Are you having trouble finding inspiration for your next watercolor painting? Check out this list of 50 simple watercolor painting ideas!
Disclaimer: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. AS AN AMAZON AFFILIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.
Watercolor painting is fun and exciting, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to paint. As a watercolor artist myself I am giving you my top simple watercolor painting ideas that have helped me when I am in a slump.
You are going to find simple watercolor painting ideas, cute watercolor animals, easy watercolor flowers, fun watercolor ideas for cards, watercolor landscape ideas, watercolor buildings paintings, and things to draw with watercolor.
After looking through all of the simple watercolor painting ideas you will know what your next watercolor paintings are going to be!
50 Simple Watercolor Painting Ideas
Supplies needed:
- Watercolor Brushes: My favorite brush is the Princeton Watercolor Brush, however, I have also used watercolor brush pens and Mr. Pen watercolor brushes.
- Watercolor Paper: My favorite paper to use is Arches cold press paper. It is more expensive but you can paint on both sides without ruining either painting. I have also used Funto Watercolor Cards to make personalized cards and Grumbacher Watercolor Paper.
- Watercolor Paint: When at home I use the Pelikan Watercolor Paint. When I’m traveling I use Artme Watercolor Paint.
- Frames: I use 8 x 12-inch frames, 9 x 12-inch frames, and 4 x 6-inch frames.
Cute Watercolor Animals
1. Watercolor Woodland Animals
Find a picture online of a deer and paint it! It can be realistic like this one or impressionistic and loose.
2. Watercolor Cats
Cats are frisky and mischievous which makes them fun to turn into paintings!
3. Watercolor Hedgehog
Hedgehogs make the perfect cute watercolor animals painting! They’re simple and easy to do.
4. Watercolor Wolf
My favorite thing about painting a watercolor wolf is how many colors that can be incorporated into their fur.
5. Water Color Animals
This cute little squirrel will be so fun to paint. You can put it in a tree, on a table, or holding a nut!
Need inspiration for your sketches? Check out 13+ Easy Creative Drawing Ideas.
6. Watercolor Forest Animals
Turn a fox into a balloon animal! It is easier to draw than you would think because every shape is an oval. Just make sure to leave white areas for the reflection.
7. Watercolor Animals Cute
Challenge yourself by painting a koala bear.
8. Watercolor Ocean Animals
There are endless types of cool fish out there to paint. Look at some pictures and then paint your own watercolor ocean animals!
9. Cute Watercolor Animals
Paint a rubber ducky floating on water. This one would be perfect to practice using different colors in your paintings.
10. Watercolor Fox
Paint a cute little watercolor fox with a butterfly on its nose! You could add a background scene or leave it simple.
11. Watercolor Animals Easy
Watercolor balloon animals would make the cutest decoration for a nursery!
Easy Watercolor Flowers
12. Watercolor Flower Painting Ideas
Paint a pink rose. Then paint the same picture but paint the rose yellow or red or orange. See how your paintings improve with practice.
13. Simple Watercolor Flowers
Hibiscus flowers make good simple watercolor flowers and they turn out beautiful!
Check out more ideas for watercolor flowers at 5 Gorgeous Watercolor Flowers Easy Ideas.
14. Beginner Watercolor Practice
These easy watercolor flowers make for a great practice session. You can learn how to do a smooth background and then drop in colors that you make into flowers. Add colored pencils on top to give it a different look than just plain watercolor.
15. Watercolor Painting Flowers Easy
Pick your favorite flower and then paint it multiple times in different colors and various sizes.
16. Watercolor Painting Ideas Flowers
This orchid is so simple yet beautiful! Anyone would be able to make it look good.
17. Watercolor Flower Paintings
Create a painting of wildflowers. pic a few different kinds of flowers and place them all over the page until it fills up. It will feel chaotic but that is the point.
18. Pretty Watercolor Paintings Easy
This is a great watercolor drill to learn how to create a painting out of random watercolor spots. Turn the spots into flowers and then outline them with a pen to make them pop.
Learn how to paint this at Easy Mixed Media Art: A Guide for Beginners.
19. Easy Watercolor Flowers
This beautiful yet easy watercolor flowers painting would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift!
Learn how to paint this easy watercolor flowers painting in a step-by-step approach in 5 Secrets to Beautiful Watercolor Flowers Painting blog post.
Fun Watercolor Ideas for Cards
20. Fathers Day Cards to Make
‘Punny’ sayings go with Father’s Day cards perfectly. Add a cute little picture to your favorite pun.
21. Homemade Thank You Cards
This fun watercolor ideas will have you making more thank you cards than you know what to do with them. So go thank your garbage man!
22. Homemade Valentine Card
Paint a cheesy card for your significant other!
