Startup Project: Watercolor Still Life

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Last updated on July 25, 2026 1:10 am

Build your skills and create a watercolor painting that you can be proud of, even if you’re a beginner! Ready to take the next steps in your journey of watercolor painting?

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Build your skills and create a watercolor painting that you can be proud of, even if you’re a beginner! Ready to take the next steps in your journey of watercolor painting? Join established artist Mary P. Murphy in the follow-up to “Startup Library: Painting With Watercolors,” as she guides you to paint a floral still life step by step. Along the way, practice essential techniques for color mixing, painting tricky textures and rendering natural forms and shadows. You’ll have an elevated skill set and a watercolor painting that’s worthy of hanging on your wall!

Preparing to Paint

Meet artist Mary P. Murphy, who starts by walking you through the tools you need to complete your project, a watercolor floral still life, including brushes, paper and paint. Then she revisits some basic techniques from the class “Startup Library: Painting With Watercolors,” and key tips for mixing colors.

Composition & Underpainting

Start your project as Mary shows you how to make a great composition and transfer it to paper. Once your drawing is complete, get started on the underpainting. You’ll see how transparent layers and masking fluid will make your painting shine!

Painting the Cloth

Start working on depicting cloth with watercolor. It might seem tricky, but Mary guides you step by step. Follow along as she shows you how to develop realistic textures, and paint shadows in layers to give your fabric a flowing, folded look.

Flowers & Pitcher

Focus on your still life’s focal point. Starting with the flowers, Mary shares tips on using warm and cool yellow tones to guide the viewer’s eyes through the painting. Afterwards, move on to the pitcher as you learn to create a shimmering reflection with glazes.

Background & Shadows

In this lesson, Mary shows you how to mix colors to create a black background and use calligraphic strokes to create dramatic shadows on the cloth. She also discusses the concept of lost edges.

Finishing the Painting

End class and complete your still life by adding some finishing touches. First add final glazes to smooth out your painting, then darken values and use lifting techniques to give it a professional finish.

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    Startup Project: Watercolor Still Life
    Startup Project: Watercolor Still Life
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