Easy DIY Watercolor Quotes Art for Beginners
Creating watercolor art shouldn’t be hard. Painting with watercolors can be challenging, but anyone can master a few easy techniques to create amazing, colorful art. You don’t have to be talented!
So, today I want to show three different ways to make cool watercolor quotes art. The best part? You don’t need calligraphy or advanced painting skills. You can find all the templates used in this post in the Resource Library.
If you want to experiment and design your own watercolor quotes art check out my free printable motivational quote wall prints for inspiration.
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
How to add words to your watercolor art
You can add quotes or words to your watercolor background in several different ways:
- drawing/painting it on the painted background,
- outlining the words and carefully painting around the letters,
- ‘painting’ the letters with a water repellent material: crayons, wax pencil, masking fluid, candle.
The first method is the easiest however, it doesn’t work nicely on dark backgrounds with white or light-colored lettering. You can do it with white acrylic paint, but you’ll need to add it thick or in multiple layers, which kinda looks ugly (in my opinion).
So, I would recommend the first method if you have a light background with a stronger, darker quote, and the other two methods if you plan to add white or very light-colored words onto a colored background.
If you’re not good at calligraphy, but you aim for a ‘designer’ look, design your quotes digitally. Find a font that best suits your needs. Create your quote and print it out (you can add other decorative elements too). Transfer the image to the watercolor paper either with: transfer paper, carbon paper, Fluid Matte Medium, or trace it with a ballpoint pen as I did on the watercolor butterfly art.
Tools and Supplies to create watercolor art:
I’ll list all the tools used in the tree paintings, but you won’t need every tool for every painting.
- watercolor,
- brush (thick nr. 10-12),
- watercolor paper,
- container + water,
- Sharpie or brush pen (or a thin brush),
- transfer paper (carbon paper),
- two pencils (a softer B or 2B, and a harder H or 2H),
- eraser,
- ballpoint pen,
- white crayon or wax pencil,
- white acrylic paint,
- salt,
- tape.
Grab the templates for the Quotes from the Resource Library (you have to sign up for my newsletter, and I’ll send you the password by email right away).
Let’s get to painting!
TIP! You can speed up the drying time with a hair drier. Just don’t hold it too close and make the paint flow outside of your painted area.
1. Ombre Watercolor Quote Art
For this watercolor quotes painting, you’ll need watercolors, paper, brush, tape, quote template, transfer paper, pencil, Sharpie.
I’ll start with the easiest one. It’s also the fastest way to make watercolor art. If you don’t like the ombre look, just paint a watercolor blotch, play around with the colors, and when it’s dry add the motivational quote.
1. Choose two colors. Don’t use colors that result in brown when mixed (for example, red+green, blue+orange).
2. Make two small water ponds and add in your colors.
3. Tape your watercolor paper on a piece of cardboard or on something that you can lift off the table (or just leave it in the pad).
4. Lift the top part of your paper and apply a thicker stripe with one of the colors. Make sure that it’s wet enough so the following stripes can mix.
5. Mix in a small amount of the other paint in your first color and carry on with another block.
6. Add in more of the second color and repeat.
7. Do it until you reach the bottom. Leave it to dry.
8. Copy the quote on the transfer paper.
9. Turn the paper upside down, use the softer graphite pencil, and shade around the outline. (If you have, use carbon paper instead)
10. Arrange the transfer paper (with the graphite facing down) and trace the letters with a pencil.
11. Use a sharpie or black watercolor to paint the letters with a thin brush.
Watch this video on how I Paint this super simple watercolor wall art!
2. Butterfly Negative Watercolor Art
For this watercolor wall art quote, you’ll need watercolors, paper, brush, quote template, butterfly templates, ballpoint pen, a round object, pencil, Sharpie, or brush pen.
I’ve learned about negative watercolor painting from a course on Domestika. It was so much fun! Now is the time to test my ‘knowledge’ (lol).
