Summer in Watercolor — Color Palettes and Painting Ideas for Beginners

The other day, I read a short, wonderful New York Times essay by Melissa Kirsch asking what summer tastes like.  Her question made me wonder: What does summer look like in watercolor?

Kirsch describes the season as “specific, personal, and instantly familiar.” I think summer color can be all three.

For me, summer begins with red.

1. My Summer Begins With Red

In my house growing up, we had a fancy ivory lace tablecloth for holidays and hosting, and a red & white checked tablecloth for everyday. That red & white tablecloth also served as our picnic tablecloth when we'd go to our favorite park and even the beach. It signaled ease and comfort, family and fun, and continuity.

From young ages, my sisters and brothers and I all were little swimmers belonging to a local competitive swim team whose colors were red and black. Our practice swimsuits were mostly red. Although some of us kids occasionally had a "regular" swimsuit, it was more common that we wore our team practice suits to the beach and to pools. So red came to signify swimming, outdoors, physicality, and a sense of freedom.

And July 4th was a big holiday for us — we'd wear red, white, and blue and decorate the house with handmade signs and paper garlands. We'd have special red jello fruit salad, and a sheet cake with white frosting and fresh raspberries or strawberries and blueberries on top.

So my nostalgic summer palette begins with red. Blue follows for water and sky; then yellow for the sun and lemonade. And white for the lightness and brightness of summer.

2. Summer Looks Different to Everyone

I think we'll agree that summer does not have one fixed watercolor palette. Seasonal color associations are personal.

For one person, summer may be:

• turquoise water

• beige-y sand

• coral umbrellas

For someone else:

• tomato red

• basil green

• golden corn

For the next person:

• black and white city streets

• colorful fruit stands

• glowing evening lights

For another person:

• neon pool toys

• watermelon wedges

• brightly printed towels

And for yet another:

• faded denim

• campfire orange

• dusty trail brown

3. Summer Watercolor Palettes Start With Colors We Remember

Long before we learn the names of pigments, we begin collecting colors that mean summer to us.

These colors may be tied to place, family routines, climate, culture, or a particular period of life.

For some of us, the colors we associate with summer are tied to childhood memories — favorite summer outfits and summer outings, front lawns and backyards, summer gardens laden with fruits and vegetables, neighborhood parks and community pools, barbecues and picnics, lakes and beaches, tents and hiking trails, campfires, and s'mores.

4. What Colors Mean Summer to You?

If you were asked what summer looks like, which colors and small details would come to mind first?

These prompts may help you recall colors that recur in your own memories:

• What color was your favorite swimsuit or summer outfit?

• What fruit, vegetable, or flower signals summer to you?

• What colors recurred at family cookouts or other gatherings?

• What did the sky look like at the end of a long day?

• Which colors belong to summer where you live?

Your recollections may reveal where some of your favorite summer colors came from — or introduce colors you want to use in this summer’s paintings.

5. Turn Summer Memories Into Paintable Subjects

For beginner-friendly watercolor ideas, let's turn some of those summer memories into easy paintable subjects.

From the garden

• Tomatoes, peaches, sunflowers, herbs, garden hoses, terracotta pots

By the water

• Shells, striped towels, pool tiles, sailboats, waves, beach umbrellas

From the table

• Corn, watermelon, lemonade, popsicles, picnic plates, ice cream

From everyday summer life

• Sandals, sunglasses, bicycles, porch chairs, campfire marshmallows

Remember, these can be quick and simple sketchbook thumbnails or loose watercolor experiments — they don't have to be full compositions.

💡Tip: In watercolor, transparent washes suggest bright summer light, while stronger pigment mixtures or a second layer can build the deeper colors of fruit, flowers, water, and evening shadows. And summer white is often the paper itself, left visible between the painted colors.

6. Summer-Themed Watercolor Activities for Beginners

Depending on your schedule and interest, you could try one or two of these summer-focused watercolor ideas. Or, over the coming weeks, try all five to explore and fully document this summer in watercolor :)

1. A loose page of summer color swatches
   Mix five or six colors and label each one with the memory, place, or subject it represents.

2. A small repeat pattern of summer objects
   Choose one or two simple motifs — such as lemons, shells, or sunglasses — and repeat them at different anglesor in different sizes.

3. A relaxed three-color limited-palette study
   Select three colors from your summer palette and use them to paint one small subject.

4. A handwritten list of 10 to 15 items or objects, events or experiences, feelings or fragrances, that mean summer to you
   Jot down a quick list off the top of your head of 10 to 15 things you associate with summer.

5. A sketchbook spread combining words, colors, and small motifs
   Combine handwritten words with small painted motifs representing your own summer.

The goal is not to capture everything about summer. It is to simply notice and paint one piece of it.

💡Tip: Use good-quality watercolor paper, whether loose sheets, a watercolor sketchbook, or an accordion watercolor pad. Be sure to date each page so that next summer you can look back at what inspired you this year.

7. Your Summer Palette May Change

Keep in mind, seasonal associations are not fixed.

The summer colors someone remembers from childhood may not be the palette they see today.

Summer may look different at another age, in another home, after moving to a new place, while traveling, after starting a garden or taking up another outdoor activity, or during a quieter or busier year.

Learning watercolor can also change the way we notice colors in ordinary life.

Nostalgia may shape some seasonal palettes, while present-day observation and experience may change or add new colors to others.

💬 What I Hope You Take From This

Summer doesn't have one universal palette or set of subjects.

Before we even know their names, we begin connecting colors with the places, objects, foods, flowers, and small moments that resonate with summer.

The colors that feel most like summer may not come from a labeled palette card. They may come from a faded photograph, a backyard object, or something you have seen every July for years.

 Your summer watercolor palette doesn't need to look like mine or anyone else’s — and it doesn't have to look perfectly coordinated or traditionally seasonal. It only has to communicate the version of summer that you recognize.

 Choose one color, one memory, or one small subject — and begin there.

👉 Recommended for You

 Two Easy Watercolor Flower Painting Mini Projects — continue your summer watercolor practice with two short and simple flower projects designed especially for beginners.