Negative Painting Watercolor: How to Paint Flowers Step by Step
In this watercolor tutorial, I’ll show you how to paint flowers step by step using my favorite technique… negative painting.
We’ll begin with a loose, colorful watercolor wash and then slowly discover the flower shapes hidden inside the paint. This is one of the things I love most about negative painting — it feels creative, playful, and a little bit magical as the flowers begin to appear layer by layer.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn:
🌸 How to use negative painting to create watercolor flowers
🌸 How to find shapes within a colorful wash
🌸 How to build layers and depth using watercolor
🌸 How to loosen up and trust the painting process
🌸 How to create soft, expressive floral paintings without overthinking
This lesson is wonderful for beginner and intermediate watercolor artists who want to better understand negative painting while also creating something beautiful and relaxing.
Negative painting may seem intimidating at first, but once you begin seeing the shapes emerge, everything starts to click. I’ll guide you through the process step by step so you can paint along with confidence.
So grab your paints, let the colors flow, and come paint with me.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about what to buy or overwhelmed by all the options… then this is for you.
Inside my free mini-course“Supplies I Can’t Live Without!”, I walk you through the exact brushes, paints, paper, and materials I personally use in my own work and classes. And more importantly, why I use them.
Because in watercolor, your supplies shape how the paint moves, blends, and flows. And that directly impacts how confident you feel as you learn.
I’ve carefully curated this list to help you get started right away so you can spend less time guessing, and more time actually painting.
You can explore and shop everything through the links provided inside. These are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.