As an artist, I love indulging my passion for creative watercolor art.
Watching the paint flow from my brush, seeing the added water do something beautiful every single time, laying translucent color from barely-there to vibrant and opaque is a very satisfying process.
Watercolor paintings come in all varieties which is another reason the field is so dynamic.
Different artists bring their own practical approach to watercolor techniques, and while it definitely helps to improve your skill levels, being creative with watercolor and just playing with the art medium is simply fun!
On this page I will share some of my own beautiful diy projects using creative watercolor techniques. I hope you will take inspiration from them and create your own specific project of watercolor joy!
How to Paint a Watercolor Background
Painting a watercolor background is one of my favorite things to do.
I am often drawn to the abstract, and watercolor backgrounds are loaded with creative exploration.
I know budding artists often feel intimidated when attempting watercolor techniques for backgrounds and I think part of this fear comes from wanting to control the process.
Watercolor is notorious for being uncontrollable.
The truth is you can greatly influence how your watercolor works but in the end accepting watercolor’s amazing ability to “do it’s own thing” is a large part of the process.
Using some sort of step-by-step guide can be helpful (and I’ve done many of those myself) but it’s also helpful to remember that following steps can teach you how watercolor works but in the end each artist needs to discover how they can work with watercolor to produce effects that are pleasing to them.
Watercolor can be frustrating, but so is learning any new skill, right? Other art mediums such as acrylics or oils can be easier to manipulate once you get skilled with them, so if watercolor isn’t your thing, keep looking! Creativity is much too important to stop at the first (or 2nd or 3rd) try.
When exploring how to paint a watercolor background keep in mind that learning these watercolor techniques will benefit you on all kinds of projects, not just landscapes, still lifes, or other full sized watercolor paintings.
You can use watercolor backgrounds for cards, paper, journaling and scrapbooking, to name just a few beautiful diy projects.
Scan your backgrounds and digitally pop some text on top. I’ve made some incredible watercolor bookmarks (add link to this page) this way.
Easy Watercolor Painting Ideas For Beginners
It can be hard to know where to start when you begin a new hobby.
Taking a morning or afternoon and just practicing a variety of creative watercolor techniques can be soooo satisfying.
You’ll be building muscle memory as well as training your eye and brain.
And there’s no pressure to finish a specific project! Take a look at some of my projects on the Easy Watercolor Painting Ideas For Beginners and try one a day. Remember to paint familiar objects again and again to improve your skill levels.
Go easy on yourself and enjoy the process. I’ve used many classes over the years to improve my own skills and I’ll still constantly learning.
You’ll get there and I’m hoping you’ll enjoy the process, too.
How to Paint Clouds in Watercolor
Let’s pivot a bit to specifics now.
There are a handful of things most new watercolor artists want to learn and one of them is how to paint clouds in watercolor.
Clouds look so easy…and seem so complex. And in a way, both are true.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no one way to create anything, whether with watercolors or acrylics or even mixed media!
So let yourself off the hook!
I would really recommend trying a few different techniques to find your own groove.
So you could try mine, then move on to another artist’s step-by-step guide.
You’ll probably end up combining creative techniques and developing your own methodology – which is perfect!
How to Paint an Abstract Landscape Painting in Watercolor
Another often requested teaching for beginner artists is how to paint an abstract landscape painting in watercolor.
Abstract is its own special artistic genre. It often seems people either love it or hate it.
I love it. A solid control of watercolor techniques is useful in abstract painting because knowing how watercolor will react whether it’s laid down wet or dry…on top of wet or dry layers…is crucial to getting effects you will be pleased with.
Working with that know-how and communicating through the art piece that there are mountains, trees, water or whatever your landscape is all about can be daunting, but that skill will definitely come for you if you persist in your practice.
Developing an approach to abstract landscapes is a skill for sure. I have found it helpful to take a reference photo and simply start laying color down in the basic shapes I see. Let that first layer dry and then add more shapes.
The first few times you do this you will either fall in love with the process or you may want to throw your attempt against the wall! Such feelings are very normal! You can and will progress if you keep practicing and be kind to yourself.
How to Paint Water With Watercolor Techniques
I will share one more beginner request. How to paint water with watercolor techniques is a very popular topic and with good reason.
Water moves; and painting movement is a challenge. For myself, I discovered it is not as difficult as I first imagined.
I started out wanting to paint each separate wave in the sea…well, that was just exhausting!
I found a better approach (for me) is to combine a few abstract techniques with some detailed touches. So, (for me, again) that meant practicing individual waves to get a feel for producing movement, from a gentle surf to roaring waves. Then I attempt to put it all together in a finished painting.
