I’ve talked previously about why watercolour is great for relaxation, now here’s a list of five mindful watercolour activities to help you relax. They are all beginner-friendly, so if you’re new to watercolours these are for you. And they have the side benefit of helping you learn how to paint with watercolours without the pressure of worrying about how the finished piece looks!

When painting for relaxation it’s all about the process, not the outcome. So, grab your brushes and let’s get stuck in to a world of colourful serenity!

1. Colour Exploration: Emotional Expression

The first of the mindful watercolour activities I recommend is colour exploration. This is a favourite of mine and it’s an exercise I return to again and again. First, pick a colour that represents how you’re currently feeling. I suggest using your intuition to choose the right colour; select or mix up the colour you are most drawn to in that moment.

Next create different shades shades of this colour by adding different amounts of water. A more watery mix will give a lighter version of the colour, less water will give a darker / more intense version of the colour.

Then use these different shades to fill a piece of paper with this colour. The smaller your brush, relative to your page size, the longer this will take so choose a brush size that fits with the window of time you have. If you’re uncertain, pick the smaller brush.

Allow yourself to sink into the exercise and feel each brushstrokes against the page.

2. Mindful Patterns

In this mindful watercolour activity you tap into mindfulness through repetition while you create simple patterns. Choose a simple shape or motif -e.g. a line, an arch, a circle – and repeat it across your paper.

You can aim to keep each the same size, shape and orientation, or purposefully vary them.

With each stroke, focus on the fluid motion of your brush, the sound it makes, and the connection between your hand, the brush, and the paper. Listen to the swoosh of the water as you clean your brush, and the rustle of the paper towel when you dry it.

Allow the marks to be exactly as they are, embracing imperfections and variations as part of the process.

You can see a real-time example in this YouTube video:

3. Wet-on-Wet Play

For this next mindful watercolour activity we’ll be using the “wet-on-wet” technique. This is where the both the paper and the paint are “wet” – so you’re placing wet paint onto a wet page. This lets the paint flow easily and unpredictably across the page creating spontaneous effects. I find this hypnotic and particularly love doing this on smooth (“hot-pressed”) watercolour paper, but any watercolour paper will work for this.

Firstly prepare the paints you want to use – either by activating the watercolour pans with a drop of water, or by squeezing out your tube(s) and adding water to them.

Next use painters / washi / masking tape to hold your paper down.

Then thoroughly wet your page using clean water and a brush – you effectively paint your page with water all over. Go back and forth over the page several times to allow the water to sink into the fibres of the paper.

Lastly apply the paint. Add as much or as little as you like, in whatever way you want – lines, circles, swirls. Take the time to watch the paint spread out across the page. This is where the magic happens – whatever it looks like when it dries is unimportant compared to the wonder experienced watching the paint and water dance in this moment.

You can see a real-time example in this YouTube video:

4. Exploring Gradients

This next mindful watercolour activity also uses the wet-on-wet technique, and this time we play with creating soothing gradients. The simplest is a one-colour gradient with the colour fading into white, but gradients with many colours are also possible for those with more experience. Choose whichever option is most accessible for you and a colour or colours that are pleasing to you.

Firstly prepare the paint (or paints) you want to use – either by activating the watercolour pan with a drop of water, or by squeezing out your tube and adding water to it to create a milky textured mix.

Next use painters / washi / masking tape to hold your paper down.

Then thoroughly wet your page using clean water and a brush – you effectively paint your page with water all over. Go back and forth over the page several times to allow the water to sink into the fibres of the pages.

For the one colour gradient, start painting with water, sweeping your brush back and forth across the page, gradually adding more and more of your paint mixture as you move down the page. At the end of the page, use your pure paint mixture to get the strongest version of that colour.

As you sweep your brush back and forth, watch how the paint spreads and the colours subtly change. Pay attention to the subtle noises and scents as you work and enjoy the sensations.

If you are keen to learn more about making gradients, I suggest my short masterclass on this: Bitesize Watercolor: Master Painting Gradients with a Sunset Sky. Even if you don’t have a SkillShare membership, this link will give you free access to this and thousands of other classes for a month.

5. Abstract, Mindful Doodles

For this last of these mindful watercolour activities, I recommend you gather any and all art supplies that call to you, not just watercolour paints.

Start with three-five colours that you feel drawn to today, prepare them. Once they’re ready let your brush move freely on the page, creating abstract shapes and blobs, lines, or patterns with these colours.

Let your intuition determine where to make the marks, how many you need, and when you’re done. Focus on the flow and rhythm of your strokes, and enjoy the process.

When you’ve painted as much as you want, pick up any other art supplies you feel like using in that moment and work on top of your paints, layering shapes and lines.

Continue in this way until you feel you are finished. Take the time to enjoy the play, focusing solely on the process.

If you want to do more of this sort of play, I have a whole class that I filmed with my daughter about creating these kinds of fun art doodles – Tap into Your Creativity: 3 Fun Prompts to Play With Art. This link will also give you free access to try the class (and all the others on Skillshare) for a month.

Painting doesn’t always have to be about creative expression, it can be a tool for calming your nervous system, allowing yourself a “brain break”, and stepping away from the pressures of daily life. I hope you enjoy these exercises as much as I do, and if you have mindful watercolour activities of your own I’d love to hear them.

And if you’d like a more detailed dive into the first two mindful watercolour activities, they are features in my class: A Mindful Approach to Practicing Watercolour: Values, Palettes & Brush Control.