23. Homemade Valentines Cards for Him
Give him a homemade card for Valentine’s Day to let him know how much he means to you.
Find more Valentine’s Day ideas at 11 Fun Valentine’s Day Art Ideas.
24. Homemade Anniversary Cards
This cute card is so fun to make and the colors really make it pop!
25. Homemade Cards DIY
This card could be for someone special or someone you care about who is having a rough go at life right now.
26. Handmade Cards for Christmas
Paint a simple nativity scene and turn it into a Christmas card.
There are so many more Christmas card ideas here: 15 Best Watercolor Christmas Cards Ideas.
27. Homemade Christmas Cards
Make this baby Jesus nativity scene into a Christmas card or a wall decoration for the season.
28. Simple Card Making Ideas Free
These fun Christmas-themed cards would be perfect to spread some holiday cheer to the elderly.
Watercolor Landscape Ideas
29. Watercolor Painting Ideas Landscape
After you paint a beautiful watercolor landscape use Acrylic Paint Marker Pens to add a moon and stars that pop with color.
Learn exactly how to recreate this painting at Amazingly Easy Watercolor Landscape Art.
30. Watercolor Landscape Painting Idea
Paint a night sky with silhouette mountains. This is the perfect painting for a gloomy mood.
31. Watercolor Landscape Images
Look through your pictures of a time when you went to the beach and paint it! Or even better, the next time you go to the beach bring your travel supplies and paint it right there.
32. Watercolor Landscape Painting Ideas
Challenge yourself with this watercolor landscape ideas by using only one color to create the sky, mountains, and lake.
33. Things to Draw with Watercolor
The next time you’re riding down the street and there’s a beautiful sunset take a picture to paint the next time you get the chance.
34. Watercolor Painting Ideas Scenery
Go up a canyon and paint what you see! It can be as realistic or impressionistic as you want.
35. Watercolor Landscape Art
Rivers are one of my favorite things to paint. There are so many colors you can add to them to make them look alive.
Follow a few simple steps and you can paint this watercolor landscape art too! How to Paint a Watercolor Landscape in 5 Easy Steps.
36. Watercolor Landscape Painting for Beginners
This colorful and easy watercolor landscape painting is perfect for beginners!
37. Watercolor Animal Backgrounds
Paint a landscape scene and then add an animal to it. For example on a beach painting put in a sea turtle.
38. Watercolor Landscape Ideas
A black and white watercolor painting can be challenging but a mountain and lake scene is the perfect setting to paint your first one.
39. Beautiful Watercolor Paintings
This watercolor landscape ideas is so simple with just a big tree to capture the viewer’s attention, yet still stunning. Try to capture the perfect day with clouds in a bright blue sky and warm weather.
Watercolor Buildings Paintings
40. Watercolor Building Painting
This painting was a gift to my brother. It was the building he got married in. Paint a building that holds meaning for you.
Learn how to create this digitally at 5 Types of Digital Art – An Awesome Beginner’s Guide.
41. Watercolor Buildings Paintings
Old barns are a lot of fun to paint. They’re often kind of wacky themselves so you don’t need to worry about perfect technique.
42. Watercolor Painting Buildings
Lighthouses can make magnificent watercolor buildings paintings. They are majestic and powerful, which when done well transfer over to your painting.
Things to Draw with Watercolor
43. Watercolor Wall Painting Ideas
Oranges are easy and fun to paint. You can add leaves and berries or put them on a simple background. The choice is yours.
44. Easy Watercolor Pictures
This cute avocado is based on a stuffed animal. Stuffed animals can be the perfect subject because they don’t move or change and they’re so cute!
Learn step-by-step how to paint this cute little guy! Watercolor Art for Beginners – Cute and Easy Avocado Painting.
45. Watercolor Trees Easy
Practice creating different watercolor trees. Figure out which one you like best.
46. Watercolor Painting Ideas Simple
I used this as a card to give to my husband when I gave him Jazz tickets for Christmas. Since the tickets were digital it was nice to be able to give him something tangible.
47. Easy Watercolor Patterns
Use different techniques to create easy watercolor patterns. Some ideas are using ceranwrap, salt, rice, tin foil, cotton balls, etc.
48. Watercolor Palm Trees
The best place to paint watercolor palm trees is next to the pool or right on the beach. It is so relaxing.
Improve your drawing skills by practicing with these great ideas: 17 Great Still Life Drawing Ideas.
49. Spring Watercolor Ideas
Cacti are simple and cute subjects in paintings. I find it easiest to add the spines with a thin white marker or pen.
50. Fun Watercolor Ideas
Doesn’t this just scream summer and a good time? It doesn’t disappoint because it is very fun to paint.
Leave a Reply