In addition, water has depth so shading and lighting are vital. I’m hoping you won’t feel overly intimidated by this description, but that the challenge of fine-tuning your watercolor skills to produce satisfying water will spark your creative drive even more. You can do this! And your mind’s eye will produce watercolor water that is right for you!
Creative Watercolor and Abstract Watercolor Flowers
I’m going to turn back to abstract painting for a minute. Abstract watercolor flowers are pretty special.
As always, the artist gets to decide how much detail is enough. A little or a lot.
That is the beauty of the abstract art world. You can judge for yourself whether your work will stay towards the looser abstract side of things or you can add details to move slightly towards a different genre.
Totally up to you!
My abstract flowers are not overly loose but don’t get lost in the details either.
I focus on colors. Colors speak to me and I love to create things that produce a joy when viewed.
Watercolor abstract flowers do that wonderfully for me. Maybe you, too?
(If you want to try you hand at Bible Art Journaling with abstract doodling, I’ve got a free printable and some ideas to get you started.)
Flower Painting
On this page about watercolor flower painting (click on the graphic below), you’ll find my step-by-step guide. This is how I create beautiful watercolour floral designs.
I show you a simple but beautiful flower and you can use these same steps to paint many different flowers.
There is more detail here than in the abstract flower approach but not enough for realism.
You’ve no doubt noticed by now that I also use ink extensively in my watercolor paintings.
Inking is definitely part of my artistic look and I’ve honed it over the years until I achieved the vibe I want.
One reason I like it is that I can use waterproof ink and add it either before or after the creative watercolor techniques.
Experiment with your own creative exploration and add touches to your paintings that set them apart.
Sometimes it’s that extra something that completely finishes a piece. Only you can determine what that is and playing with your watercolor pieces, dabbling and doodling, can lead you to what works for your creative expression.
How to Paint an Apple with Watercolor Pencils
Let’s pivot again.
Creative watercolor isn’t limited to only one way of painting. Watercolor pencils are fabulous and can offer a deeper sense of control for watercolor techniques.
There are many, many different approaches to watercolor art when using watercolour pencils. Personally I like to combine standard brush watercolor methods with the pencils, layering and adding subtle washes as I create.
Choosing a familiar subject like an apple is a great way to learn pencil layering, adding (or leaving) highlights and shadows, plus discovering how color informs shape.
Choosing something like an apple and painting it over and over again as you learn more painting and drawing skills means you’ll have a record of your skill development and that can be super encouraging!
You might like this: an article comparing watercolor to colored pencils. Note I did not say watercolor pencils! There is a huge difference. Nevertheless if you’re new to these art mediums, this article can help clarify how these 2 mediums work.
And here is an article covering watercolor painting to watercolor pencils. Note the differences!
Now I’m going to show you something completely different to fire up your creative juices.
How to Draw an Owl Step by Step
When I started using watercolors I thought I was limited to landscapes, still lifes and portraits.
I don’t know why I thought that!
It was through classes, exploration and letting other artists inspire me, that I took my own growing beginner art skills and started combining what I was learning with ideas from my own head.
Yes!
I am not an excellent draw-er and frankly, I really don’t care. I am good enough for what I want to do and I realized I want to build on my skills in different ways. Exploring shapes led me to How to Draw an Owl Step by Step.
I combined several reference photos to create a sturdy owl outline shape and then brought him to life with color and shapes.
This owl can add joy to cards, tees, children’s artwork, and more. So many uses for one piece of art.
He is bright, cheery and unique and I wanted to show in this post that a (perceived) lack of drawing skills needn’t hold anyone back. Heck, you can trace your outline shape and then add your imaginative art to fill.
Keep in mind that as my skills have taken shape, even skills I’m not deliberately studying (such as drawing) have improved. And sometimes I find I need to move ahead more quickly and I take a (drawing) class or two.
For me, this practical approach to developing my skill levels keeps me from getting bored. My art is where I find much joy in life and I want to protect the process that helps me produce it.
Nursery Wall Art
Of course, sometimes you want the creative art but you don’t want to create it yourself. That’s fine, too!
I have designed several pieces of art for nursery and toddler rooms and give tips on how to make the most of such art in your precious little one’s room.
Take a look at the nursery art possibilities in this post.
Wrapping up this look at Creative Watercolor
So that’s my take on creative watercolor. Do you have more ideas now? Are you excited to try some new techniques? Maybe some new art mediums?
Let the creative process fill your heart and soul with joy. And then find a way to share that joy with others. That may very well fill your heart even more. It certainly does for me!
