A Beginner's Watercolour Journey: 7 Simple Projects to Try

A Beginner's Watercolour Journey: 7 Simple Projects to Try

Introduction

The first rainy Saturday I wandered into Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge, I picked up a Winsor & Newton Cotman pocket box, poked at the tiny pans and left equal parts excited and overwhelmed. I’d tasted the freedom of loose washes but had no idea which brush to buy, how much water to use, or what a finished piece was supposed to look like.

This piece is the tidy, practical lift I wish I’d had that afternoon: a truly minimal kit, five core techniques explained in plain steps, seven short projects you can finish between fifteen and forty-five minutes, a 30‑day practice plan you can actually keep, and the exact mistakes to stop making now.

• What you'll get: a low-cost starter list, step-by-step technique drills, seven projects, a 30‑day routine, and quick fixes for common errors.

Starter gear: the minimal kit that actually gets you painting

Less is better. A handful of reliable items lets you focus on paint and water instead of gear anxiety. Start with pans; switch to tubes later if you love mixing larger washes.

Begin with a compact Cotman pocket set (travel-ready pans, around £15–£30). Use 140lb / 300gsm cold-pressed paper or a Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook (good wet-media handling, roughly £12–£25). For brushes, choose a small round selection — sizes 2, 6/8 and 10 — from an affordable maker (sets from £8–£15). A porcelain saucer or small ceramic palette works for mixing (a household plate is fine to begin). Two jars for water, paper towels or rags, a 2H pencil and kneaded eraser, plus a roll of acid-free masking tape finish the kit without fuss.

Starter-kit options — choose your own adventure:

• Everyday travel starter: Cotman Pocket Box + small wet-media sketchbook + one round brush. Ideal for practicing anywhere.

• Home starter kit: 12-pan set + 9×12 cold-press pad + three brushes + palette + tape. Better for deliberate practice and larger washes.

Where to buy: we curate both of these options at Craft and Canvas — pop into the Hebden Bridge shop for a tailored starter kit or ask us to assemble one to your budget online. We also stock The Watercolour Companion, Craft and Canvas as a compact reference you can keep next to your palette. Money-saving tip: reuse jars, a plate, and buy pans before tubes; you’ll learn much faster this way. If you prefer branded sets, see the Winsor & Newton watercolour sets for standard Cotman options.

Five core techniques every beginner should practise

These five drills build control over water, edges and value — practice them and everything else becomes easier.

Wet-on-wet — soft blends and skies

Wet the paper evenly with clean water until it shines but doesn’t pool. Load your brush with pigment and touch the damp surface; watch the colour bloom. Tilt the paper to guide flow.

Drill: two 5‑minute washes: drop one colour, then a second and observe how they meet. (10 minutes.) Pitfall: puddles create runaway blooms. Fix: blot excess with a rag and work in smaller areas.

Wet-on-dry — crisp edges and detail

Ensure the paper is bone-dry. Mix a stronger pigment and paint with decisive strokes; edges will remain sharp. This is where you add structure and definition.

Drill: paint three isolated shapes with clean edges, focusing on confident marks. (10–15 minutes.)

Flat wash — even tone

Mix enough consistent pigment. Tilt the paper slightly and paint top-to-bottom, keeping a wet edge and reloading your brush to avoid streaks. Work quickly and steady the rhythm of the stroke.

Drill: cover a 9×12 area once; note streaks and correct them on the next try. (15 minutes.) For a practical walkthrough of basic washes and how to keep edges even, see the clear four-basic wash tutorial from a professional pigment maker: Four basic watercolor washes.

Variegated wash — gradients and colour blending

Wet the area, lay colour A at one side and dilute toward the centre, add colour B from the opposite edge and let them meet. Gentle tilting and timing control the blend.

Drill: paint three gradient strips, changing colour and intensity. (15 minutes.)

Glazing / layering — depth with transparency

Apply a light wash, dry completely, then add transparent layers to build value. Always dry between layers and plan light-to-dark so colour remains luminous.

Drill: paint a small shape and build five graduated layers, noting how each layer alters the colour. (20 minutes total.)

Seven simple projects to try tonight

Each project targets a technique and fits a short window. Pick one and put paint on paper.

Geometric colour circles — 5–15 minutes (Very Easy)

Materials: Cotman pans, small round brush, cold-press scrap. Lightly pencil circles. Paint each circle with a confident, single-colour wash; let dry, then overlap with a second colour to see glazing and mixing. Variation: sprinkle salt into a damp circle for texture. Next step: use three overlapping colours to study tertiary mixes.

Smooth watercolour circles study — 10–20 minutes (Very Easy)

Materials: larger round brush. Paint one confident circular stroke per form, keeping the brush loaded enough to reach the edge without stopping. Repeat until you can make a smooth flat wash circle in one pass. Next step: create circles of graduated value.

