• 80 ideas

Water Color Painting Ideas Sorted by What the Paint Does

Three ideas, each a watercolour exercise, the paints to wet and the single move that makes it work.

Water Color Painting Ideas Sorted by What the Paint Does

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  1. Loose poppies dropped into wet circlesCadmium red, alizarin crimson, sap green. Paint each flower head in clear water first, then touch in red.
  2. Snowfall at night made with table saltIndigo, Payne's grey, violet. Sprinkle salt as the shine starts to leave the wash, and brush it off when dry.
  3. Overlapping circles in three coloursLemon yellow, permanent rose, cerulean. Let each circle dry before the next overlaps it, so the glaze stays clean.

Next step Paint more skies and sunsetsTry the same flat shapes in gouache

All 80 ideas

Wet-on-wet skies and blends 16

  • Autumn tree crown in three dropped colours Lemon yellow, burnt sienna, cadmium red. Wet a cloud shape, drop the colours in and add a trunk once dry.
  • Backrun blooms used as flower heads Violet, permanent rose, sap green. Drop clean water into a half-dry wash so that blooms push out; add stems later.
  • Dawn mist rising off a river Raw sienna, cerulean, Payne's grey. Wet the middle band only, so the far bank blurs and the near one stays sharp.
  • Foggy treeline dissolving at the base Payne's grey, sap green. Touch the tree tips into damp paper so that the trunks melt into mist.
  • Galaxy wash with spattered stars Indigo, violet, permanent rose, turquoise. Drop colour into wet paper and spatter white gouache once dry.
  • Gas planet with fused colour bands Raw sienna, burnt sienna, indigo. Wet a circle traced round a cup, stripe it and let the bands merge.
  • Goldfish with a tail that fades out Cadmium red, cadmium yellow, cerulean. Wet the fish shape, touch orange in at the head and let the tail run pale.
  • Loose poppies dropped into wet circles Cadmium red, alizarin crimson, sap green. Paint each flower head in clear water first, then touch in red.
  • Loose rose from a spiral of C strokes Permanent rose, alizarin crimson, sap green. Drop darker rose into the damp centre so it spreads outward.
  • Rainy window with blurred street lights Payne's grey, cadmium yellow, cadmium red. Drop yellow and red dots into a wet grey wash to make haloes.
  • Ripe pear with a wet-blended blush Lemon yellow, sap green, burnt sienna. Wash the pear yellow, then touch green and brown into the damp shadow side.
  • Rolling wave with a soft spray edge Phthalo blue, viridian, Payne's grey. Wet the spray area with clean water so that the crest dissolves into it.
  • Soft-edged hydrangea in blues and pinks Cerulean, violet, permanent rose, sap green. Wet a rough ball shape and dot in colours that fuse.
  • Storm sky over a low horizon Payne's grey, ultramarine, burnt sienna. Wet the sky area first, drop in dark cloud and tilt the board.
  • Sunset sky bleeding into a lake Lemon yellow, permanent rose, ultramarine. Wet the whole sheet and let the three bands meet on their own.
  • Three jellyfish with trailing bleeds Turquoise, violet, permanent rose. Paint each bell wet, then pull the tentacles down with a damp liner.

Washes and glazes 16

  • Blue ridges glazed one over another Indigo, burnt sienna. Let each ridge dry, then glaze the next one darker and lower on the page.
  • Colour chart of every paint you own Every colour in your box. Fill each taped square with one even flat wash, with no brush marks showing.
  • Glazing grid of three primaries Hansa yellow, phthalo blue, quinacridone rose. Paint three stripes, dry, then cross them to see every mix.
  • Graded wash sky over a flat desert Ultramarine, raw sienna, burnt sienna. Start dark at the top and add water to each stroke down to the horizon.
  • Green glass bottle with two white strips Viridian, phthalo blue, Payne's grey. Leave two strips of paper for the shine and glaze the edges darkest.
  • Lemon glazed from pale to shadow Lemon yellow, raw sienna, violet. One pale wash overall, dry, then glaze only the shadow side with violet.
  • One-colour value study of a mug Sepia or Payne's grey. Mix three strengths of the one colour and glaze light, then mid, then dark.
  • Overlapping circles in three colours Lemon yellow, permanent rose, cerulean. Let each circle dry before the next overlaps it, so the glaze stays clean.
  • Paper lantern glowing from the middle Cadmium yellow, cadmium red, burnt sienna. Grade each panel from a pale centre to a darker edge so it looks lit.
  • Plaid from crossed stripes Cerulean, permanent rose, yellow ochre. Paint the vertical stripes, dry, then the horizontal ones so crossings darken.
  • Red apple built in three glazes Cadmium red, alizarin crimson, sap green. Leave a paper-white highlight and deepen the red with each dry layer.
  • Rooftops and aerials against a graded dusk Cadmium yellow, cadmium red, violet, indigo. Grade the sky; once bone dry, paint the skyline in flat indigo.
  • Row of beach huts in flat washes Cerulean, permanent rose, lemon yellow, Payne's grey. One flat wash per hut, with a hair of dry paper between.
  • Sea horizon from two graded washes Cerulean, ultramarine, viridian. Tape the horizon; grade the sky pale towards it and the sea pale towards it.
  • Stack of pebbles with glazed shadows Raw sienna, burnt umber, Payne's grey. One flat wash per pebble, then a grey glaze down the same side of each.
  • Tulips in flat shapes with glazed overlaps Cadmium red, cadmium yellow, sap green, violet. One flat wash per petal, then violet where petals overlap.

