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  • Welcome to TPK! This is your first of 2 free articles. For unlimited access to tutorials and articles, join TPK Premium for less than the cost of a latte.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial

    May 16, 2019

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    Design, Inspiration, Tutorials, Wall Art

    Watercolor wreaths add elegance and artistry to any project: snail mail, wedding materials, and bullet journals, to name a few. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how relaxing wreaths are to draw! Put on a good podcast, have some hot tea, and go to town on making a beautiful watercolor wreath of your own with this…

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    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Everyone loves a watercolor wreath, and I’ve got the Google Analytics to prove it. The Woodland Watercolor Wreath tutorials are among the most popular posts on the TPK blog, and the Watercolor Holiday Wreath Tutorial goes viral every December! Today, I want to show you how to make an elegant nest-like wreath! It combines several different branches and colors to make a harmonious border that is relaxing to make and interesting to look at. Ready to get started?

    1. Make a Pencil Draft

    Every successful piece of art or calligraphy starts with a draft! Use your favorite pencil to sketch out an oval or a circle, then make a draft of your calligraphy or hand-lettering inside.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I am making my artwork on a piece of Stonehenge watercolor paper that I cut to 5″x7″. Feel free to use any brand and size of paper! (Watercolor paper is best for this tutorial, but mixed media/drawing paper could work, too.)

    2. Start “Nesting”

    As I mentioned, this watercolor wreath reminds me of a nest. You add branches here and there until the piece looks full and finished! Here’s a “cheat sheet” chart of the different branches you can make, and the steps you’ll take to create them:

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    With the chart above in mind, start by creating any of the branches above. It’s easiest to use the watercolor calligraphy technique to draw the branches! However, you can use a tiny paintbrush if you’re uncomfortable using a dip pen.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Make sure the stems of your branches follow the contours of your pencil oval/circle!

    After you have illustrated the first little piece of the wreath, add another piece. It’s completely your choice which style of branch you draw next!

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Continue building the wreath by adding an illustration here and there. Try to let the flora overlap! Overlapping branches gives the watercolor wreath an abundant, rich look.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Once you’ve worked your way around the circle, you can go in and add some dots in any color you like. I personally love glittery Arabic gold, so I’m dotting that around my piece. There’s no rhyme or reason to the dots; you can put them anywhere around the watercolor wreath.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Any gold watercolor will work for this purpose! It’s easiest to make these dots with a size 1 paintbrush.

    3. Write Text

    Many watercolor wreaths exist to frame text. In my case, I wanted a piece of artwork to put in our bedroom, so I chose to write a quote from Singin’ in the Rain! It’s just a little reminder to start the day off on the right foot. Whatever quote you choose, write it in watercolor calligraphy! Once the watercolor dries, you can erase any pencil draft lines.

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    The piece will look cohesive if you write with a couple of the same colors that you used to make the wreath. I used Kaitlin Style calligraphy and Sans Serif lettering to write this quote!

    I love this watercolor wreath! I’ve used it to make greeting cards, place cards, and framed artwork for my home. It can beautifully accentuate any piece!

    Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This greeting card features Kaitlin Style calligraphy and Garamond hand-lettering.

    The secret to making a beautiful wreath? Just keep the “cheat sheet” chart in this blog post in front of you, and build up the wreath with branches from the chart until you’re satisfied with how it looks!

    Other Watercolor Wreaths

    If you’re a watercolor wreath kind of person, then — first: hi, you’re amazing, and welcome to the club! Second: I’ve got a wealth of tutorials you’ll love!

    Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part III | The Postman's Knock
    This is the wreath from the Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part III.

