So, you’ve decided it’s time to pick up a new hobby — and watercolour painting has caught your eye. Great choice! But if you’re just starting out, you might be wondering: what on earth should I paint first?
Learning a new skill can feel intimidating, especially when those shiny new paints and brushes are staring back at you. The good news? Watercolour is one of the most beginner‑friendly art mediums out there, and with the right inspiration, you’ll be creating beautiful artwork in no time.
To help you get started, we’ve rounded up 10 easy watercolour painting ideas for beginners — from simple landscapes to playful florals — all complete with step‑by‑step tutorials. Follow along, and you’ll have your very first watercolour masterpieces ready to impress friends, family, or even brighten up your own walls.
Ready to dip your brush and let the colours flow? Let’s dive into these fun and beginner‑friendly watercolour projects that will spark your creativity and keep those paints far away from the back of the cupboard!
Watercolour Ideas for Beginners
Ice Lollies
It may still be cold out there, but this ice lolly (or popsicle) watercolour painting is perfect for beginners. You get to experiment with a mix of bright colours and use a 'lifting technique' to create a white shimmer of light by lifting paint back off the paper. You can get your tastebuds flowing by imagining the flavours on your ice lolly and even create a frozen texture using salt in your painting.
Visit https://watercolorpainting.com/easy-watercolor-popsicle/ for the full tutorial.
Dreamy Moon
We love how this watercolour painting makes us think of dreaming and relaxation, and it's super easy to produce using basic techniques covered in a step by step video. You'll start by drawing the crescent of the moon in pencil as the focal point to your painting, and then you'll paint water onto the paper so you can carry out the 'wet on wet' watercolour technique. This technique creates a diluted effect to the colour you add and allows you to blend and move the colour around the shape.
This dreamy moon painting idea is excellent for beginners because it is an organic, natural subject matter you're depicting, which means you have creative freedom to create the moon and the clouds as you want - anything goes!
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Op1mu4rcS4 for the full tutorial.
Oak Tree
If you like the idea of painting nature, you'll need to learn how to paint trees as they're bound to crop up. This 6 step tutorial on Instagram helps beginners to produce an effective tree watercolour with beautiful shades of green and cute little dots for the leaves. Give this one a try a few times to perfect it, then why not visit a local park and put it into practice.
Visit https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SOt16oizP/ for the full tutorial.
Watermelon
This watermelon slice idea is super easy with its simple shape and colour mixing. It's so simple there is no need to sketch it first. Just create a wet triangle to paint your pink onto, using the wet on wet technique. You'll find the paint makes its way over the shape, creating lovely unique patterns for you. By adding a few pink tones, your watermelon slice will look juicy and ready to eat.
Visit https://watercolorpainting.com/watermelon-watercolor-painting/ for the full tutorial.
Flowers
Learning to paint flowers is a great place to start for beginners. Because they are a natural subject, you don't need to produce perfect lines, which relieves a bit of pressure as you're learning. This simple watercolour painting will take you minutes to produce but leave you with a picture that looks like you've spent hours creating.
Visit https://thepostmansknock.com/how-to-create-watercolor-flowers-tutorial-plus-a-gorgeous-giveaway/ for the full tutorial.
Sunflower
Once you've mastered flowers, you could have a go at this beautiful Sunflower! This watercolour idea for beginners will take a little more practice than some of the others to get right. With this video tutorial, you start by sketching a circle around a small pot. You'll then start to build your petal layers, with a drying stage in-between, until you see that unmistakable face of the Sunflower.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgIJGPodLJA for the full tutorial.
The Pear
The humble fruit has inspired both beginners and experienced artists for centuries. Mainly because fruit doesn't move of its own accord, and it's sort of beautiful in its own way.
The tutorial is quite detailed, so it's a great way to learn how and why the techniques used work well for these types of subjects.
Visit https://www.eliseenghstudios.com/2014/01/how-to-watercolor-still-life.html for the full tutorial.
Simple Abstract Art
The best thing about abstract art is that it's abstract! You can produce any old shapes and colours you feel like, and no one will judge you because it's abstract. So as a beginner, this is a great exercise to stretch your creative muscle and let loose on your watercolour pad!
This idea from Page Flutter guides those new to watercolours through basic techniques such as glazing and creating shapes, so you can create a modern masterpiece you'll be proud of.
Visit https://pageflutter.com/watercolor-painting-for-beginners/ for the full tutorial.
Doughnuts
Easily the most delicious of all the watercolour ideas for beginners we've seen. These sugary, colourful little rings are easy to master and loads of fun to produce.
To create them, you use a small bowl to get your circles right, then use concentrated colours to fill in your doughnuts, not forgetting to leave some areas white to show light reflections.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRue3xX61sc for the full tutorial.
Sunset and Evening Sky
Painting a sunrise or sunset might feel intimidating, but it's not as hard as it looks. This video tutorial helps guide beginners through painting a sunset sky and an evening sky, including little details like pylons and birds to make your picture more interesting.
From First Strokes to Masterpieces
And there you have it — 10 easy watercolour painting ideas that prove you don’t need to be a professional artist to create something beautiful. With just a brush, a splash of colour, and a little curiosity, you can turn blank pages into vibrant works of art.
Remember, the joy of watercolour isn’t about perfection, it’s about experimenting, relaxing, and letting the paint flow where it wants to. So grab your paints, follow a tutorial, and most importantly, have fun! Who knows… today’s beginner brushstrokes might just be the start of a lifelong creative adventure.
Happy painting — and may your watercolours never gather dust again!
