One wet-drawn wire with a bird perched on itBlue, orange, black. Wet point: one dark wire across the page with a dipped tip. The bird is dry then wet.
Tulip with colour pulled down from the petal tipsRed, yellow, green. Dry then wet: colour only the petals' tips and pull the colour down with a damp brush.
Raindrops touched on wet over a dry umbrellaRed, blue, grey. Wet point: each raindrop is one touch of a wet blue tip. The umbrella is dry then wet.
Bowl of cherries with the shine left bareCrimson, red, brown, green. Dry then wet: ring each highlight first and wet around it, never over it.
Butterfly wing with soft bandsOrange, yellow, brown, black. Dry then wet: wet the orange and yellow, let them dry, then add dark veins dry.
Evening sky over a flat fieldYellow, orange, violet, green. Dry then wet: three loose bands, then one damp brush pulled across pale to dark.
Ginger cat's coat laid in before the stripesOchre, orange, brown, pink. Dry then wet: soft shading all over, wetted with strokes that follow the fur.
Hills fading one behind anotherBlue, green, violet, grey. Dry then wet: lightest pressure on the far hill. Wet each band on its own.
Jellyfish with trailing armsPink, violet, blue, indigo. Dry then wet: draw the bell, wet it, then drag the wet colour down as arms.
Lemon slice with colour pulled in from the rimLemon, orange, green, grey. Dry then wet: colour only the rim of each segment and pull it inward with water.
Maple leaf where three colours melt at the joinsGreen, yellow, red, brown. Dry then wet: lay the three side by side and wet across the joins so they melt.
Pear with a soft shadow sideLemon, green, brown, violet. Dry then wet: press harder on the shadow side, then wet from the light side across.
Pines dissolving into mistGreen, blue, grey, brown. Dry then wet: far trees drawn faint and wetted to a blur, near trees left crisp.
Pond holding a pale copy of the skySky blue, green, brown, grey. Dry then wet: stroke level and wet level. The pencil lines become ripples.
Poppy with see-through petalsScarlet, orange, green, black. Dry then wet: shade each petal from its base and wet outward so the tips stay pale.
Rain cloud dragging a veil of rainGrey, indigo, blue, violet. Dry then wet: scribble the cloud, wet it in dabs, and pull streaks down from its base.
Striped beach ball on wet sandRed, yellow, blue, ochre. Dry then wet: wet one stripe at a time and rinse the brush between colours.
Wet the point 14
Bark cracks drawn wet over dry shadingBrown, black, grey. Wet point: shade the trunk dry, then draw the cracks with a wet tip so they sit on top.
Bee with bands laid by the side of a damp tipBlack, yellow, grey. Wet point: lay each dark band with the side of a damp tip. The wings stay as dry outline.
Black cat drawn in one strong lineBlack, grey, green. Wet point: dip the tip and draw the outline in one go. It lands stronger than a dry line.
Black rain boot laid in with a wet tipBlack, grey, indigo. Wet point: fill the boot with the side of a dipped tip and leave one streak of paper as shine.
Cattails drawn upward with a wet tipGreen, brown, ochre. Wet point: long upward strokes from the base. Dip again when the line turns pale.
Dandelion fluff in wet-tip flicksGrey, brown, green. Wet point: dot the middle, then flick fine lines outward, dipping the tip often.
Dragonfly with veins that look inkedTurquoise, blue, black. Wet point: veins drawn with a damp tip look inked. Leave the cells between them empty.
Fireworks from freshly dipped tipsRed, yellow, blue. Wet point: start each streak at the middle with a freshly dipped tip and let it run dry.
Goldfish in a few bold curvesOrange, red, black. Wet point: dip the tip before every stroke. Scales are short curved dashes.
Robin with one bright dark eyeBlack, brown, orange. Wet point: one touch for the eye, leaving a speck of paper. The breast stays dry and soft.
Spider web with a drop at each touch of the tipGrey, indigo, sky blue. Wet point: spokes first, then the spiral. Each drop is one touch of the wet tip.
