Watercolor Still Life: Paint a Vase and Lemons with Negative Space
Paint a simple watercolor still life with basic washes and negative space. Follow along as a blue vase and lemons come to life, step by step.
Want an easy watercolor still life? This one uses just basic washes and negative space painting, which is the gateway to freedom in watercolor.
What you need
- 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper (mine was 11x15, but I only used about half)
- A mop brush for pre-wetting, plus a large brush for the background
- Blues, yellows, and ochres
- A bit of matte heavy body acrylic for highlights
- A thin liner brush
Step 1: Wet-into-wet blobs of color
Pre-wet the paper with a mop brush. Then drop in loose blobs of color: blue for the vase and yellow for the lemons. I used a photo as inspiration, but I’m not painting it exactly. Let that first wash dry 100%.
Step 2: Sketch and let the wash lead
Once it’s dry, add a light sketch of the vase and lemons. I use what the wash is giving me. The photo gets me started, but I’d rather go with what the paint is doing than be trapped copying it. For more on that mindset, see intuitive watercolor painting.
Want to Paint Loose Watercolors, Slacker? Learn the fundamentals, ditch perfection, and develop your own expressive style.
Step 3: Paint the vase and lemons
Paint the vase in blue. That’s positive space. As the blue comes down, I paint around the yellow lemon in front of it, which is negative space. Then I drop darker yellows and ochres into the shadow side of the lemons, wet into wet.
Step 4: Add shadow for form
When the vase is about 60 to 70% dry, add darker blues. Focus on light and shadow, because that’s what brings a painting to life. Darken the tabletop a bit and lift a few highlights out of the vase. Learn more in how to shade with watercolors.
Step 5: Negative space the background
Let everything dry 100%. Then use a large brush to paint a darker background, going around the edge of the vase. Down by the lemons, paint around the tops to give them shape.
Plan how you’ll approach it before paint hits the paper. That way you have an ABC game plan when you start. For a deeper dive, see negative space watercolor landscape.
Step 6: Finish with highlights and pattern
Add a few touches of matte heavy body acrylic for highlights. Then use a thin liner to add a little pattern to the cloth.
For more, check out 10 tips for painting loose.
Learn Structure. Paint Loose.
Construct. Deconstruct. Explore. Repeat.
Watercolor still life FAQ
What is negative space painting in watercolor?
Painting the space around an object so the object’s shape appears, instead of painting the object itself.
What paper is best for this?
140 lb cold pressed. It handles layers and washes well.
Do I need to copy a photo exactly?
No. Use it as inspiration and let the wash guide you.
Why let each layer dry 100%?
It keeps edges crisp and stops colors from turning muddy.
