Easy abstract watercolour floral tutorial
Get your paints out and let’s carve a little time out for art! This easy tutorial is perfect if you’re short on time or you need a little creative refresh to get past the fear of the blank page and get into a creating zone! I’ve seen various versions of this technique done but I think what runs through is that you’re focusing on a colour palette with a whole lot of spontaneity on placement!
If you are new to watercolour and need help with choosing materials, I have a free guide here
Materials required for watercolour abstract floral painting :
Watercolour paints - I’ve used my Schmincke Horadam Aquarell Paint Set
Paper - Here I’ve used Fabriano Mixed Media Paper 250gsm
Paintbrushes - I used my KUM Memory Point Artist Brushes R9 (A round brush size 6-9 is fine) you’ll need at least two brushes for making the splotches
Water - in a vessel for painting
Spray bottle - filled with water
Paint palette
🎨Step One: Picking your colour palette
Pick 4 -5 colours you’d like to use for your abstract watercolour piece and mix them into your palette. These could be different shades of the same colour or different colours, it’s completely up to you! You’ll want the colour mixtures to be quite saturated and very watery.
🎨Step Two: Spray your paper
Make sure that the nozzle on your spray bottle is set to spray a fine mist, we don’t want to over-wet or drown the paper but just give it a fine dewy layer. Hold your spray bottle about 30-40cm away from your paper and give it a light misting ( Ignoring the artwork already on the page, the image above shows how fine a layer of water should be misted before you begin). This is to help delay your paint splotches drying out on your page and help with painting them out later.
🎨Step Three: Start ‘splotching’
Load up a paintbrush with water, let it be the brush that is on top and in your dominant hand and then choose your first colour to work with. Hold your second paintbrush in your other hand (no water or paint on this one). You kind of get to be a pretend drummer with paintbrushes! Drift above your paper and tap the top paintbrush onto the one below and the paint and water will ‘spray or splat’ onto the paper. Keep moving around with consideration of placing the colour at different levels on the page.
Pick your next colour and repeat, working quickly so as to not let them dry out before you’ve put down all your colour - don’t overthink it and have fun!
🎨Step Four: Blend out your abstract florals
Your page will be covered in different coloured little splotches - now you can go in with a wet brush and make loose/abstract petal shapes to turn them into soft, floral looking arrangements. You can make loop-shape strokes for petals and brush through paint droplets with straight strokes to create petals or leaves. Adding water where you need to.
🎨Step Five: Add in details
You could be done OR go back in with your own strokes and marks to build on the foundation the abstract layer has given you. I loved how spontaneously the piece came together, how it was playful but considered and I could be as serious or carefree as I wanted to be. Wishing the same for you!
I hope you find joy and freedom in this fun & easy expressive tutorial! I’d love to celebrate what you create so please tag me if you post on Instagram with @watercolour_heart_illustration or #withhearttutorial