Salt, drybrush and lifting 16

  • Bunch of grapes with lifted highlights Violet, alizarin crimson, sap green. Touch a damp brush to each dry grape and blot to lift a soft light.
  • Clouds blotted from a blue wash Cerulean, ultramarine. Blot cloud shapes out of the wet sky with crumpled tissue; dab, never rub.
  • Drybrush sparkle on open sea Ultramarine, cerulean. Skim a nearly dry brush fast over cold-pressed paper so white flecks stay as glitter.
  • Frosted window pane in two sizes of salt Cerulean, turquoise, indigo. Scatter coarse and fine salt into one wet wash, then compare the blooms each leaves.
  • Hedgehog with drybrush spines Burnt umber, sepia, raw sienna. Soft wash for the face, then flick drybrush spines outward from the body.
  • Lichen-covered boulder Raw sienna, Payne's grey, sap green. Salt the damp grey wash for lichen, then drybrush the cracks once dry.
  • Moon lifted out of an indigo wash Indigo, Payne's grey. Lay the dark wash, then lift the moon out with a twist of damp tissue.
  • Old tree trunk with drybrush bark Sepia, burnt umber, sap green. Pale wash first, then drag a nearly dry brush sideways round the trunk.
  • Pine twig with flicked needles Sap green, indigo, burnt umber. Splay the brush hairs between finger and thumb and flick needles from the twig.
  • Rusty padlock with salt corrosion Burnt sienna, burnt umber, cerulean. Drop blue into the wet rust colour and salt it; the blooms read as rust.
  • Sandy beach with spattered pebbles Raw sienna, burnt sienna, sepia. Cover the sky with scrap paper and tap a loaded brush over the dry sand.
  • Snowfall at night made with table salt Indigo, Payne's grey, violet. Sprinkle salt as the shine starts to leave the wash, and brush it off when dry.
  • Sunbeams lifted through forest trunks Sap green, lemon yellow, burnt umber. Drag a clean damp flat brush diagonally through the dry wash.
  • Waterfall lifted out of dark rock Payne's grey, viridian, burnt umber. Paint the rock face whole, then lift vertical streaks with a damp flat brush.
  • Weathered barn door in drybrush Burnt umber, raw sienna, Payne's grey. Pale wash first, then drag a dry brush along the planks for grain.
  • Winter grasses against snow Raw sienna, burnt sienna, sepia. Flick a splayed, nearly dry brush upward from the base of each clump.

Negative painting and saved whites 16

  • A word saved under a rainbow wash Lemon yellow, permanent rose, cerulean. Write in masking fluid, wash colour bands across and rub off when dry.
  • Clouds found by painting only the blue Cerulean, ultramarine. Paint the sky's blue shapes on dry paper; the clouds are whatever you leave.
  • Forest of pale trunks painted by their gaps Raw sienna, sap green, Payne's grey. Wash the sheet pale, dry, then paint the dark gaps between the trunks.
  • Garlic bulb that is mostly bare paper Payne's grey, violet, raw sienna. Shade only the grooves and the cast shadow; most of the bulb stays unpainted.
  • Gulls saved as white ticks in a grey sky Payne's grey, cerulean. Mask a few small V shapes, lay the sky wash and rub the gulls clean when dry.
  • Masked stars over a dark ridge Indigo, violet, Payne's grey. Dot masking fluid on with a cocktail stick, wash over it and rub it off when bone dry.
  • Negative-space leaves in three layers Lemon yellow, sap green, indigo. Paint around the leaf shapes, dry, then paint around new leaves one tone darker.
  • Sailboats as white triangles on a bay Cerulean, ultramarine, viridian. Paint sky and sea around the sails on dry paper, so their edges stay sharp.
  • Snow-laden fir branch Indigo, sap green, cerulean. Leave the snow caps as dry paper and shade only their undersides in pale blue.
  • Snowy rooftops under a slate sky Payne's grey, burnt sienna, cerulean. Leave each roof white and let the dark sky cut its top edge.
  • Spider web beaded with dew Payne's grey, sap green, violet. Draw the web in masking fluid with a stick, then wash a dark background over it.
  • Street of lit windows at dusk Cadmium yellow, indigo, violet. Wash every window yellow first, dry, then paint the dark walls around them.
  • White daisies saved from a green wash Sap green, lemon yellow, ultramarine. Paint only the background around the petals; the daisies are bare paper.
  • White egret standing in reeds Sap green, raw sienna, Payne's grey, cadmium yellow. The bird is bare paper; only beak, legs and shadow get colour.
  • White picket fence against a hedge Sap green, viridian, burnt umber. Mask the pickets or paint carefully round them; the fence stays paper white.
  • Zebra head where only the dark stripes are paint Payne's grey, sepia. Paint the dark stripes and nothing else; the white ones are paper.