    Here is a list of watercolor wreath tutorials on the TPK site:

    • Watercolor Cactus Wreath Tutorial
    • Watercolor Holiday Wreath Tutorial + Free Printable
    • Woodland Watercolor Wreath Tutorials: Part I + Part II + Part III
    • Circular Watercolor Thank You Card Tutorial
    • Circular DIY Christmas Card Tutorial

    I hope that you enjoyed today’s tutorial, and that you have time to peruse some of the other TPK watercolor wreath tutorials as well! After all, weekends with watercolors are the best kinds of weekends. Have a good one!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

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About The Postman’s Knock (TPK)

Hi, I’m Lindsey Bugbee, the illustrator, calligrapher, and author behind The Postman’s Knock (TPK). Since 2012, the TPK Blog has been a vibrant creative space filled with tutorials and lessons on modern calligraphy, hand lettering, and illustration. After publishing The Calligraphy Book, I wanted to elevate the quality of content even further—so I launched TPK Premium. You can join here to receive access to some of the internet’s best creative inspiration and project tutorials.

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89 responses

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous
    August 14, 2017

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. It has helped me… a lot. ; ) xxx

    Log in to Reply
  2. Andrea Avatar
    Andrea
    April 27, 2016

    Hi, I’m Andrea. I came across your blog simply by accident and I’m so glad I did. I’ve put art on the back shelf of my mind for far too long. Your post are inspiring, they get those old wheels turning again and I’m excited to get back to another love of mine. Also, your blog just feels like an old friend chatting about art or hanging in a studio discussing projects. I just hope you know that you are inspiring. Thank you! <3

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      April 28, 2016

      I love that you are enjoying the blog! I know that feeling of being inspired — it’s so refreshing. I’m really, really happy that you are finding that feeling here; thank you!

      Log in to Reply
  3. Epiphany Avatar
    Epiphany
    April 22, 2016

    Thank you so much for the lesson…

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      April 25, 2016

      Of course! Thanks very much for reading!

      Log in to Reply
  4. bb_doll Avatar
    bb_doll
    March 9, 2016

    Hi Lindsey I created my botanical wreath and I LOOOOVED it THANK you I love your tutorials and I love how you share your skills with all of us. I wanted to ask you what size and style of brushes do you use for this technique?
    Thank you!

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      March 11, 2016

      Hi there! I am not picky about brushes; anything that’s size 1, 0, 00, or 000 has a place in my creative artillery. 🙂 I often use Winsor & Newton Sceptre brushes, but that’s due to availability and not reflective of preference!

      Log in to Reply
  5. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    October 29, 2015

    love your work. beautiful. thank you for sharing

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      December 4, 2015

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!!

      Log in to Reply
  6. drishti Avatar
    drishti
    October 25, 2015

    Hi Lindsey

    i am so inspired with your work. I also created one with different set of colors for my Christmas wreathe cards. It looks amazing in Crimson and Green too. Thank you for your ideas.

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      December 4, 2015

      What a gorgeous color combination idea! I love it!!

      Log in to Reply
  7. Caz Avatar
    Caz
    October 24, 2015

    Hi Lindsey, I just found your blog and I wanted to thank you for taking the time to share all your tips and great ideas. I just tried this wreath and it was great fun but I have a question: when you overlap your branches, do you let each one dry first? I found it hard to overlap without paint moving from one branch into another.

    Also, if/when you do calligraphy with watercolour brushes (ie, not a pen nib), what kind of brush would you use?

    Hope to hear from you, thanks again!

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      December 4, 2015

      Hi Caz!

      I do wait for the branches to dry so the paint doesn’t run. Luckily, watercolor dries very quickly! As far as using a brush, I’d shoot for a size 000 — the smaller, the better!

      Log in to Reply
  8. Diana Avatar
    Diana
    September 6, 2015

    Your work is amazing! Thanks for the tip – you make it look so easy!

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    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 12, 2015

      Give it a try! It really is a fun/beautiful thing to paint!

      Log in to Reply
  9. Gabrielle Marie Avatar
    Gabrielle Marie
    September 4, 2015

    Hi Lindsey! I have been addicted to your blog lately. I have a gazillion of questions and concepts in my mind, and voila, I have all the answers I need from your blog. As I read through your previous posts, I am beginning to visualize how I can layout my work, and present it amazingly online and eventually even profit from them. (FYI , I feel like a little girl feeling so giddy everytime you like my instagram posts. Lol!)

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      September 12, 2015

      I am so glad that the blog inspires you! You absolutely can present your work and profit from it — go for it!!

