If you are looking for inspiration for your next watercolor flower project, then we have just the post for you. We have put together 20 amazing watercolor flowers for you to get inspired for your next project.
Watercolor is fun and unpredictable. It’s a blend of water and paint, but finding the right balance. However, sometimes we want to just be free and let go! That’s where loose watercolors come into play, because florals are known to be one of the most popular subjects to paint, so why not paint them ‘loosely’? The meaning of ‘loose’ in watercolor painting, means not to apply to much pressure on your outcome, and to just let the paint and water do its thing.
The good thing about watercolor is that it’s very forgiving and you can work over any mistakes or just fix what’s gone wrong before the paint dries. Painting flowers can be a nice and relaxing activity and we all need some downtime sometimes.
These 20 watercolor flowers are here to give you some inspiration and to look at the different brush strokes and techniques used, because watercolor has a variety of techniques. And every painting outcome can be different from the next!
You’ll find classic favorites like roses and tulips, as well as wildflowers and each have their own abstract interpretations. Each of these examples shows how you can play with transparency, texture, to create floral artwork that feels full of life
But before we go into the 20 inspirational watercolor florals, let’s take a look at some art supplies you might need!
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art supplies
Watercolor Paper
We all need good watercolor paper for our paintings as the paper makes a huge difference to how the painting turns out. I always recommend going with thick watercolor paper, because a lot of water is used in watercolor painting. This Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad is great to start off with.
Brushes
Brushes are your technical ‘hands’ so you need good quality ones to get going! But they aren’t as important as good paper. Get this set of ARTEGRIA Watercolor Brush Set with different shaped heads will give you flexibility in your painting.
Paints
Lastly, paints which can be just as important as paper! Good quality paints which are more pigmented will last you longer and give you the best results in painting.
Winsor and Newton are known for their amazing watercolors and these are amazing to start off with.
My favorite to use are these Dr. Ph. Martin’s watercolor ink set, they are soo vibrant and you only need a few drips.
Let’s take a look at the 20 watercolor flowers!
number one
Source: brushmarks_harleen
Starting off with this beautiful watercolor rose. It has been painted on textured watercolor paper to give it an organic feel. Textured paper helps watercolor blend in more easily. This type of watercolor flower starts from the centre and works it’s way out loosely with water, mixing in different shades.
Painting in the foliage in the same loose way, adding different hints of green. Once the foliage has dried, you can go in with more paint to make marks on the leaves.
number two
Source: ranabowbrite
This style is the definition of loose watercolor flowers and it’s all about having fun! Letting go and not letting the outcome take over is what it’s all about. The artist has used different techniques with this painting. Lots of water has been used, but we can see that dry brush strokes have also been applied on the leaves. This adds more depth and dynamic to the painting.
Not worrying about composition and how the end result should look is what matters in loose watercolor, because art is always subjective. And there can be different outcomes everytime!
number three
Source: beth_thielking_design
Lots of different colors used in this watercolor floral painting. It has a very airy feel to it and this style can be achieved through strokes of the brush, and letting everything blend in together. The wet on wet technique has been laid down first and let to dry, with splashes on paint ontop.
number four
Source: letter_kunst
This one is for the daffodil season! If you love spring, and want to capture the daffodils, then try painting them in this loose form and keep them forever. This is a very loose and abstract representation of daffodils. The centre and petals of the daffodils are the main focus, but achieved through light strokes. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to make it daffodils look perfect, but let the brush and watercolor paint do the work for you.
number five
Source: paintinhiding
A very abstract and easy watercolor floral composition. Floral watercolor compositions can be difficult to do, however, in loose watercolor flowers, they can be made easy, To paint this style, start out with painting the outer petals of the roses loosely with the side of your brush and work your way into the centre, with more pigmented paint. Then add the foliage around and in-between the flowers to finish it add, adding more layers on top for depth.
number six
Source: whiteheartdesign
Painting a rose in this way takes a lot of technique and skill because there are white spaces left to give the illusion of the lighter petals on the rose. To get this look, really look close at your flower, whether you are painting from a reference picture or a real flower, and map out with your brush the lighter and dark shades of the petals. This style of painting has a lot of depth, it’s loose yet looks very realistic.
number seven
Source: color.me.water
Painting a flower in a vase is a classic painting that almost every painter wants to try out. If you want this style of a flower in a vase, then try out the wet on wet technique which has a lot of water and paint first put onto the paper, letting everything submerge and then work your way to painting the flower on top when the paint has dried.
