50+ Watercolor Forest Painting Inspiration Ideas Tips & Tutorials [Art Scene Examples]

Below are 50+ watercolor forest painting ideas. These ideas are intended to provide you inspiration for your own watercolor forest painting. After the photos, I have included a list of watercolor forest painting tips for beginners and five watercolor forest tutorial videos for you to learn from.

Watercolor Forest Art Inspiration Ideas

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Watercolor Forest Painting Tips for Beginners

• Texture – When painting watercolor forest scenes, utilize varied brush strokes to capture the diverse textures of the forest. Use soft, sweeping strokes for the sky and light touches for foliage, while heavier, stippled brushwork can effectively depict tree bark and underbrush.

• Depth – Mastering water control is crucial for creating depth in forest scenes. Apply clean water on wet paint to diffuse color, creating layers of trees and foliage that recede into the background, enhancing the sense of depth in your forest.

• Color – Mimic the natural gradation found in forests by transitioning colors. I often start with lighter greens and yellows for distant trees and progressively use darker shades to represent the density and shadow in the forest’s depths.

• Splatter Technique – To simulate leaves and natural forest floor debris, use the splatter technique. Flick a brush loaded with a mix of green and brown paint to create random patterns that resemble leaves and natural detritus.

• Simple – Add elements like distant wildlife or thin tree branches using simple silhouettes. Employ darker colors for these silhouettes to stand out against the lighter backdrop of the forest scene. I find that this is a good way to add life to your painting as a beginner without adding too much complexity.

• Key Elements – Remember to consider the placement of key elements like a clearing, a river, or a focal point like sunlight piercing through the canopy. Off-center placement of these elements can make the watercolor forest scene seem much more realistic.

• Avoid Over-Detailing – In watercolor forest scenes, I like to remind beginners that it is important to resist the urge to over-detail elements in the background, like distant trees or shrubs or waterfall. A softer approach with less definition can often create a more realistic and atmospheric effect. As I mentioned above, sometimes simple silhouettes get the job done.

Watercolor Forest Tutorials for Beginners

Below are five watercolor forest painting tutorials so you can follow along and learn:

Watercolor Forest Tutorial #1 – This tutorial demonstrates how to paint a misty forest landscape using a sponge, watercolors (Daniel Smith’s pearlene green and lunar black), and a wet-on-wet technique. It focuses on creating texture and depth with layers, while also incorporating tree trunks and branches. Click here to view.

Watercolor Forest Tutorial #2 – This tutorial guides viewers through painting sunbeams shining through forest trees using watercolor techniques like wetting the paper, lifting out paint for light rays, and layering colors. It focuses on maintaining a central light source and creating natural textures and light effects. Click here to view.

Watercolor Forest Tutorial #3 – This beginner-friendly watercolor forest example teaches you how to paint tall forest trees, emphasizing basic techniques suitable for those new to watercolor painting. Click here to view.

Watercolor Forest Tutorial #4 – This tutorial offers an easy approach for beginners to create a misty forest watercolor painting, using a mix of forest green, indanthrone blue, and black for depth. It emphasizes simple methods that add dimension to forest scenes. Click here to view.

Watercolor Forest Tutorial #5 – This tutorial shares techniques to create an atmospheric forest scene with light filtering through trees. It teaches you how to use masking fluid for detail, background washes for light rays, and dry brush methods for realistic trees. Click here to view.