[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Cat Waters]

I did not expect this short video to be so interesting and inspiring. Maybe I can progress beyond my life-long pathetic stick-figure level of drawing and take up water colors.

Near the start of the video Jesse is given a workbook for painting birds in watercolors. It’s a real book and here’s the link to it. Paints and brushes sold separately. There’s a whole series of these books available from the publisher, Emily Lex Studio; flowers, animals, seasides, winter, tropical, fruit and more. If you’re utterly incompetent at drawing and painting, as I am, but are interested in trying your hand, this might be exactly what you need to get started. Or gift it to some lucky recipient. But watch the video below first. There’s a lot more than just painting watercolors in it.

This is one installment, perhaps the first, in a Getty Museum series “Becoming Artsy.”
From the YouTube blurb:

440 views Feb 12, 2026. What do bird feathers have to do with art? When Jessie’s work bestie gives her an unexpected gift, a new-found passion is ignited. Soon, Jessie is capturing the riot of birds’ colors in watercolor everywhere she goes. Inspired by Getty’s watercolor paintings by Sarah Stone, Jessie then meets Allison Shultz, an ornithologist at the Natural History Museum who shows her a collection of taxidermy tanager birds—and Jessie’s mind opens to a magical mix of sunlight, color, and feathers. Watch the episode now and join Jessie as she explores the surprising connection between the avian world and art!