Watercolor
Spring has sprung here in New England. I find myself reaching more and more for my watercolor paints because there are so many pretty things to paint from flowering trees, to spring flowers, and birds. Today I’m sharing some pretty watercolor flowers and how you can paint them at home!
In this post we are focusing on the Grape Hyacinth (also known as Blue Muscari) in two styles. One style is loose and free and the other style is a bit tighter and more detailed, both watercolor techniques are fun and relaxing.
So grab a glass of ice tea or iced coffee, light a candle and grab your watercolor supplies! I’ll outline all the supplies used below, but if you missed myMust Have Watercolor Suppliesyou might want to check that out!
I find painting in a light filled space is the best so you may want to set up near a window. I enjoy painting in our sunroom.
Jump to Tutorial Card
Two Ways to Paint Watercolor Flowers
There are countless ways to paint spring flowers with watercolor paints but I thought I’d break down two techniques I enjoy in this post (there’s also a tutorial card and video at the very end too). The methods we’ll cover:
- The first style is a loose watercolor with wet on wet techniques. I love this style because it’s super relaxing and very hard to make a mistake. They make lovely impressionistic bookmarks or small paintings so make lovely gifts!
- The second style is a botanical style where I sketch out the bulb and flower and add layers of light washes on top. This gives a more realistic look and can be quite a meditative process as paint layers are added.
What is a Grape Hyacinth?
A grape hyacinth also known as Blue Muscari. It is a mid-spring blooming perennial bulb. It’s native to South Eastern Europe and is quite popular for spring. Each bulb produces 1-3 flowers that are 4-8 inches tall. It looks beautiful planted in spring arrangements, in borders and window boxes. It is growing wild in our yard, but I’ve added some to our pool house window boxes. For our purposes it’s also a lot of fun to paint!
Other spring bulbs you may want to consider painting are: Tulips, Daffodils, and Crocus.
Why You’ll Love This Watercolor Tutorial
- It’s a great beginner project!
- Any mistakes can be fixed with this loose method.
- Painting flowers is so relaxing.
This post also contains affiliate links, if you purchase a product via the link I may receive a percentage of the sale. You can readmy full disclosure policy here.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Thank you for supporting my blog in this way.
What You Need to Paint Watercolor Spring Flowers
First off I know many of you have supplies at home. If you’ve painted before use what you have on hand, otherwise, you may want to get some of these supplies. The colors listed are what I’ve used but you can custom mix colors if you have a set of primary colors.
- Watercolor Paper – I used bothCanson XL Watercolor Paper
- Paint Brushes –Size 4and6 round, aflat brushfor wash, a fine detail brush if preferred for details
- Watercolor Paints in greens, violets, blues and tans and gray – Winsor Violet, Sap Green, Chromium Green Oxide (optional I had it in my palette), Indigo Blue, Lemon Yellow, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, and Payne’s Gray
- Palette for paint
- Paper towels
- Scrap Paper
- Water containers
- A pencil
- Washi Tapeto hold paper down
- Hair Dryer (optional – to speed up drying time)
- Paper Cutter (optional)
I created a video tutorial and I’m including a step by step card at the bottom of this post. You may want to watch the video through first before attempting your own flowers to see which method appeals to you the most.
How to Paint Watercolor Spring Flowers
Loose / Impressionistic Watercolor Technique
- Cut paper to size – I cut my watercolor paper as 2 x 5 cards (this size makes great bookmarks or small frame-able art). Tape edges of watercolor paper onto a table or hard surface. Be sure to press the tape firmly.
- Apply a light wash of water with a flat brush. While the paint is still wet softly drop in a light blue for the background.
- Allow to dry. You can speed up drying time with a hair dryer.
- For the first layer apply a watery mixture of greens and pale purples to create the look that the flowers are in the background. I drop the flowers in with a stippling motion of the brush. Allow to dry.
- Go back into the painting with more concentrated mixtures of greens and purples. These darker colors will make the flowers and stems look closer to use in the painting. Use the same method as first flowers. Allow to dry
- Carefully, remove washi tape and enjoy your painting!
Botanical Style
This method – by the nature of it being more detailed takes a little longer.
- Very lightly sketch out your flowers and bulb. It might be helpful to create shapes first and and then add the details. Keep the sketching very light as it can be hard to remove the pencil markings after painting.