NOTE! Everything you draw with a pencil, make it as light as possible! If paint covers the pencil mark, you won’t be able to erase it.
1. Cut out three butterflies in different sizes.
2. Draw a circle on the paper.
3. Arrange the word ‘Hope’ in the middle of the circle and trace it with a ballpoint pen.
4. Remove the paper, and draw the letter’s outline lightly with a pencil. (Use the harder pencil – H, 2H)
5. Grab the largest butterfly and trace it 3-5 times within the circle. (You can let the wings peak out a few times to make it look more natural)
6. Do the same with the medium and the small butterflies too. Arrange them so they would cover each other here and there.
7. Erase the ‘unwanted’ pencil. (the traces of circle in the butterflies)
7. Choose two or three colors. One to create the layers (this will be the main color of your art) and another(s) to add accents to the wings (optional).
8. Add a few accents on the butterfly wings and wait for it to dry completely (skip this step if you want to).
9. Now create the layers from the darkest to the lightest. The spaces between the butterflies are going to be the darkest. The small butterflies lighter, the medium even lighter, and the large ones the lightest. Actually, the quote is going to be the lightest because we will leave it white.
10. Create a big paint puddle with your ‘layer’ color. Make sure you’ll have enough to create all the layers.
11. Paint the areas between the butterflies. Leave the paper to dry.
12. Now, color the space plus the small butterflies. Wait for it to dry.
13. Cover the areas + small + medium butterflies. Let it dry.
14. The final layer: paint everything except the letters.
15. BONUS: Use a black Sharpie (or one in a matching color) to add shades or an outline to make the letters pop.
To make distinctive purple shades, paint everything separately. I made a mistake, you can see it in the video. I created the second layer for the ‘background’ and the first coat for the small butterflies together. They merged and had the same shade. I’ve added a little black paint at the end and made the final layer for the background with it.
TIP! Always leave the paint to dry 100% between creating the layers. Wet parts will mix and ruin the effect.
Check out the video tutorial too!
3. Galaxy Quote Watercolor Art
For this watercolor quote art, you’ll need watercolors, paper, brush, quote template, ballpoint pen, white crayon, white acrylic paint, salt, tape.
Painting a galaxy is super fun, especially with watercolors. Why? The final painting will only reveal after drying.
Also, galaxy paintings a popular and perfect as wall art with a quote. So, here we go!
1. Tape the paper to the table or cardboard.
2. Arrange the quote on top of your watercolor paper. (You can also secure it with tape to make sure it won’t move while you’re tracing the letters)
3. Trace the letters with a ballpoint pen.
4. Remove the quote. Use the white crayon to overwrite the letters.
5. And now, let’s start to paint. You’ll need a deep blue and black. For a very intense black, use ink. Add purple or turquoise to make it more interesting.
NOTE! As you adding color to the paper, the quote will reveal. The crayon repels the watercolors, and the letters stay white.
6. Work in patches. Add light blotches and gradually add more and more paint.
7. When you are satisfied with the overall look, leave it to dry.
8. Use white acrylic paint to create the stars. With an old toothbrush, you can add small sprinkles. Make bigger stars with a thin paint brush.
9. Make touch-ups on the letters too. When all the afterwork is dry, use a black Sharpie to draw an outline for the quote to make it pop.
9. Carefully remove the tape. (Make sure the paint is dry. If it’s wet, the tape may peel off painted parts too.)
Watch the video tutorial for more guidance!
Final thoughts about the watercolor quote art
Painting with watercolors is so much fun. I love it because it’s relaxing, and I’m always excited to see the final results after everything is dry.
As you could see, creating watercolor quotes paintings is not hard. With a few basic techniques, you can create fun wall art quotes. You can decorate your home with them or give them as gifts to your loved ones.
Which watercolor quote painting was your favorite? Have you ever tried painting with watercolors? Leave a comment!
Related watercolor art articles:
