If you love the idea of hand-painted Christmas decor but the thought of picking up a paintbrush makes you a little nervous, this post is for you. Watercolour is one of the most forgiving mediums out there, and Christmas is the perfect excuse to give it a go.
I’ve pulled together 16 easy watercolour ideas that are perfect for the festive season — think simple sprigs of holly, sweet little robins, cosy candles and classic Christmas trees. Every design here is beginner-friendly, so you don’t need years of painting experience or fancy equipment to get lovely results.
The best part? These aren’t just paintings for painting’s sake. Once you’ve created your designs, you can use them across all sorts of Christmas craft projects — from handmade cards and gift tags to wrapping paper, journal pages and festive decorations. One little painting session can set you up with artwork for the whole season.
So grab your watercolours, a cup of something warm, and let’s get painting.
1. A Wrapped Gift & Potted Christmas Tree
Starting off with a pale blue-wrapped present with a red ribbon sits alongside a small potted Christmas tree, both painted with loose, sketchy linework over soft watercolour washes.
Start with light washes for the gift box and tree foliage, letting the colours pool and vary in tone for texture, then once dry, add fine pen or ink details for the outlines, ribbon, and pot to bring the shapes into focus.
2. Holly Leaves & Trailing Berries
Sharp-pointed holly leaves in muted olive green pair with clusters of bright red berries and a delicate sprig of hanging berries below.
Paint the leaves first with a loose, dry-ish brush to capture their jagged edges and varied tones, then add the round berries in a saturated red once the leaves are dry, finishing with fine branch lines and smaller dotted berries trailing off for movement.
3. Christmas Nutcracker
A classic nutcracker figure with a tall black hat, red uniform, pale blue trousers, and a bushy white beard, painted in simple blocky shapes.
Block in the flat colour sections first — red for the coat and hat, blue for the legs, black for the boots and hat brim — keeping edges loose.
Once dry, add the pen details for the face, beard, buttons, and uniform trim to bring the character to life.
4. Festive Hot Chocolate
A cosy mug of hot chocolate topped with fluffy marshmallows, painted in a holly-patterned cup with a red base and pink rim.
Wash in the chocolate first with a warm brown, then paint the marshmallows using soft white and pink shading to give them shape.
Then add the holly leaves and berries on the mug once the base coat has dried, finishing with fine linework to define the handle and details.
5. Hanging Bauble with Foliage
A pale, polka-dotted bauble hangs from a red ribbon, framed by loose sprigs of greenery and finished with a trailing pink bow.
Paint the foliage first with a light, airy touch, then add the bauble using a very pale wash with small red dots for pattern, finishing with the red hanging ribbon and pink bow to tie the whole piece together.
6. Woman Carrying a Stack of Gifts
A stylish figure in a red dress balances a tall stack of colourful wrapped presents in her arms, painted in soft washes with fine ink details for the hair, face, and ribbons.
Start with light washes for the skin and dress, then block in each gift box in a different flat colour, keeping edges loose, and finish with black pen linework for the bows, facial features, and outlines to bring the whole scene together.
7. Candy Cane with Holly & Ribbon
A striped red and white candy cane sits above a cluster of holly leaves, berries, and a large pink bow with trailing ribbon tails.
Paint the candy cane’s stripes with loose diagonal strokes, then work in the holly leaves using varied greens with darker shadow tones.
Add in small red and black berry dots, and finish with the pink bow painted in bold sweeping strokes for movement.
8. Multi-Ribbon Bow
A layered festive bow combines pink, sage green, cream, and red ribbon loops with a polka-dot tail and trailing streamers.
Paint each ribbon loop separately with loose, sweeping strokes so the colours stay distinct, working from the back layers forward. T
hen add the polka dots and fine linework details once everything is dry to define the folds and edges.
9. Christmas Rabbit with Gift
A sweet white rabbit in a red striped scarf holds a pink wrapped present trimmed with holly.
Paint the rabbit first with soft, pale washes and warm beige shading for the ears and face, then add the scarf in bold red stripes.
Followed by the pink gift box with a teal ribbon, finishing with green holly leaves and fine pen details throughout.
10. Smiling Gingerbread Man
A cheerful gingerbread man with white icing details, rosy cheeks, and a pink bow at his neck stands amongst small sprigs of greenery.
Paint the base warm brown wash first, then use white gouache or masking fluid for the icing lines and highlights before it’s added, adding the pink bow and red heart buttons once dry, and finish with fine pen details for the smiling face.
11. Ballet Shoes with Ribbon
A pair of dainty striped ballet shoes are tied with sage green laces and topped with long trailing red ribbons.
Start off with painting the shoes first with soft pastel stripes in pink and pale blue, leaving the leather sole area a warm tan, then add the green lace bows once dry, finishing with bold sweeping strokes for the red ribbon streamers looping above.
12. Polar Bear in a Scarf
A soft, fluffy polar bear wrapped in a cosy red and pink striped scarf, painted with subtle grey shadowing to define its form on white.
Use a very pale grey wash to shape the bear’s fur first, keeping the white of the paper for highlights.
Then paint the scarf in bold red and pink tones with fine tassel details, finishing with dark pen or ink for the eyes and nose.
13. Filled Christmas Stocking
A red Christmas stocking overflows with a wrapped gift, candy cane, greenery, and small festive trinkets.
Paint the stocking first with a bold red wash, leaving highlights for shine, then let it dry before adding the goodies spilling out the top.
Add a blue-green gift box, striped candy cane, and sprigs of greenery — finishing with small red berry dots scattered around for extra charm.
14. Snowy Christmas House
A charming white cottage with pink shutters, a wreath-topped door, and a dusting of snow sits nestled among green shrubs and trees.
Start with painting the house shape first with a pale wash, adding the pink shutters and door once dry.
Then work in the surrounding greenery with loose, varied strokes before finishing with white gouache or the paper’s white left showing through for the snow on the roof and ground.
15. Ice Skates with Red Laces
A pair of white ice skates with pink accents, red criss-crossed laces, and bold red bow ribbons, finished with grey metal blades.
Paint the boots first with a soft white and pale pink wash, adding the tan heel and toe details.
Create the metal blades in a cool grey before finishing with the red laces and ribbon bows in loose, confident strokes on top.
16. Christmas Tree with Presents
A potted Christmas tree with loose, leafy branches and small red ornaments stands surrounded by a colourful stack of wrapped gifts.
Begin with painting the tree first using varied greens with a dry, textured brush to create the layered foliage.
Add the pot and small red baubles, finishing with each gift box in a different flat colour and simple ribbon details once everything is dry.
And there we have it! 16 super easy watercolor Christmas ideas that are great for many projects.
Each one is simple enough for beginners, built from loose washes and fine pen details, and versatile enough to use across cards, gift tags, wrapping paper, and other Christmas craft projects throughout the season.
If you liked this post, check out our other watercolor posts below:
19 Enchanting Watercolor Christmas Card Ideas For Handmade Inspiration.
17 Colorful & Loose Watercolor Flower Roses.
How To Paint Loose Watercolour Peonies: A Step-by-Step Tutorial.
