Easy Three Color Watercolor Sunflower Tutorial for Beginners

If you have ever said “I’m just not artistic,” this one is for you. With only three watercolor paints and two brushes, you can paint a loose, joyful sunflower today.

Watch the Tutorial

Why This Watercolor Sunflower Painting Is Perfect for Beginners

Sunflowers are bold, cheerful, and surprisingly forgiving in watercolor. The petals are built with a simple push and lift brush technique, the color naturally varies from petal to petal, and even the “mistakes” add life and texture. This tutorial uses the same limited three color watercolor palette from the lavender tutorial, so if you have already tried that one, your supplies are ready to go. It is a wonderful next step for beginners, and a relaxing, loose painting practice for more experienced artists too.

Watercolor Supplies You Will Need

Watercolor Paints (Three Colors Only)

• A warm yellow, such as New Gamboge
• A cool red, such as Quinacridone Rose
• A warm blue, such as French Ultramarine

Brand does not matter here. What matters is having one warm and one cool version of each primary, so you can mix everything from the muted background to the sunflower’s dark center.

Watercolor Brushes

• A round brush, size 3
• A round brush, size 10

Look for a brush with a nice pointy tip, since that point gives you control for both the loose petals and the fine detail work.

Watercolor Paper 100% cotton watercolor paper is highly recommended. It makes a noticeable difference in how your paint moves and blends. This tutorial uses a watercolor block, which is glued on all four sides, keeping the paper lying completely flat as you paint.

Supplies (Amazon Links) (Some links are affiliate links: see note below)

• Watercolor Paints: Daniel Smith Professional Watercolors https://amzn.to/4lASfPl
• Paper: Arches Natural White 100% Cotton Cold Pressed https://amzn.to/3Phgqq7
• Brushes: Princeton Aqua Elite https://amzn.to/4cZi4Xn
• Brushes: Princeton Neptune https://amzn.to/4bgEd23 or
• Watercolor Paints: MeiLiang Pretty Excellent Watercolors https://amzn.to/4btAr4a
• Paper: Paul Rubens Natural White 100% Cotton Cold Pressed https://amzn.to/4sWyF2O
• Brushes: Windsor & Newton Cotman Round https://amzn.to/4lFRIvS
• Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).
• Thank you for supporting my work and helping me continue to create free, encouraging art tutorials 🤍

Step by Step: How to Paint a Watercolor Sunflower

Step 1: Paint a Muted Background Wash

Using your number 10 round brush, mix mostly New Gamboge with a small amount of Quinacridone Rose to push the color toward orange, then add just a touch of French Ultramarine to mute it. You are aiming for a soft, muted orange. This background wash is not meant to be perfect, it just needs to be present. Let it dry completely before moving on.

Step 2: Paint the First Layer of Petals

Wet your number 10 round brush and load just the tip with New Gamboge. Starting lightly at the tip of the brush, push down and then lift up to form each petal. Repeat this push and lift motion all the way around the flower, adding more pigment to your brush whenever it starts running low.

Let the color vary naturally from petal to petal. Sunflowers are not one flat color in real life, and that dark to light variation is part of what makes the painting feel alive.

Step 3: Fill In the Second Layer of Petals

Once you like how the first layer looks, wet your brush again and load the tip with New Gamboge. This time, paint new petals in the gaps between your first layer, using the same push and lift technique. This second layer makes the petals look like they are naturally overlapping and touching each other, giving the flower a full, realistic shape.

Let the entire flower dry before moving to the center.

Step 4: Mix and Add the Dark Center

Mix New Gamboge, a larger amount of French Ultramarine, and a small hint of Quinacridone Rose to create a muted brown. The more blue you add, the darker and cooler the mix becomes, and that depth is exactly what gives the center its realistic look.

Dab this color around the outer edge of the center circle. Do not worry if your mix leans more brown or more of a bluish gray, both work beautifully for this neutral, grounding color. Let it dry, and it will lighten slightly as it does.

Step 5: Add Texture and Depth to the Center

Mix a small amount of New Gamboge into your center color to shift it toward green, then dab it directly into the middle of the center to add light and texture. Finish by adding a touch of Quinacridone Rose into the mix around the middle for an extra layer of depth. It does not need to look perfect, this step is simply about building up color and dimension.

Step 6: Paint the Stem and Leaves

Mix French Ultramarine and New Gamboge to create a green. Paint the stem with a thick, confident line, since sunflower stalks are naturally sturdy. Add one large leaf off to the side, and do not worry if it extends past the edge of your paper, sunflowers are big, bold flowers. Add a few smaller lines nearby to finish out the greenery.

Step 7: Add Hand Lettering

Once everything is dry, use your number 3 brush with a bit of New Gamboge to write the word “sunflower” at the bottom of your page for a finished, giftable look.

Tips for Practicing This Watercolor Technique

Watercolor often has a mind of its own, and that is part of the joy of it. A few reminders as you practice:

• The push and lift petal technique takes a little repetition to feel natural, so try it a few times before you commit to your final painting
• Uneven petal colors, a leaf that runs off the page, and imperfect layering are not mistakes, they are part of what makes each sunflower unique
• Painting is often less about control and more about noticing what the pigment wants to do, then working alongside it

Ready to Paint?

Sometimes we are not just painting, we are negotiating with the water and the pigment, and that is exactly how it should feel. If this loose, joyful approach felt encouraging, that is the whole point. You do not need years of experience to create something full of light and color… you just need a little courage and a willingness to begin.

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