- Start with light washes – in the video I started with the stems, then the bulb, and flowers. Be careful not to work on touching ares when the painting is still wet or it will bleed into that area.
- Continue with the painting adding layers and layers of darker and more concentrated colors to create texture, shadow, and depth.
- When using watercolor its important to keep areas you want white left unpainted or you can carefully lift paint with a paper towel or dry brush.
- The paint will lighten as it dries so you may want to come back in and add more paint in some areas.
- Once dry carefully remove any stray pencil markings.
- Enjoy your painting!
FAQ – Answering Your Watercolor Questions
I love the color when it’s wet but not when it dries, why is that?
Watercolor paint dries 10% lighter so you must account for this when painting. Either you go bolder when applying paint or you apply a second wash of color after.
What watercolor paper should I use?
I actually just wrote a post all about watercolor papers and why I prefer some over others. You can see watercolor papers I enjoy!
Is there a particular brush that works well?
I really love these velvet touch brushes. They are pretty affordable and maintain the shape.
What can I use as reference if I don’t have the flower or item I want to paint?
You could go to the garden center and take photos or you could look online for some inspiration photos of the flowers you want to paint.
More Watercolor Ideas & Resources
- Watercolor Valentine Hearts
- Must Have Watercolor Supplies
- Mini Seascapes
Online Classes:
I’m a huge fan of Skillshare which offers wonderful classes (on some many subjects, not just watercolor) from the comfort of your own home. Use this link to geta free month of Skillshare from me!
Our Shop and Free Art Printables
Many of you know I run an online shop with my teenage son. We have art prints, note cards and notepads all with a portion of every sale going to World Wildlife Fund. Visit ouronline shop! I also have a bunch offree printableson my site.
Be sure to pin this for later:
5 from 1 vote
Watercolor Flowers
Learn to paint watercolor flowers. I'm sharing two ways to paint Grape Hyacinths.
Active Time1 hour hr
Keyword: botanical, watercolor tutorial
Yield: 2 paintings
Author: Danielle Driscoll
Materials
- watercolor paper and scrap paper I like Canson XL
- watercolor brushes sizes round 4, 6, detail (if desired), and flat
- paint palette
- paper towels
- water containers
- pencil
- washi tape
- hair dryer optional
- paper cutter optional
Watercolor Paints
- Winsor Violet
- Sap Green
- Chromium Oxide Green optional
- Indigo Blue
- Lemon Yellow
- Raw Sienna
- Burnt Sienna
- Payne's Gray
Instructions
For Impressionistic Watercolor Flowers
Cut paper to size – I cut my watercolor paper as 2 x 5 cards (this size makes great bookmarks or small frame-able art). Tape edges of watercolor paper onto a table or hard surface. Be sure to press the tape firmly.
Apply a light wash of water with a flat bush. While the paint is still wet, softly drop in a light blue for the background. Allow to dry. You can speed up the drying process with hair dryer.
For the first layer, apply a watery mixture of greens and pale purples to create the look of flowers in the background. I drop the flowers in with a stippling motion of the brush. Allow to dry.
Go back into the painting with more concentrated mixtures of greens and purples. These darker colors will make the flowers and stems look closer to the viewer. Use the same method as the first flowers. Allow to dry.
Carefully remove the washi tape and enjoy your painting!
For Botanical Style Watercolor Flowers
Very lightly sketch out your flowers and bulb. It might be helpful to create shapes first and and then add the details. Keep the sketching very light as it can be hard to remove the pencil markings after painting.
Start with light washes – in the video I started with the stems, then the bulb, then the flowers. Be careful not to work on touching areas when the paint is still wet or it will bleed into that area.
Continue with painting adding layers and layers of darker and more concentrated colors to create texture, shadow, and depth.
When using watercolor its important to keep areas you want white left unpainted or you can carefully lift paint with a paper towel or dry brush.
The paint will lighten as it dries so you may want to come back in and add more paint to areas.
Once dry and you're happy with the results carefully remove and stray pencil markings.
Video
Notes
You don’t need to use the paint colors listed here. Use what you have. You can also create your own purples mixing together blue and red and you can create your own greens mixing blue and yellow.
I can’t wait to see your paintings and to hear how you enjoy this tutorial!
Let’s Stay in Touch!
Did you make this project? If so, let me know! What method was your favorite?
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