was another highlight because it invites creative pattern play. Even when the results did not match the reference page’s charm, the process was peaceful and playful, which is the whole point.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Price is the main sticking point. The workbook was $20 when purchased from Magnolia’s website last year and is $22 now. Counting it up, the book contains only 10 watercolor painting activities, which works out to roughly $2 per activity. Many buyers will feel the price could be closer to the $15 range given how much of the book is blank practice space.

Combine that with the smooth, low-absorbency paper, and the value equation gets tighter. What arguably drives the price up is the instructional content: the technique pages, mixing guidance, and finished reference artwork are genuinely useful for newcomers. Whether that trade-off is worth it depends on what you want from the book.

Buying Advice

Buy this workbook if you want a cute, structured way to relax with watercolor and you are not precious about paper performance or deep pigments. It delivers exactly what it advertises: pre-planned, low-effort creative sessions that fit into small pockets of time. It is especially appealing as a seasonal gift or a holiday wind-down activity.

Skip it or hesitate if you are an experienced watercolorist expecting quality paper, or if the idea of paying over $20 for 10 painting activities feels steep. Pairing it with affordable portable watercolor palettes keeps the total investment reasonable, and honestly, the book may perform differently with student-grade paints than it did with professional ones.

Conclusion

The Emily Lex watercolor workbook is a charming, well-designed product with a clear purpose, and it succeeds as a relaxing, low-pressure creative outlet. The compromises are real: thin paper, a generous amount of filler pages, and only 10 activities for the price. We were slightly disappointed overall but still glad to own it, and we will keep using it. If you go in knowing exactly what you are getting, it is an easy recommendation for the right kind of buyer.