Learning how to watercolor is one of the most requested crafting techniques when it comes to the FaveCrafts audience. This charming and trendy painting technique is a stunning way to add subtle color to your DIY projects and home. The tutorial below shows you how to paint watercolor roses for a paper craft project, but you could easily use the steps to create wall art, handmade cards and more.

Today’s project is brought to you by the upcoming collection of international projects, Around the World with 80 Artistss. This collection of projects is designed to highlight the diversity and ingenuity of crafters and artists across the word. Look out below for our interview with the author and project champion, Mahe Zehra Husain of the Creative Art Academy.

Click here to read out interview with the author of this collection.

How to Paint Watercolor Roses

I want to share a fun, quick Watercolor Technique with you on how to create cute, playful Roses in no time – even without any or very little watercolor skills. I love this Technique not only because it’s quick & easy, but also because those Roses are so versatile in using them – you can use it to create quick, fun Cards with your Watercolor Roses, but also use them to embellish your Scrapbook Layouts or to add some fun Accents to your Mixed Media Projects or Art journal Pages etc.

Materials:
• Watercolors of your choice
• Round tip brush
• Heavyweight Watercolor Paper
• Scissors
• Glue / 3D Adhesive Pads
• Cardstock for the Card / a Paper Gift bag  (or something else you’d like to add your flowers to)
• Stamps to add sentiments

Instructions

1. Decide a color for your Rose Blossom (I go with a shade of red here). Create a nice, watery mix of your color, load your round tip brush with it and you’re good to start.
   
2. We’re working our way outwards starting in the center of the blossom. Start with two little half-circle shapes.
   
3. Then add two larger half-circle shapes around the center. That’s the way we’re going to build up our rose / the rose petals. Make sure to take advantage of the brush tip and vary the pressure of the brush to create variation in the thickness of the lines as you go – this creates a natural petal-look.
   
4. The white space in between the individual brushstrokes / petals is very important, so make sure to keep this white space. Keep on adding those lines / brushstrokes working your way outwards.
   
   
5. Also, play with the amount of color pigment & water as you go to create variation in the color intensity. If you want to go a little fancy you can even use a second or third color and slightly add it to the still wet first color – let the colors blend into each other for a really cool look.
   
   
6. Once you’re happy with the result, add some green leaves. I would suggest mixing some green from your watercolor palette with some yellow for a very natural looking shade of green with a little variation in the color.
   
7. Keep those leaves very simple as well – just start right underneath the blossom with a very basic leaf-shape.
   
8. Add a little stem if you like and a second leaf – that’s all it takes.
   
9. Create several roses – play with different sizes, vary the brushstrokes, play with different colors. Also, paint some simple single green leaves. Then cut them out – leaving a small white border around the design.
   
   
10. Stamp a sentiment with your favorite stamps (or create your own using Alphabet Stamps). Cut this out as well.
    
11. Now you’re ready to apply your watercolor images to your project. I adhere them to a plain white card here and to a cute little paper gift bag. Be creative – you can embellish so many things and project with these flowers – your scrapbook pages, your Art Journal pages, some hand lettered projects, a cute little canvas or a picture frame!
    
12. To add dimension and interest to your project use 3D foam pads / 3D gluedots. Layer the different blossoms and leaves to create cute little bouquets.
    
13. You can give it a little more of an artistic look by adding some small paint splatters. Choose a black color or a dark brown for some contrast or just a color that is matching your blossoms. Load your brush with a watery mix of your watercolor and slightly tap the brush with your finger to add some small paint splatters to your project. (this takes a little bit of practice – so you might want to get used to it on a piece of scrap-paper first before using this technique on your finished project).
    
    
14. And you’re done!
    

About the Artist
My name is Andrea Gomoll, I’m a fulltime Mixed Media Artist from Berlin, Germany.
Being creative with Paints, Inks, Pens, Markers etc. is essential for me – it helps me through the rough days and makes good days even better. That’s why I love Art journaling & Mixed Media Art so much – there are no rules and you can fully enjoy the process and see where it takes you. On my Website / Blog you can follow my creative journey, but you can also purchase prints of my artwork and stamps with my designs. I’m also teaching (online) classes for Mixed Media Art, Art Journaling, Whimsical Painting, Watercolor Sketchbooks etc. I just love to inspire and share my passion for Art with others – with YOU!

What is your favorite accent to add to handmade cards?