Watercolor Landscape Painting Ideas for All Levels
Ideas come in strange moments — sometimes a grind, sometimes a spark. These 50+ watercolor landscape ideas are my take after decades of painting: loose, expressive, and broken down for beginners, intermediates, and advanced artists.
Gotta share this before we get into the curated watercolor landscape painting ideas. Ideas always hit me at weird times. I was dragging my feet on refreshing the watercolor glossary — thought it would be boring — but once I dove in, it surprised me and I had a lot of fun. That’s the same vibe here: fresh and original landscape painting ideas that are loose, unexpected, and straight from decades of garage-studio miles.
This isn’t a cookie-cutter “paint a tree and a hill” list. These are watercolor landscape painting ideas broken down into levels — from easy beginner projects to more advanced coastal harbors and urban scenes. Whether you’re brand new or looking to expand your style, you’ll find landscapes that help you stay loose, embrace watercolor’s quirks, and actually enjoy the process.
👉 Want step-by-step lessons? Visit the Watercolor Hub for tutorials and free courses.
Easy Beginner Watercolor Landscape Ideas
- Simple skies with graded washes
- One-tree studies (different shapes, values, and seasons)
- Minimal landscapes: horizon + sky + one accent
1. Rolling Hills - Gradated Sky
2. Calm River with Banks
3. Beginner Sunset Watercolor Idea
4. Winter Sky Watercolor Landscape
5. Monochromatic Watercolor Landscape
6. Beginner Spooky Forest
7. Pine Forest with Negative Space Tree
8. Minimal Landscape: Limited Horizon + Sky and Clouds
9. Mountains Landscape with Hills and Trees
10. Southwestern Rocks Landscape Idea
11. Cloudy Day with Approaching Storm Watercolor Idea
12. Friends Walking on Path Under Tree
13. Bright Blue Sky and White Clouds Beginner Idea
Intermediate Watercolor Landscape Ideas
- Layered mountain ranges with shifting values
- Village rooftops painted with negative space
- Forest paths with light filtering through trees
14. Pine Forest with Positive and Negative Space Techniques
15. Forest with Path - Intermediate Landscape Idea
16. Birch Trees with Multiple Negative Space Layers
17. Boatyard with Chromatic (colorful) Palette
18. Boatyard with Boat and figures - Tonal Palette
19. Rural Landscape with Storm Clouds
20. Watercolor Landscape with Harbor Scene
21. Intermediate Watercolor Landscape - Sailboats
22. Rural Landscape with Tree Clusters
23. Water Scenery with Row of Foreground Trees
Advanced Watercolor Landscape Ideas
These require more skills to pull off. If you are new then check out the free Watercolor Landscape Painting Workshop, then come back to these ideas.
Urban Watercolor Landscape Ideas
- City skylines with glowing windows
- Street scenes with perspective
- Rooftops and chimneys with atmospheric skies
24. Advanced Urban Landscape with Cafe
25. Urban Landscape with Figures and Shops
26. Urban Scenery With Cars and Figures Crossing Street
27. Cityscape Scene with Tall Buildings and Cars
28. Street Scene with Red House and Figures
29. Cityscape Painting Idea - Cafe and Cars
30. Townscape Painting Idea - Shops and Cars
31. Townscape Painting Idea - White Umbrellas
32. Advanced Loose Urban Landscape
33. Advanced Watercolor Idea -Urban Street Scene
34. Loose Watercolor Cityscape Idea
35. Advanced Urban Landscape Idea - Cafe and Figures
36. Cityscape Watercolor Idea - Hustle and Bustle
37. Advanced Watercolor Idea - Earthy Tones
38. Townscape Painting Idea - White Umbrellas
Coastal Watercolor Landscape Ideas
- Harbors with boats and reflections
- Coastal villages with piers
- Ocean waves against rocks
39. Coastal Landscape Painting Idea - White Boats
40. Advanced Landscape Painting Idea - Maine Harbor
41. Coastal Landscape Idea - Loose Lighthouse
42. Maine Harbor - Advanced Landscape Idea
43. Boat Docks with Fishermen Advanced Landscape Ideas
44. Maine Coastal Landscape Idea - Seaside Homes
45. Advanced Landscape - Coastal Homes & Harbor
46. Maine Landscape Landscape - Distant Harbor
47. Rustic Pier - Dominant Green Palette
48. Expressive Advanced Watercolor Landscape Idea
49. Loose & Colorful Maine Harbor Landscape Idea
50. Fish Shack and Pier - Landscape Idea
51. Pink Fish House - Advanced Landscape Idea
52. Choppy Harbor - Advanced Watercolor Idea
53. Red Lobster Shack - Coastal Watercolor Landscape
54. Maine Pier Watercolor Landscape Painting Idea
55. Docked Sailboats and Water Reflections
Rural Watercolor Landscape Ideas
- Farmhouses with fields
- Barns with seasonal skies
- Rolling hills with tree clusters
56. Rural Watercolor Landscape Idea - Field Rocks
57. Advanced Watercolor Landscape Idea - Pine Trees
58. Advanced Watercolor Rural Landscape - Red Barn
59. Advanced Rural Landscape Idea - Red Barns
60. Loose Rural Landscape Idea - Barns, Trees & Figures
Conclusion
We hope you have found these watercolor landscape ideas for beginners inspiring!
Continue Learning
👉 Next stop: check out my Free Watercolor Painting Course or browse the Watercolor Tutorials Hub to keep building your skills.
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If you enjoy these kinds of raw insights and loose watercolor demos, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe to Crafted by Robert and follow along as I share painting inspiration, tips, and behind-the-scenes stories straight from my garage studio. 👉 Subscribe to Crafted by Robert
