Hi there, it’s Daisy from Lerennis (on Instagram or lerennis.com). Today I’m doing a step-by-step tutorial for a watercolor sketchbook spread.

Art and creativity are a great way to boost your mood and relax. Join me today for a fun, no-pressure activity to brighten your day!  

Watercolor Supplies

• Watercolor notebook or notepad – I’m using the Archer and Olive one
• Watercolour paints – I’m using the Archer and Olive 3 pan pearlescent watercolor set, and my Winsor and Newton watercolors.
• Watercolor paintbrushes
• Pencil and eraser
• Colour pencils

If watercolor isn’t your thing, you can also use markers, gouache, or any other medium of your choice.

You can use the code LERENNIS10 for 10% off on Archer and Olive products. 

Step 1: Set up + general watercolor tips for beginners

If you haven’t tried watercolor before, it can be a bit daunting to get started. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Here are some tips to make the process easy and stress-free.

The most important thing is picking the right paper. Use paper that is specifically designed for watercolor, as it will absorb the water with minimal warping. A heavier paper with a higher gsm will warp less. Here, I’m using a 200gsm watercolor notebook from Archer and Olive.

My painting set up will always have:

• A paint palette to mix my watercolours
• Two jars of water. I’ll use one jar to clean my brush, and the water will get dirty. Then, I use the second jar with clean water to rewet my paints and paintbrush
• An old rag to wipe my brush
• Tissues in case I make a mistake and need to blot away the paint

Step 2: Sketch out your doodles

Using a lead pencil, lightly sketch out your doodles. 

Some ideas could include your favourite animals, flowers, mushrooms or fruits. Draw whatever makes you happy! 

For me, I like to choose colourful subjects and draw cute little faces on everything. I use stars and rainbows to fill in blank spaces in between the doodles. 

I have also turned today’s spread into a printable, which you can download at the end of this blog post. 

Step 3: Adding colour

Wet your watercolors, and use a watercolor brush to apply the paints to your sketches. 

If you haven’t used watercolors before, use a spare piece of paper to play around with how much water to add until you get the consistency that you want.

You can use layers of watercolor to build up saturation and depth. When you layer watercolour, you should wait until the layer below has fully dried before applying a new layer.

Remember that this doesn’t have to be perfect! The great thing about watercolors is that it never turns out exactly how you expect it to. This used to stress me out, but now I enjoy all the happy accidents. Let’s just have a good time and splash colors around. 

Step 4: Outline the doodles 

Once your watercolor is completely dry, line your doodles using colored pencils. Pick a color that is slightly darker than the paint. I also use the colored pencils to fill in details such as the faces.

I like making the lines imperfect – it gives the sketch a dynamic charm. 

Step 5: Finished! 

Give yourself a pat on the back. Not only have you created something wonderful, you also gave yourself a boost of dopamine and exercised your creative muscles. I hope you had fun!

If you enjoyed today’s blog, you can find more of my work on Instagram and TikTok (@Lerennis), and use the code LERENNIS10 for 10% off on Archer and Olive products. 

Printable

You can download a printable of today’s spread here. 

Hot tip: if you have an iPad, you can place your watercolor paper on top of the iPad and gently trace the printable directly onto your notebook. You can also print it out, colour it in, and cut and paste it into your journal.

Video Paint With Me

If you learn better with visuals, grab your printable and paint along with me here!