Watercolor Painting for Joy and Progress (Not Perfection)

"If it feels too hard to do, the first step isn't small enough."

✅ Quick Overview

• 🎨 Focus on practice over perfection to build confidence and creative freedom.

• 🔄 Use warm-ups and thumbnails to reduce pressure and ease into painting sessions.

• 💡 Try low-stakes routines like 10-minute paint breaks or weekly sketchbook spreads.

• 🔑 Don’t save your “good” supplies — growth comes from using what you have now.

• 👩‍🎨 Small, joyful steps are how beginners become artists — progress happens through showing up.

Introduction

Welcome to the first post in my new blog series, Watercolor Lite — a fresh, beginner-friendly approach to watercolor painting that celebrates joy, ease, and creative progress (not perfection).

If you're new to watercolor — or trying to build a regular practice — it's easy to get stuck chasing perfect results. But here's the truth: growth happens when you focus on the doing, not the outcome.

This guide shares simple, low-pressure ways to start painting with more freedom and confidence. Whether you're warming up with brushstrokes, playing in your sketchbook, or swatching colors just for fun  — every small step counts. Let's explore how showing up with curiosity leads to real artistic progress.

Why "Practice Over Perfection" Matters in Watercolor

Let's start with the big idea: watercolor rewards practice, not perfection.

Unlike other mediums, watercolor has a life of its own. The paint moves, blends, blooms, and dries unpredictably. Beginners often feel frustrated because they expect brush and water control from the start — but, here's the thing: control isn’t the goal. The goal is to observe, experiment, and grow.

Focusing on perfection too soon leads to second-guessing, rigid painting habits, or worse — avoidance. But when you let go of that pressure and make time for regular, low-pressure painting, you gain something far more valuable: confidence and curiosity.

Focusing on the process, rather than the outcome, helps you:

• Build confidence through repetition.

• Stay motivated when mistakes happen.

• Enjoy the act of painting — even when it’s messy.

👉 Reminder: Progress happens when you stop trying to get it right and start showing up with curiosity.

🔄 The Power of Warm-Ups

Just like stretching before a workout, watercolor warm-ups help activate your creative brain, loosen up your hand, and reduce the “blank page fear” we all face sometimes.

Try this:

• Paint a row of brushstrokes with different pressure.

• Swatch two colors and let them blend on the page.

• Create simple shapes like dots, leaves, or waves.

These mini warm-ups take just 5–10 minutes and can completely change your mindset.

👉 Reminder: They're not meant to look good — they’re meant to loosen you up!

💡 Tip: Use a timer for 5 minutes of warm-up before your next painting session.

A page of quick thumbnail sketches I did between Dec '24 & Feb '25

📏 Think Small: Try Thumbnail Sketches

Thumbnail sketches are tiny paintings or compositional studies — often no larger than 1–2 inches. They’re ideal for trying ideas without committing to a full painting.

Why thumbnails work so well:

• They simplify the decision-making process (color, shape, composition).

• You can make several in a short amount of time.

• They help you experiment fearlessly because the stakes are so low.

For beginners, thumbnails are a brilliant way to explore without pressure. Try painting:

• The same subject in 3 different color palettes.

• A mini landscape with just 1 brush.

• A sky or leaf in 2 different ways.

👉 Reminder: Every small sketch teaches you something.

💡 Tip: Use one page of your sketchbook for weekly thumbnails. Label and date them to track your growth.

🕒 Low-Pressure Painting Routines That Work

You don’t need hours of daily practice to grow as a watercolor artist — you just need to show up consistently.

Here are three low-key routines to try:

🕘 The 10-Minute Daily Paint Break

Pick a time of day and commit to just 10 minutes. Swatch, sketch, or paint something tiny. Don't focus on the result — just show up.

📖 The Weekly Sketchbook Spread

Each week, fill one page of your sketchbook with small ideas. Don't judge what's "good," just keep going.

🎯 Weekly Themes or Creative Constraints

Try painting only with one color for a few days. Use one brush for a week. Paint one subject many ways. Constraints create clarity and reduce choice fatigue.

🖌️ Growth happens slowly and organically through repetition.

👉 Reminder: Consistency builds confidence and confidence builds creativity.

💡 Tip: Track progress gently — no grading, just noticing :)

🎨 Stop Saving Your "Good" Supplies

One of the most common beginner blocks? The belief that you need to "save" your good paper or paints for when you’re "ready."

But here’s the truth: Your supplies are tools, not trophies. The only way to get ready is to use your supplies. Don’t save your sketchbook for perfect ideas. Use it to find ideas. Use your paint, even if you’re unsure.