number eight
Source: sawango_watercolor
Some lovely paintings of hibiscus flowers, which are more controlled yet loose as well. Not too much water has been used with these flowers but the movement of the brush strokes are more controlled with adding some extra paint on top before the paint dried to give the petals more contrast in color.
number nine
Source: Natasha Gulliford
Two very stunning peonies/roses painted here, using the light and dark method. This style is easy to do once you get the hang of it. You can choose to paint the lighter petals with lighter paint or leave them ‘white’. The rose on the outer edge has been painted with full on ink, giving it a very full color look. Remember to add lots of leaves around the edges to make the flowers pop.
number ten
Source: nikoelocin
Some loose and quirky poppies to add to the mix! This artist has liad down splashes of paint for the background, because the background has a lot of paint if you look closer. Then go in loosely with your poppies, along with the stems and leaves. What I love about this painting is also the little yellow flowers scattered behind the poppies to add to the meadow of flowers.
number eleven
Source: daybyday.mom
Painting like this entails lots of layering and patience! Patience because you have to wait for the paint to dry before you go in with your next layer. Watercolors are all about finding the balance of how much paint and water to use, Layering down lots of paint and water for the base of this style of painting and then going in on top to add in the next layers and details.
number twelve
Source: rana18art
I love the contrast of the black and yellow with this painting. Black is a very strong color and we don’t often see it used in watercolors because it’s hard to work over it with other colors, but this artist has made the black work perfectly. These flowers are loose but also have a lot of detail on the centres of the flowers, Unlike the previous painting, it looks like the background has been carefully painted in after painting the flowers and worked around the flowers.
number thirteen
Source: courtmoza.art
Some simple roses painted but with lots of paint used for the roses. Make the roses stand out but adding in lots of paint on your brush and work your way through. I feel like with roses and just flowers in general, the foliage around the flowers are what really makes the flowers. I love how this artist has painted the stems of the roses and the leaves, it just adds to the painting a lot.
number fourteen
Source: fluidartbynadine
A very fluid watercolor painting, with lots of ink used instead of pan watercolors. Ink watercolors are a lot more fluid and really work like ink but are actually watercolors. They are my favourite type of watercolors to used because the outcomes are stunning like the one in this picture. Add lots of water to your watercolor inks to get this style and paint as you wish. Let the paint dry before you add in the black details on top!
number fifteen
Source: vinaya_muralidharan
A colorful and loose abstract painting which has a lot of character and details. Painted ono textured watercolor paper and the artist has used chinese brushes which has a very painted tip and are softer. What makes this painting stand out is the details painted on top and all the different colors used. The composition is beautiful too and well thought-out.
number sixteen
Source: createthecut
This watercolor floral has so much drama and character! Something like this is created in batches of layers. First starting off with the base of the flowers and foliage, then working your way towards the details of the flowers in more pigmented colors. The colors have also been carefully picked so that they all work lovely together, giving it a very loose and abstract look.
number seventeen
Source: createthecut
This painting is done by the same artist, but I wanted to show how different looks can be achieved with the same materials. This painting looks more fluid and but you can still see the flowers. Created with simple brush strokes to give the illusions of the flowers. Use watercolor inks to create this style by adding in lots of water but controlling the strokes.
number eighteen
Source: emmacharlottecreates
This watercolor floral is a lot more controlled and has more details. The artist has used more paint in the initial layer, but built up more layers as she has gone on. Starting with the centre details of the flowers in yellow and then working your way out to the petals. Controlling the strokes with this flower helps to give it more shape and a refined look.
number nineteen
Source: katienelson_artist
A very summery floral composition and we love it! Loose watercolor flowers are all about letting go, so create something like this by just putting paint down on paper and going with the flow. Flowers don’t have to be perfect, but just lay down simple strokes and fill the edges up with leaves and foliage.
number twenty
Source: aquamarine_color
This stunning flower has been created using the layers technique. Building on layers to create a beautiful watercolor painting with a lot of paint and details. My favourite part about this painting is the actual flower and how we can see each individual petal on the flower. This has been done by creating small strokes in the right places to make the petals appear on the flower.
This comes up to the end of our 20 watercolor flowers and I hope you have gained a lot of inspiration for your own watercolor flowers!
If you loved this post, click below on our other artsy posts!
23 Amazing Watercolor Flower Painting Ideas To Inspire Your Painting.
22 Colorful Painted Pot Ideas For Your Plants.
Artistic Pages: 19 Creative Art Journal Ideas to Spark Your Imagination.
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