Simple and Fun Watercolor Spring Meadow Tutorial Review 🌸

✅ Quick Overview

• 🎨 Follow along with a joyful spring meadow tutorial using easy watercolor blob techniques

• 🔄 Includes full review of Harriet de Winton’s beginner-friendly YouTube video (under 15 minutes)

• 💡 See 3 real-world versions painted in different sizes — with materials, brush sizes, and lessons learned

• 🔑 Learn how diagonal composition, brush choice, and color placement affect your final piece

• 👩‍🎨 A great pick for beginners craving a low-pressure, floral project to spark creativity

Introduction 🌷

If you're looking for a fun and easy Spring watercolor project, you’re in the right place! Yesterday, I painted 3 versions of Harriet de Winton's Spring Flower Meadow tutorial, and in this review, I'll walk you through my process, share insights, and reveal my final results. Spoiler alert: Yes, watercolor blobs are involved!

As a self-taught watercolor artist since 2020, I am always on the lookout for quick tutorials that fit into my schedule. If you’re like me and enjoy seasonal watercolor projects, then you’ll love this one!

Right now, it's Spring in California, and I can’t get enough of the beautiful new blooms popping up in the garden. I came across a colorful Spring flower tutorial by Harriet de Winton while browsing through my bookmarked watercolor projects, and I was excited to try it out.

Harriet de Winton, based in Devon, UK, is a talented watercolor artist and wedding stationer. Her brand, de Winton Paper Co, features stunning hand-painted wedding stationery. She’s a best-selling author, has a popular YouTube channel, and shares her process on Instagram. (Check out the Resources section below for links to her website and social media!)

I’ve been following Harriet for years, and I love her relaxed approach to painting and clear instructions. She offers a wide variety of tutorials for watercolor beginners on YouTube and Instagram, which is one of the reasons I’m so excited to share this one. 

My Tutorial Review Process: 

This post is all about Harriet's Spring Meadow Watercolor Project. Here’s the method I use to test and review each tutorial I share:

1. Watch the tutorial in full at least once
2. Gather art supplies
3. Paint along with the video
4. Track brush sizes, paper, colors, and paint time
5. Let the piece dry and revisit it with fresh eyes
6. Check it against my review criteria:
•  Video under 30 minutes
•  Beginner-appropriate
•  Clearly presented and well-paced
•  Materials listed or easily identifiable
•  Effective camera angles
•  Total paint time under 1 hour
•  Enjoyable and useful
7. If it’s a yes — I write the review!

Let’s get started!

Screenshot of Harriet's Spring Meadow Tutorial on YouTube

Review of Harriet's "Spring Meadow" Tutorial 🌸

About the Video Presentation 📺

Right off the bat, this is one of my all-time favorite tutorials, and I’ve done hundreds over the past five years!

The video is less than 13 minutes — perfect for all of us with busy schedules! The actual title is “Watercolor for Beginners - No Painting Skills Required With this Beautiful Watercolour Meadow”. (See the Resources section below for the link to Harriet's tutorial.)

From the very beginning, Harriet explains how to create a beautiful meadow pattern by simply painting watercolor blobs. Her introduction is well-paced and easy to follow. She tells us the paper size (7x5 inches) and the paints and brushes she’ll be using. The YouTube page also includes a list of recommended materials, including paints and brushes.

The camera angles are super helpful, with close-ups of her painting and detailed explanations about technique, especially when it comes to the diagonal direction of the composition. Harriet uses 7 flower shapes, 4-5 leaf shapes, and short, thick green lines in her design.

The only downside? The video skips over drying and painting time, so it’s not clear how long the project actually took. I would estimate about 30 minutes, but it’s just a guess.

The Watercolor Blob Technique 🟢🟠

Harriet starts the tutorial by saying, “Sometimes you just want to fill a page with blobs of watercolor... and that’s the perfect starting point to create a beautiful meadow.” And she’s absolutely right!

As a self-taught artist, I’ve found watercolor blobs to be a versatile technique. It’s such a fun, stress-free way to add color to a page. Transforming blobs into flowers (or cats, as I’ve done before!) with a few simple brushstrokes is magical and flow-inducing.

Working with blobs is an excellent way for beginners to practice skills, and it’s a relaxing way for artists of all levels to fill a page with creativity.

