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Watercolor Painting Tutorials

Learn Negative Space Watercolor Painting Techniques

Negative space sounds fancy, but it’s just the area around your subject. Paint the space, and trees, clouds, and buildings appear on their own. Here are 10 ways I use it in watercolor.

Robert Joyner

Robert Joyner

— 4 min read
Learn Negative Space Watercolor Painting Techniques

Negative space in watercolor painting sounds fancy, but it’s just the area around your subject. The “stuff you don’t paint.” Use it right, and suddenly trees, clouds, and buildings pop off the page without you ever drawing them.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about training your eyes to see shapes differently — and letting watercolor do some of the heavy lifting for you.

Once I had the basics down, I stumbled into negative space painting — total game changer. Simple idea, huge impact. It’s insanely versatile and can be used a hundred different ways.

What Is Negative Space Painting?

  • Positive space = the thing you’re painting (tree, barn, boat).
  • Negative space = everything around it (sky, ground, shadows).

The trick is painting around your subject so the shape appears on its own. It adds depth, keeps your design balanced, and stops your work from looking flat.

Why Bother With It?

Because it’s a shortcut. You don’t always have to “paint the thing.” Paint the space around it, and the thing magically appears. Birch trees, clouds, windows, buildings — negative space can do the heavy lifting.

A Few Negative Space Ideas You Can Try

Negative Space Painting with Birch trees
Negative Space Painting – Birch Trees
  1. Birch Trees → Stain the page pale pink or magenta, leave strips of white for trees, and darken the background layer by layer. Boom — a forest.
Negative Space Painting - Pine Trees
Negative Space Painting – Pine Trees
  1. Pine Trees → Paint darker trees, and suddenly the untouched edges reveal lighter trees behind them. Depth without detail.
Negative Space Example - Circles
Negative Space Painting – Circles
  1. Circles → Draw a bunch of circles with a cup. Wash the page, then leave a few untouched circles each layer. Great beginner drill.
Clouds with Watercolors
Clouds with Watercolors
  1. Clouds → Paint the sky, not the clouds. Loose blue washes leave behind fluffy shapes.
Palmettos with Watercolors
Palmettos with Watercolors
  1. Palmettos → Use darker strokes around the branches to let the leaves show themselves.
Background Trees with Negative Space = Source Andy Evansen
Background Trees with Negative Space = Source Andy Evansen
  1. Background Trees → Darken the space between trunks and branches — they’ll define themselves.
White Buildings with Negative Space
White Buildings with Negative Space
  1. White Buildings → Let the sky and mountains do the work, leaving the building shapes untouched.
Portrait with Negative Space - Source Deviant
Portrait with Negative Space – Source Deviant
  1. Portrait → Skip the highlights, paint only shadow shapes, and a face appears.
Arms with Negative Space
Arms with Negative Space – Source
  1. Arms + Hands → Clever designs where negative and positive swap roles. Forces you to think in shapes, not outlines.
Unicorn Example
Unicorn Example – Source
  1. Unicorn in the Flame → A design trick, but shows how powerful leaving space can be.

Tips From the Garage

  • Don’t overthink it — see shapes, not objects.
  • Keep washes simple — darker background = stronger subject.
  • Play with edges — sharp edges bring attention, soft ones fade away.
  • Remember: it’s okay if it looks odd mid-process. Negative space clicks at the end.

Final Thoughts

Negative space isn’t some mystical art school concept. It’s a practical tool for making watercolors more dynamic. Whether it’s trees, clouds, or buildings, painting the “stuff around” is often easier than painting the thing itself.

Continue Learning

👉 Next stop: the Watercolor Tutorials Hub to keep building your skills.

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Materials You’ll Need

Here are the materials I use all the time and have for decades. I only buy from Blick Art but feel free to shop where you prefer.

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