Loose sailboat — 15–30 minutes (Easy)

Technique: wet-on-wet sky, wet-on-dry boat. Wash a sky; while slightly damp add a darker wash for sea. Once semi-dry, paint a simple hull and mast in a single stroke. Next step: add a glazed reflection using a thin darker wash.

Feather still life — 20–30 minutes (Moderate)

Block out the feather shape with a light variegated wash. When dry, use a fine brush to add veins and darker accents. Lift highlights with a clean damp brush or rag. Next step: try two-colour glazing for iridescent effects.

Little whale — 20–25 minutes (Moderate)

Use wet-on-wet for the body: drop blues into damp paper, dab a darker mix for depth, then lift for highlights. Finish with dry-brush texture for barnacles or spray. Next step: place the whale in a simple horizon landscape.

Group of trees / mushrooms — 20–30 minutes (Moderate)

Paint tree shapes as loose puddles, then add trunks and darker notes wet-on-dry. Vary value to create depth. Next step: repeat using three colour harmonies (warm, cool, neutral).

Mini landscape with graded wash — 30–45 minutes (Moderate → Challenging)

Create a graded sky, block midground shapes with variegated washes and glaze foreground elements to increase contrast. Focus on value relationships more than tiny detail. Next step: attempt a postcard-sized version using just three colours. For additional subject ideas and step-by-step starter paintings, check this collection of easy watercolor paintings for beginners.

A 30‑day practice plan: small daily steps that build real skill

Short, consistent practice beats sporadic marathons. Aim for 10–30 minutes daily and track progress with thumbnails.

Week 1 (Days 1–7): Materials + tiny drills (10–15 min/day). Learn washes, practice two-minute colour mixes and three flat washes. Goal: familiarity with water-to-paint.

Week 2 (Days 8–14): Core technique focus (15–20 min/day). Rotate practice: a wet-on-wet day, a flat-wash day, a glazing day. Goal: one clean wet-on-dry shape each session.

Week 3 (Days 15–21): Project week (20–30 min/day). Complete three of the seven projects, concentrating on composition and value rather than detail.

Week 4 (Days 22–30): Combine and refine (20–40 min/day). Revisit weakest techniques, finish one polished postcard piece, and compare it to Day 1 thumbnails.

Practical prompts: keep an index card or sketchbook of daily samples, use a 20‑minute timer, and pick a “colour of the day.” If you want feedback, bring a postcard-sized painting into Craft and Canvas for a quick kit consultation or to request specialist brushes or paper — our staff will help you refine your next drill.

Common beginner mistakes — how to spot them and what to practise instead

These tripped me up and they slow most newcomers down. They're fixable with small, focused drills.

Water-to-paint ratio: If colours puddle or are too faint, test mixes on scrap until you can reproduce a consistent wash.

Overworking: Too many strokes dull the paint. Practice single-stroke shapes with a larger brush and stop earlier.

Details too early: If details float on a background, practise blocking broad shapes first and adding details last.

Weak values: If your pieces feel flat, practice a five-value strip (light to dark) and label each mix.

Paper buckling: Tape the edges, choose 140lb paper or stretch sheets; we can show you quick mounting tricks at Craft and Canvas or order heavier pads to suit your budget.

Empathy tip: every painter trips over these. Your aim is measurable drills — not perfection on the first try. If you want more troubleshooting specifically geared to common beginner errors, a concise list of mistakes and fixes can be a useful companion when you practise at home.

Where to go next: curated tutorials, playlists and local support

After a week of basic drills, supplement with one clear video (15–20 minutes) that matches the technique you want to practise.

• Finelinernerd — excellent step-by-step technique demos (great for wet-on-wet and charging).

• Karen Rice Art — practical texture tips and simple subjects.

• Andrea Nelson Art — short, essential reminders about drying and paper care.

• Jenna Rainey— beginner bootcamp and approachable starter paintings for progression.

Locally, drop into Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge for a 15‑minute kit consultation. Bring a small painting and our team will help you tweak materials, order specialist brushes or paper if needed, and recommend the next drill for your practice plan. If you're curious about exploring other media or structured guides, we also offer resources such as Complete Guide to Acrylics, Craft and Canvas, The Acrylics Companion, Craft and Canvas, and creative-exercise books like Painting in Abstract, Craft and Canvas.

Final note

Start small. Pick one project tonight, set a 20‑minute timer, and focus on one technique. The tiny, regular wins are what add up — not overnight miracles. If you visit Craft and Canvas, bring a postcard-sized piece and we'll give practical feedback to help you shape the next 30 days. For further reading on acrylics or a fuller acrylic reference, see Complete Guide to Acrylics, Craft and Canvas.