Try this:

• Keep a "discovery" sketchbook just for experiments.

• Tear out old pages out if they bother you (or ... don’t — and see your progress!).

• Purposely rotate through using each of your paints, your paper, your tools — giving each a turn in your creative sessions. 

That’s how you learn.

🖌️ Your art materials and tools are meant to be used. Growth comes from using them.

A practice sheet of colorful curly-cues, dots & blue fireworks I painted a few years ago :)

🎨 Painting for the Joy of the Process Actually Improves Your Skills

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a watercolor artist is this: painting for the joy of the process not only makes painting more fun, but it also accelerates skill-building.

When you focus on the experience rather than the outcome, you're giving yourself permission to experiment, make mistakes, and try new things without the pressure of perfection. In turn, this is exactly how you grow as an artist.

Why Joy Fosters Skill:

•  Creative Freedom: When you let go of expectations, you open up to fresh ideas and techniques.

•  Increased Practice: The more fun you have, the more likely you are to paint regularly. Skill comes with consistent practice.

•  Problem-Solving: Enjoying the process helps you problem-solve on the go. You'll experiment more freely, learning from each decision and result.

Make Space for Joyful Painting:

• Set aside time to paint without a goal — just for fun.

• Experiment with colors, shapes, and techniques you haven’t tried before.

• Don’t worry if the painting "fails" — embrace the joy of trying something new, knowing that every “failure” brings you closer to mastery.

👉 Reminder: Every page teaches something, even the messy ones.

🌟 The Truth is — You're an Artist When You Show Up

The difference between a beginner and an artist isn’t skill — it’s mindset. If you’re showing up with curiosity and giving yourself time to learn, then you are an artist.

You don’t have to sell your work. You don’t need a perfect Instagram feed. If you’re:

• Showing up with curiosity

• Letting yourself try

• Painting for the process…

…then you’re doing the real work of becoming an artist.

👉 Reminder: Creative courage matters more than perfect technique.

🪜 And When It Feels Too Hard, Start Smaller

Sometimes a task just feels too big or overwhelming. That’s not a sign you should quit — it’s a sign the first step isn’t small enough. Ask: What's the smallest possible action I can take right now?

✅ Try These Mini Steps:

• Too hard: “Paint a garden” → Try: “Paint one flower.”

• Too hard: “Paint a flower” → Try: “Paint one petal.”

• Too hard: “Fill this whole page” → Try: “Swatch one color.”

• Too hard: “Try a new technique” → Try: “Watch someone else do it first.”

👉 Reminder: Tiny steps grow into creative habits!

📦 Small Step Ideas for When You Feel Stuck

“Shrink the task until it feels doable. Then begin.”

Try one of these bite-sized actions to lower the pressure and build momentum:

• 🎨 Swatch one color on your page. That’s it.

• ✍️ Draw one shape—a petal, a circle, a leaf, anything.

• 🌀 Make three brushstrokes using different brush pressures.

• 🧪 Test wet-on-wet with two colors in a small square.

• 🖼️ Paint a 1-inch thumbnail of a sky, tree, or flower.

• 💧 Practice water control by painting one gradient.

• 📖 Open your sketchbook and write the date—you showed up!

• ⏱️ Set a 5-minute timer and play with color mixing—no goal.

👉 Reminder: Small steps still count as practice. They're often the most important ones.

🎉 Final Thoughts: You've Got This!

This post kicks off my new Watercolor Simplified blog series — where we strip watercolor down to what really matters: joyful exploration, steady practice, and confidence in your own creative voice.

In upcoming posts, we'll explore more beginner-friendly ways to explore creativity and build a watercolor painting practice that feels joyful and expressive.

👉 Want more support? Coming mid-July: my free Absolute Beginner's Watercolor Confidence Kit is full of encouraging tips and friendly tools to help you build confidence for your first watercolor painting experience. Whether you're brand-new or feeling a bit unsure — this kit is designed for YOU!

💬 What small step will you take today?

Let me know in the comments or tag me on your favorite platform with your next mini practice!

🔗 Recommended for You

• 5 Easy Tips to Find More Time for Watercolor Painting
• Beginner's Easiest Watercolor Flower Tutorials
• 7 Benefits to Using a Sketchbook for Watercolor Beginners 

✍️ About the Author 

Written by Mary Moreno of Mary Moreno Studio, a self-taught watercolor artist since 2020 and creative blogger. I’m passionate about helping others find joy and confidence through watercolor, sharing beginner-friendly tutorials, tips, and resources. 🎨 I believe everyone can explore their creative potential with a little practice and encouragement. Join me on this artistic journey! 🌸