Is painting a charming cottage with wildflowers in watercolor something you have always thought of trying? Rebecca from The Art Spirits makes it simple with her step-by-step tutorial.
She guides every stage with patience and detail, perfect for beginners. With easy color choices, masking, and careful layers, the result is a beautiful scene. Ready to learn watercolor? Grab your brushes and follow along!
Contents
- 1 Step 1: Preparing for the Painting
- 2 Step 2: Masking and First Preparations
- 3 Step 3: Laying the First Washes
- 4 Step 4: Building Up the House Details
- 5 Step 5: Enhancing Depth and Shadows
- 6 Step 6: Developing the Garden and Foreground
- 7 Step 7: Painting the Wildflowers
- 8 Step 8: Final Touches
- 9 In A Nutshell
Step 1: Preparing for the Painting
Rebecca chooses her materials carefully so the painting process feels smooth. She uses:
- Paints: Daniel Smith watercolors, including Manganese Blue Hue, Mayan Blue, Serpentine, Zoisite Green, Jane’s Grey, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold, Aussie Red Gold, and Pyrrol Red.
- Paper: Arches watercolor paper, which handles layers well.
- Masking Fluid: Winsor & Newton.
- Brushes: A mix of large wash brushes and fine liner brushes. For precision, Rebecca uses Rosemary & Co series 221, size 5/0.
Next, Rebecca works with the outline. She traces it onto watercolor paper from a drawing on her Patreon page. The outline is free for anyone to download.
She leaves out the outside border, which is only a centering guide. The faint pencil line marks where the grass will roughly end.
Rebecca stresses the importance of keeping this line light. If the line is drawn too strongly, it will be difficult to hide later.
Step 2: Masking and First Preparations
Before color comes onto the page, Rebecca prepares areas that must stay untouched. This ensures the flowers and stepping stones remain bright later.
Applying Masking Fluid
She dabs Winsor & Newton masking fluid onto the flowers and stepping stones. The flower dots do not need to be perfect. In fact, she explains that uneven blobs look more natural from a distance.
Flowers closer to the cottage appear smaller, while those at the front are larger. She also adds plenty of smaller dots to build variety.
Allowing Drying Time
Rebecca lets the masking fluid dry fully before moving on. She explains that patience is essential at this stage. If the fluid is still wet, the brush or paper might be damaged.
Step 3: Laying the First Washes
With the masking dry, Rebecca begins painting. She lays soft washes to build the base colors.
Painting the Cottage Walls
She mixes Manganese Blue Hue but notices it is too dark. She adds water to lighten it.
On the cottage walls, she keeps the right side lighter and the left side darker. This uneven wash adds life.
She places Mayan Blue under the eaves and in the shed area for shadow. She carefully avoids painting to the bottom, leaving space to join the green wash later.
Adding the Grass Base Layer
Rebecca mixes Zoisite Green with Serpentine. She applies it to the wet base near the cottage.
She blends softly into the bottom of the house, connecting the grass and the wall. She adds bits of blue to suggest distant foliage.
Some areas are darker in the middle, lighter on the edges. She wants uneven colors for a natural look.
Creating Grass Texture
Using a liner brush, Rebecca drags upward strokes to suggest long grass. She blends harsh lines near the steps with a damp brush.
She lifts some color to soften edges. Uneven strokes make the scene feel alive. When finished, she dries the whole layer with a heat gun.
Step 4: Building Up the House Details
The first layer sets the tone. Now Rebecca begins adding structure to the house.
Framework and Door
She mixes Jane’s Grey with plenty of water. She paints the house framework in light tones.
The door is darker because it sits in shadow. The steps are also painted grey, setting their base.
Roof Tiles and Windows
Rebecca adds roof tile textures with short, angled dashes. The small strokes form slanted triangles.
She paints the windows with a darker Jane’s Grey wash. Some layers are repeated to deepen contrast.
Correcting and Deepening Shadows
She adds darker tones under the eaves. The shed gets more Mayan Blue layers for extra depth.
Shadows are uneven but natural. She explains that a mix of tones keeps the cottage realistic.
Adding Wooden Slat Textures
With a thin liner brush, she paints subtle vertical lines on the cottage. These mimic wooden slats.
Some areas get rougher patches to show weathered wood. Around the windows and edges, she adds shading to bring dimension.
Step 5: Enhancing Depth and Shadows
Once the house structure is clear, Rebecca focuses on adding depth. This step makes the cottage feel grounded in its space.
She strengthens shadows under the roof and the shed. Using Jane’s Grey, she paints darker lines and blends them down with a damp brush.
She adds tiny details such as a door handle and lines on the roof trim. These fine touches bring more life to the painting.
Rebecca adjusts some areas that look too heavy. She lifts out excess paint by rubbing gently with a damp brush. This helps lighten thick shadows.
Step 6: Developing the Garden and Foreground
With the cottage finished, Rebecca turns to the garden. This part creates a lively scene filled with texture and color.
Shaping the Stepping Stones
She paints the stones with Jane’s Grey. A darker shadow line beneath each stone gives them weight. These details make the stones look like they sit naturally in the grass.
Building the Grass Layers
Rebecca applies Zoisite Green and Serpentine again. She rubs the side of the brush to create a rough texture.
By leaving some light areas, she keeps space for flower stalks later. The mix of darker patches and lighter areas adds depth to the grass.
Creating Background Flower Stalks
She adds a light wash of Manganese Blue to suggest distant flower stalks. This ties the blue of the house to the garden.
Toward the front, she uses watery green with a thin brush to paint delicate stalks. The variation between background and foreground makes the scene feel layered.
Now, remove the masking fluid!
Next, use Jane’s Grey to paint the stones.
Step 7: Painting the Wildflowers
Now comes the most colorful part of the painting. Rebecca adds the cheerful flowers that frame the cottage.
She prepares a bright palette:
- New Gamboge
- Quinacridone Gold
- Aussie Red Gold
- Pyrrol Red
These warm yellows and reds bring energy to the painting. She applies the paint in tiny strokes with a fine brush.
Some flowers are painted as solid blocks of color. Others are painted with white petals and orange centers to resemble daisies.
A few are painted from the side, giving variation in shape. The details prevent the flowers from looking too uniform.
Some flowers risk looking like “fried eggs.” To correct this, she uses dark green paint to carve petal shapes. This defines them more clearly. She also adds faint grass behind the flowers to build layers of depth.
Step 8: Final Touches
At the end, Rebecca adds finishing details that make the painting glow.
She dry-brushes white gouache on the window frames and roof edges. The effect is subtle, not too bright. Light appears to catch just the right places.
Rebecca places dots of white on the flower petals to make them look more like daisies. She deepens some green shadows between petals to separate them.
Finally, she balances all the colors across the painting with small strokes. The scene feels complete and cheerful.
In A Nutshell
Such a peaceful scene, right? Rebecca builds it layer by layer, which blends soft colors with lively flowers until the cottage feels complete. It’s a project any beginner can enjoy.
Now it’s your turn! Try this project, share your results, and keep practicing watercolor with confidence.