21 Easy Step-by-Step Watercolor Tutorials for Beginners

If you're new to watercolor, you may find it helpful to follow these step-by-step watercolor tutorials for beginners.

In this collection, you'll find over 21 watercolor paintings that are broken down into steps.

Use these paintings to create your own beautiful piece of art.

A few paintings you can expect to find are butterfly tutorials, Christmas tree tutorials, fruit tutorials, and more.

Let's Gather Our Supplies

Watercolor Project Book: This project book contains 50 watercolor projects with a forest theme.
Watercolor Paint: These premium quality watercolor palettes will help you create beautiful watercolor projects.
Watercolor Paper: This dual-sided paper is thick, durable, and acid-free, meaning your colors won't fade.

Step-by-Step Watercolor Tutorials

Enjoy checking out these 21+ easy watercolor painting tutorials that you can follow and use to create your own art.

Purchase Quality Tools

As a watercolor artist, having the right tools can make a big difference in your work.

Using quality tools and materials is a great way to ensure that your finished work has the best possible results.

You don't have to spend a ton of money either. You can purchase quality paper, brushes, and paints at a reasonable price.

I've listed some of my favorite watercolor tools above.

Holly Berries

Learn how to easily draw holly berries with this tutorial.

These would be fun to draw during the winter months. You can add them to your holiday-themed art.

Credit: alagualola

Christmas Tree

Here's another tutorial perfect for the holiday season.

This tutorial teaches you how to draw a Christmas tree. I love the addition of the ornaments in the final step.

Credit: alagualola

Purple Flower

This beautiful purple flower would look great with your floral watercolor painting.

The touch of yellow in the center of the flower really makes it stand out.

Credit: atelier_amateur

Purple Butterfly

I love butterflies, so I can't wait to try this tutorial for a purple watercolor butterfly.

Experiment with the colors to suite your desires.

Credit: atelier_amateur

Use Watercolor Paper

Whenever you watercolor, it's important to use watercolor paper.

Watercolor paper is heavier and is good at properly absorbing moisture. It will not tear or pill.

How to Draw Poppies

Poppies are a popular flower. If you've been wondering how to draw poppies, check out this step-by-step tutorial teaching you how to paint them.

Credit: Scarlett Aimpyh

How to Draw An Eggplant

Not only does this tutorial show you step-by-step how to paint an eggplant, but it also provides tips on using your watercolor paint on wet or dry.

Credit: dearannart

Monarch Butterfly

If you love the monarch butterfly and would like to know how to paint one, you'll find this easy to follow tutorial very helpful.

Credit: dearannart

Watercolor Tulips

Tulips are such a beautiful flower. This tutorial shows you how to draw and paint lovely tulip flowers.

After you complete this, you'll have a beautiful work of art.

Credit: huaban

Magdalena has some of the best step-by-step watercolor tutorials. This tutorial shows you how to paint a simple yet detailed tree.

For the full tutorial visit Magdalena Illustration.

Pay Attention to Your Brushes

When you start with watercolor, you may feel that you need a large assortment of brushes. This isn't true.

Certain types of brushes will give you different results.

To start, you'll want to have the following brushes: a spotter brush, round brush, flat brush, mop brush, liner brush, and a fan brush.

If you own these seven types of brushes, you'll be off to a good start.

Watercolor Watermelon

If you're new to watercolor, this tutorial is a great place to start.

It shows you how to easily paint a slice of watermelon. I find this to be such a helpful tutorial.

Credit: elartedeveronica

How to Draw a Donut

I love painting yummy food items, so it's only fitting that I include this watercolor donut tutorial.

If you follow this tutorial, use whatever color you'd like for the icing.

Credit: elartedeveronica

Evergreen Tree

Here's another tutorial that will show you how to draw a Christmas tree. Once your tree is dry, you can add more detail.

Credit: favoritethings_letters

How to Draw a Red Flower

If you'd like to know how to draw an assortment of flowers, I've included a few great tutorials in this collection.

This red flower tutorial is another great floral tutorial option.

Credit: favoritethings_letters

Start Light Then Go Dark

When you watercolor, you'll want to start with light colors and work your way towards the darker shades.

It would be best if you did this because once you apply the dark colors, it's more difficult to undo any errors.

How to Paint a Cosmos Flower

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to paint a cosmos flower step-by-step.

For assistance with painting the petal, pay attention to the part of the tutorial that says "breakdown of a single petal."

Credit: inkstruckstudio

How to Paint An Owl

Owls always look amazing when you see them in paintings.

This tutorial is a bit more advanced, so keep that in mind if you're a beginner painter.

Credit: magdalena.illustration

How to Paint a Blue Flower

The most difficult part of this tutorial will probably be drawing the flower.

After that, the rest is smooth sailing with this tutorial that shows you how to paint a blue flower.

Credit: magdalena.illustration

How to Paint a Ladybug

Learn how to easily paint a lovely ladybug by following this step-by-step tutorial.

This tutorial shows you the paint brand and color used for each part of the ladybug.

Credit: pigmentolimon

Mixing Your Paint

When mixing paint, it's good to mix more paint than you think you'll need.

That's because if you run out of the color, it won't be easy to get the exact shade that you were using previously.

Watercolor Strawberry

This tutorial shows you how to paint a halved strawberry.

There's also a reference for painting a whole strawberry if that's something you'd like to do.

Credit: pigmentolimon

How to Paint a Sunflower

This tutorial makes painting a sunflower easy.

I love how it includes great tips for painting your sunflower so that it turns out like the photo.

Credit: priyankapaints

How to Paint a Transparent Flower

Here's another simple tutorial for painting a flower.

This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to paint a transparent flower.

Credit: priyankapaints

Watercolor Coffee Cup

This tutorial isn't as detailed as some of the others, so it may not be ideal for beginners.

However, if you're willing to give it a try, you'll love the results you get when you paint this coffee cup for yourself.

Credit: conniegg316

Make Sure You Have Paper Towels

As you are working on your paintings, you'll find that it's beneficial to have paper towels on hand.

You can use them to clean and dab your brush. You can also use paper towels to dab your paper while you work.

Watercolor Sunflower

Here's another tutorial for painting a sunflower. This tutorial includes a few more steps to guide you along the way.

Credit: nikitaceedesign

How to Paint a Leaf

I love this tutorial showing you how to paint a leaf.

If you'd like to know how to draw leaves, this tutorial is a great place to start.

This could also assist you in painting leaves on trees.

Credit: inksnthings

Hot Cocoa Watercolor

I would love to paint this hot cocoa mug during the holiday season.

This mug would look great on the cover of a handmade holiday card.

Credit: typeandjoy

Here's another awesome tutorial from Magdalena Illustration. This tutorial will show you how to easily paint a palm tree.