Ink and wash 16

  • Bare winter tree drawn over a sky wash Waterproof pen, cerulean, raw sienna. Lay the sky wet, dry it fully, then ink the branches from trunk to tip.
  • Bicycle leaning on a wall Waterproof pen, cerulean, burnt sienna. Lay a loose patch of colour first, dry, then draw the bicycle over it.
  • Breakfast plate seen from above Waterproof pen, cadmium yellow, burnt sienna. Draw the plate as one circle and tint the food, not the china.
  • Café front with a striped awning Waterproof pen, cadmium red, Payne's grey. Wash alternate awning stripes and one grey shadow under it.
  • City skyline in ink and one grey wash Waterproof black pen, Payne's grey. Draw the skyline loosely, then lay one graded grey wash behind it.
  • Clock tower above a jumble of roofs Waterproof pen, raw sienna, cerulean. Ink the tower carefully and the roofs loosely; wash the sky around both.
  • Harbour boats with wobbly reflections Waterproof pen, ultramarine, cadmium red. Ink the hulls, then paint each reflection as broken horizontal dashes.
  • Houseplant with big split leaves Waterproof pen, sap green, viridian. Contour each leaf in ink, then wash two greens that mix on the paper.
  • Market crates of oranges and lemons Waterproof pen, cadmium yellow, cadmium red. Draw the crates in ink and drop wet colour into each fruit.
  • Narrow street of crooked houses Waterproof pen, raw sienna, cerulean. Ink first, then let the colour miss the lines on purpose.
  • Pair of old walking boots Waterproof pen, burnt umber, Payne's grey. Ink every lace and crease, then wash brown over all but the highlights.
  • Row of potted herbs on a sill Waterproof pen, sap green, burnt sienna. Scribble the leaves in ink and drop green across them loosely.
  • Stone bridge over a canal Waterproof pen, Payne's grey, viridian. Ink the arch and its stones; wash the water darkest under the arch.
  • Street lamp on a wet pavement at night Waterproof pen, indigo, cadmium yellow. Wash indigo around a bare halo, then streak the yellow down the pavement.
  • Teapot and two cups in pen and wash Waterproof pen, cerulean, raw sienna. Hatch the shadows in ink and tint only the china pattern.
  • Your own front door Waterproof pen, the door's colour, Payne's grey. Ink the panels and letterbox, then one flat wash and one shadow.

How it works

In watercolour the water decides more than the subject, so these 80 water color painting ideas are exercises sorted by what the paint does: a wet sheet, a graded wash, a pinch of salt, a shape left as bare paper.

Read the full guide

Five techniques, sixteen ideas each

The Technique filter follows the medium: wet-on-wet blends; washes and glazes; salt, drybrush and lifting; whites saved as bare paper; ink and wash. Under More filters, No drawing needed holds the simple watercolor painting ideas that start without a pencil, and Doodle-sized holds small motifs for watercolour doodling.

Why watercolour painting ideas for beginners start with water

Paint touched into wet paper spreads and blends softly. The same paint on dry paper keeps a sharp edge. Most early trouble sits between the two: when the brush is wetter than the paper, water pushes back into the drying wash and leaves a hard-edged bloom called a backrun. Shiny paper spreads everything, and paper that looks dry but feels cool is still moist.

  • White is the paper. Decide where it stays before the first wash: staining colours may not lift back to white.
  • Salt holds the fun watercolor painting ideas: Frosted window pane in two sizes of salt compares coarse and fine grains.
  • Rub masking fluid off only when the sheet is completely dry. On damp paper the friction damages the surface.

Questions and answers

What are easy watercolor painting ideas for beginners to try first?

Start with Graded wash sky over a flat desert, then Sunset sky bleeding into a lake. Both need no drawing, and both teach the skill everything else leans on: how much water is on the brush compared with the paper.

Are there easy watercolor doodles in the list?

Yes. Under More filters, Doodle-sized holds the 28 watercolor doodle ideas, each one small motif with no background scene. Add No drawing needed for the 13 easiest. Pen detail goes over dry paint, or under it in waterproof ink.

Which paints and paper do these ideas need?

Payne's grey is in 27 of the 80 palettes, sap green and cerulean in 22 each and raw sienna in 17. The only white paint is gouache for the galaxy's stars. Cold-pressed paper has the texture drybrush needs, and cotton paper distorts least when wet.

Do I have to draw before I paint in watercolour?

Not for 39 of them. The rest want a light pencil outline. Ink and wash turns it round: the pen drawing is the picture, and it normally takes one or two colours of wash. Use a waterproof pen so the line survives.

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