Related Post:
If you enjoy working with blobs, check out my Easy Watercolor Fall Cabin Tutorial Review and paint some blob trees!

Photo showing art table with my three in-progress versions of Harriet's "Spring Meadow"

My Experience Painting Harriet's Spring Meadow 

For fun (and for comparison), I painted three versions of this Spring Meadow project:

• 7x5 size – to most closely match Harriet’s version

• 6x4 size – to see if it took less time and how the design worked

• 9x12 size – to test the design at a larger scale

My Materials 

I used a small set of Daniel Smith watercolors and didn’t worry about matching Harriet’s exact colors (though I did try to use bright, “springtime” hues). I also used Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White for details.

My watercolor papers included:

• 7x5 – Strathmore Ready Cut Watercolor Paper, 100% Cotton, 140 lb

• 6x4 – NicPro Watercolor Postcards, 100% Cotton, 140 lb

• 9x12 – Arches Aquarelle, 100% Cotton, 140 lb

Brushes used: Princeton (Heritage, Lauren, Umbria, Snap) – sizes #3, #5, #6, #8, #12, and #5/0 Spotter.

Image showing my 7x5 version on the left, with Harriet's original on the right

Comparison of My 7x5 Version to Harriet’s Original 

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of my 7x5 version next to Harriet’s original:

• My colors and flower shapes differ, and my diagonal direction is a bit off.

• I ended up with more green stems and fewer leaves than Harriet’s design. Next time, I would follow Harriet's lead and fill in the white spaces with as many green leaves as can possibly fit, before resorting to painting green stems :)

Image of my 3 completed "Spring Meadow" paintings on grey chair

My Finished Paintings 🖼️

Here are my three completed versions: 9x12, 6x4, and 7x5.

Favorite Version:
My 7x5 version is definitely my favorite (my husband agrees!). While I’m not as fond of the blue flower shapes in the 6x4, and the large purple roses on the 9x12 are a bit out of proportion, I still like both of them. It was a good learning experience to try the project in 3 sizes!

How Long Does It Take to Complete this Project? ⏳

The time it took me to complete each version:

• 7x5 version – about 50 minutes — with 6 different flower shapes — using #5 and #3 round brushes

•  6x4 version – about 40 minutes — with 4 different flower shapes — using #6 and #3 round brushes

• 9x12 version – about 35 minutes — with 4 different flower shapes — using #12 and #8 round brushes 

👉 My Comments 

I loved this project!

Working on the diagonal was both a challenge and a source of inspiration — I was surprised how much I enjoyed painting a repeat pattern in a diagonal direction. I have added "diagonal composition" to my running future projects shortlist!

Here’s what I learned:

• Brush size impacts painting time

• The number of flower shapes affects composition

• Green leaf shapes are more complementary than green lines 

Final Verdict: Is This Tutorial Worth Your Time?💯

For pattern-makers, flower lovers, Spring enthusiasts, and blob-making fans, I definitely recommend Harriet’s "Spring Meadow" YouTube tutorial. Grab a watercolor sheet and start painting colorful blobs — you'll be amazed at how fun it is!

Is This Tutorial Good for Absolute Beginners? 🌟

Yes! This is an excellent tutorial for beginners. If you're short on time, it's also easy to break the project into 15-minute painting sessions:

1. Paint the flower shapes

2. Add the green leaf shapes

3. Finish with detail work

Harriet's tutorials are always clear, easy to follow, and well-suited for beginners. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel for more helpful tutorials.

Key Takeaway ✨

I 100% recommend Harriet’s Spring Meadow tutorial. It’s a fun, creative, and accessible project that any beginner can enjoy!

⏩ Quick Access: Jump to Tutorial & Artist Links

• Harriet de Winton "Spring Meadow" YouTube tutorial (12:41)

• Harriet de Winton / de Winton Paper Co links
     Instagram
     YouTube Channel
     Website 

🔗 Recommended for You

• Guide to Using Reference Photos for Creative Inspiration

• 5 Easy Summery Watercolor Projects for Beginners

• Beginner's Watercolor Glossary of Watercolor Techniques

✍️ About the Author

Written by Mary Moreno of Mary Moreno Studio, a self-taught watercolor artist since 2020 and creative blogger sharing beginner-friendly tutorials, tips, and resources to help others find joy and confidence through watercolor.