Tiger lily with freckles touched on wetOrange, red, brown, green. Wet point: shade the petals dry, then touch each freckle on with a dipped brown tip.
Winter twigs drawn with a dipped brown tipBrown, black, sky blue. Wet point: dip the brown and draw each twig from trunk to tip in one stroke.
Your name in soft dark letteringIndigo, violet, pink. Wet point: write large and slowly. The tip softens, so turn the pencil as you go.
Lift from the point 14
A bicycle's shadow painted as one lifted washGrey, violet, ochre. Lift: paint the whole shadow as one flat shape with colour from the grey tip.
Clouds with shaded undersidesGrey, blue, violet. Lift: wet the cloud's base with clean water and touch in grey taken from the tip.
Far mountains in two washesBlue, violet, grey. Lift: far range very pale, left to dry, then the nearer range with more colour on the brush.
Kite against a washed skySky blue, red, yellow. Lift: stroke a wet brush on the blue tip and paint the sky. Draw the kite dry.
Pale eggs, one lifted stroke each, in a scribbled nestSky blue, brown, ochre. Lift: each egg is one pale stroke from the tip. The nest is dry scribble around them.
Pale green bottle on a windowsillGreen, sky blue, grey. Lift: two thin washes from the tips, overlapped while wet. The rim is drawn dry.
Peach blushed with colour lifted from the tipYellow, orange, crimson. Lift: paint a yellow wash from the tip, then touch lifted crimson into it while wet.
Puddle holding a red umbrella's reflectionRed, grey, blue. Lift: paint the reflection pale and wobbly with lifted red. The umbrella is drawn dry.
Row of pebbles with soft shadowsGrey, violet, ochre. Lift: pick up grey from the tip and paint one shadow beside each stone.
Sea streaked with sunset coloursOrange, pink, violet. Lift: load the brush from each tip in turn and paint level streaks, palest first.
Seashell with a pink insidePink, ochre, grey. Lift: paint the pale pink first from the tip. The ridges go on dry once it has dried.
Snowdrift where only the shadows are paintedSky blue, violet, brown. Lift: the snow is bare paper. Paint only the shadows with colour from the tip.
Tea in a white cupBrown, ochre, grey. Lift: a pale brown wash for the tea, a paler grey one for the cup's shadow side.
White rabbit on white paperGrey, pink, brown. Lift: only the shadows are painted. The eye and nose go in dry, last.
Dry on top 14
Brick wall ruled dry over a patchy washRed, orange, grey, brown. Dry on top: wash it patchy, let it dry, and rule the mortar lines and shadows dry.
Cottage roof tile by tileRed, brown, grey, ochre. Dry on top: overlap rows of tiles from the eaves up, darker under each edge.
Fish scales over a silver washSky blue, grey, indigo. Dry on top: rows of small U shapes, sharpest near the head and fading at the tail.
Garden wall, stones washed and cracks drawn dryGrey, brown, green. Dry on top: wash each stone separately. Cracks and moss go on dry with the pencil's side.
Gull feather in fine dry strokes over a pale washGrey, blue, black. Dry on top: a pale wash in the feather's shape, then fine strokes from the shaft outward.
Knitted hat with stitches drawn over a flat washBlue, sky blue, grey. Dry on top: flat wash for the hat, dried, then rows of small V stitches.
Leaf veins over a green washGreen, yellow, brown. Dry on top: draw the midrib first, then the side veins in pairs out to the edge.
Owl with feathers drawn over a washOchre, brown, black, grey. Dry on top: wash the whole bird, dry it, then draw each feather edge with a sharp point.
Pineapple with a dry grid over a yellow washYellow, ochre, green, brown. Dry on top: yellow wash, then a dry diamond grid with a dot in each cell.
Strawberry with seeds added once the wash is dryRed, crimson, yellow, green. Dry on top: wet-blend the berry, wait, then dot the seeds and their tiny shadows.
