Easy Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners

ByRita JoyPublished: January 22, 2026

New to watercolor? These watercolor painting ideas for beginners include simple tutorials, beginner supplies, and printable templates to help you start with confidence.

Remember back to that year when world events caused us all to stick close to home??;) I don’t know what made me think of this, but before everything was shut down, I decided that it was important for my mental health to have something fun to look forward to each day.

I chose watercolor painting at my dining room table as my ” fun thing”.

Easy watercolor painting of a glass of lemonade.
Using watercolor painting templates makes it easy for beginners to learn watercolor painting.

When we got word that the following day would be the “shutdown” day and we needed to stay home, my husband and I went to our downtown grocery store to pick up some staples (Thankfully, we had toilet paper already!;)). After we had them loaded into our car, I asked him to make one more stop.

I ran into Walmart and bought a pad of watercolor paper and a children’s set of watercolor paints.

It became my “do something fun” thing for weeks.

Every day, I made a goal to sit down at the dining room table and paint something. It was theraputic.

Watercolor painting is simple and relaxing – and I figured that the more I practiced, the better I’d get, right?

I still have that stack of paintings – each with a date penciled in at the bottom, ending with the year 2020.

So if you, too, would like to begin learning watercolor painting – no matter what year it is, I wanted to pass on to you some of the great resources I found for beginners that are still great now!

Supplies you’ll need for Watercolor Painting:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.

One of the things I love about watercolor painting is that it doesn’t require a boatload of supplies! You’ll just need these basic things:

Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners: Basic Tutorials to help you get started

One of the best things about learning watercolor is how many helpful (and free!) tutorials are available online. Whether you’re brand new or just brushing up on the basics, these beginner-friendly tutorials will walk you through simple techniques, step-by-step projects, and tips to build your confidence. I’ve gathered a few that I found especially encouraging and easy to follow when I was starting out!

Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners: Use Printable Watercolor Coloring Pages for Adults

As a beginner in watercolor painting, I found myself looking specifically for easy watercolor paintings to copy. I discovered some easy watercolour painting ideas in the form of free printable watercolor templates with line drawings of easy things to paint with watercolors.

Why You Will Love Watercolor Templates

When you’re just getting started with watercolor painting, it can feel intimidating to sketch out your own designs. That’s why printable watercolor templates are such a helpful tool! Here’s why they’re great for beginners:

  • No drawing skills needed – Just focus on painting, not sketching.
  • Get started faster – Skip the blank page and dive right into the fun part.
  • Build confidence – Enjoy small wins with each finished painting.
  • Practice technique – Focus on brushwork, color blending, and water control without worrying about proportions or composition.
  • Endless inspiration – Templates offer fresh ideas when you’re not sure what to paint.

How to Use Watercolor Templates

Using printable watercolor templates is simple and a great way to ease into painting. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Print the template – Use regular copy paper for printing your chosen design.
  2. Position it under your watercolor paper – Hold both up to a window or use a lightbox so the design shines through.
  3. Lightly trace the design – Use a pencil to outline the template onto your watercolor paper.
  4. Start painting! – Grab your brushes and enjoy bringing the design to life with color.

Using templates gave me the freedom to learn the basics while still creating something beautiful—and that encouragement helped me stick with it! Here is a list of some cute watercolor templates you might want to try, too!

Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners: Ready to use watercolor coloring books for adults

In my research, I also discovered some beautiful ready to use watercolor books. They look amazing for beginners – no printing or tracing necessary! Click on the link to see details and purchase on Amazon.

It’s fun to learn to paint with watercolors using easy watercolor paintings to copy -watercolor templates!

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10 Comments

  1. Such an inspirational post with many options for painting with watercolor. I would love to know if you have any idea of acrylic painting tutorials there might for beginners. Any suggestions
    would be greatly appreciated! Thank You!

    Reply

  2. Thanks for making this list – painting by watercolor like this is a favorite pastime of mine and I’m always looking for inspiration. I’ve bookmarked your page so that I have this list all the time.

    Reply

  3. I have wanted to learn to paint for so long, but it always looks so complicated… until this painting by watercolor tutorial. Your paintings are beautiful and I can’t wait to try some of these ideas with my daughter (she loves to paint.)

    Reply

  5. My daughter has been getting into painting by watercolor and she’s used a few of these ideas and loved them. Thank you for the great ideas!

    Reply

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