Tabby stripes over a sandy washOchre, brown, black. Dry on top: the wash has to be bone dry before the stripes, or they will spread.
Thistle head with fine spikesViolet, green, grey. Dry on top: a soft violet wash for the tuft, then quick dry flicks outward.
Weathered shed door, washed then scribbled dryTurquoise, brown, grey, ochre. Dry on top: wash the door, then scribble in dry brown where the paint has gone.
Wood grain sharpened over a dried washOchre, brown, black. Dry on top: one even wash, fully dry, then long wavy lines bending around the knot.
Easy: three pencils 14
Carrot pulled from the groundOrange, green, brown. Dry then wet: wet the root along its length. The leaves stay as dry feathery lines.
Cocoa mug with steam lifted from a grey tipBrown, ochre, grey. Lift: the steam is the palest grey wash from the tip, curling up off the mug.
Cupcake with swirled icingPink, brown, yellow. Dry then wet: wet the icing in swirls and leave the paper case as dry stripes.
Fish in pale waterOrange, yellow, blue. Lift: paint the water pale from the blue tip. Draw the fish dry on top.
Night sky around a bare moonIndigo, violet, yellow. Dry then wet: scribble dark around a bare circle and wet it. Add the yellow dry.
One wet-drawn wire with a bird perched on itBlue, orange, black. Wet point: one dark wire across the page with a dipped tip. The bird is dry then wet.
Raindrops touched on wet over a dry umbrellaRed, blue, grey. Wet point: each raindrop is one touch of a wet blue tip. The umbrella is dry then wet.
Ringed planet wetted in circlesBlue, violet, yellow. Dry then wet: wet the planet in circles. Draw the ring dry over it afterward.
Row of three ice popsPink, orange, yellow. Dry then wet: shade the top of each darkly and wet downward so it fades.
Snail shell spiraled with a dipped tipBrown, ochre, green. Wet point: draw the spiral with a dipped tip, from the middle outward.
Sun going down into the seaYellow, orange, blue. Dry then wet: wet the sky and the sea apart and let each dry before they touch.
Three balloons that overlapRed, yellow, blue. Dry then wet: draw them overlapping and wet each one. See what the overlaps make.
Toadstool wetted around its bare spotsRed, brown, grey. Dry then wet: wet the cap around the spots, which stay as bare paper.
Tulip with colour pulled down from the petal tipsRed, yellow, green. Dry then wet: colour only the petals' tips and pull the colour down with a damp brush.
How it works
Simple watercolor pencil drawing ideas sorted by what you do with the water. Each names three to five pencils, then one move: draw and wet, dip the point, lift colour off the tip, or add dry detail on top.
Read the full guide
Four things a watercolor pencil can do
Dry, then wet: draw, then pull a damp brush through the marks. Wet the point: dip the tip for a stronger line. Lift from the point: stroke a wet brush on the pencil and paint with it. Dry on top: let a wash dry, then draw sharp detail over it.
Watercolor pencil art ideas for a first try
Start with the Easy group, where every idea takes three pencils. Three balloons that overlap shows what two wet colours make where they cross. A sun going down into the sea teaches you to let one area dry before the next one touches it. Pencil strokes still show after wetting, so draw them the way the form runs.
Leave the lightest parts as bare paper and wet around them.
Use paper thick enough to take water. Thin paper can tear under a wet brush.
Let a wet layer dry fully before you draw on top of it.
Questions and answers
How do you use watercolor pencils?
Draw with them dry like coloured pencils, then go over the marks with a damp brush to spread the colour. You can also wet the tip first, or take colour from the tip with a wet brush.
What should a beginner draw first?
Something with two or three areas of flat colour, such as a row of three ice pops, a ringed planet wetted in circles or a toadstool wetted around its bare spots. All three sit under Easy.
Do I need watercolor paper?
You need paper that can take water. Watercolor paper or heavy board is the usual choice, because the pencil work gets brushed with water and thin paper can tear.