      Log in to Reply
  10. july30 Avatar
    july30
    August 18, 2015

    Thank you Lindsey your art is inspiring and motivating! I really want to do some of these decorations for a table sign and write the word “Grazie” (“thank you” in Italian) to thank the customers. I was going to do it with Photoshop but making on my own is more interesting and fun for me, thank you again for your ideas, kindness and useful tips!

    Log in to Reply
    1. Lindsey Bugbee Avatar
      Lindsey Bugbee
      August 25, 2015

      The botanical wreath is a cool concept in any context, but I *love* that idea! I hope you do it!!

      Log in to Reply
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Hard to fit everything in, but this was 2025 in a Hard to fit everything in, but this was 2025 in a nutshell at TPK! 🥜

This year, I loved teaching at @thehappyevercrafter’s Workshop Week and participating in @calmingcalligraphy’s World Calligraphy as Meditation Day. And seeing the TPK calligraphy kit featured in @newyorkermag’s 2025 holiday gift guide was an unexpected (and delightful) cherry on top! 🍒

So much of what happened over the past year, though, was shaped by the TPK Premium community. Their questions and feedback helped guide Hand Lettering 101, while their encouragement fueled tutorials on topics ranging from turning red wine into calligraphy ink to illustrating recipes, painting with a wedge brush, and creating greeting cards and envelope art. 💌 That same support made it possible to create new worksheets and resources that others were able to enjoy as well, which I’m very grateful for. 

For a fuller recap (with helpful links and details) I shared a 2025 reflection on the TPK blog (link in bio).

#handlettering #gracefulenvelopecontest #pointedpencalligraphy #discordcommunity #calligraphyteacher
Which is your favorite koi-themed envelope? The fi Which is your favorite koi-themed envelope? The first one (A. Moreira), which was created as a prop for “The Calligraphy Book” ... *or* the second (Nigel Wright), which was created for the photographer who took pictures of the Moreira envelope for “The Calligraphy Book”? (When I heard how much Nigel had loved the first koi envelope, I made him his own variation!) 🎏

#mailart #snailmail #mailbox #snailmailrevolution #koiart
✨ A little comparison today … because not all ✨ A little comparison today ... because not all golds behave the same.

✦ Finetec gold → bright, cheerful, and versatile
✦ Greenleaf & Blueberry faux brass → softer, muted, and stunning
✦ Yasutomo pale gold → velvety, subtle shimmer with a sensible amount of sparkle

I love having all three on hand and choosing based on the feel I want for a project. It’s tough to go wrong! ✨

#moderncalligraphy #calligraphytools #goldink #watercolorcalligraphy #letteringcommunity mailart calligraphypractice artmaterials creativeprocess handlettering
🕊️ I originally made these printable tags for 🕊️ I originally made these printable tags for gifts … but now I want them everywhere. On presents 🎁, yes; but also tucked into snail mail, sprinkled across a holiday table with happy words written inside (“joy”, “love”, “peace”), or styled on a mantle for a cozy seasonal touch 🎄. They’re simple, charming, and versatile. Find them on the TPK Blog (link in bio)!

#thepostmansknock #printableart #giftwrappingideas #snailmaillove #happymail handillustrated holidaydetails paperlove creativegifting handlettering makersofinstagram stationeryaddict thoughtfuldetails slowdownandsendmail gifttags diygifttag giftwrapping giftpresentation handwrappedgift
I experimented with using the chic poppies techniq I experimented with using the chic poppies technique (see my reel from a couple of days ago) to make pretty stationery. LOVE how it turned out! The poppies are just an elegant way to add personality and elegance to any paper good. If you’re a TPK Premium member, *definitely* check out Lesson 6 of the Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (2025 version). In it, you’ll find a detailed video demonstration that shows you how to bring these poppies to life! ✍️

#stationery #diystationery #floralillustration #penandink #handdrawn #drawing #painting #sumiink #snailmail #mail #mailart #snailmailrevolution #happymail #mailbox #calligraphy #pointedpen #dippen #rosegoldsumi
TPK’s calligraphy starter kit was just featured TPK’s calligraphy starter kit was just featured in @newyorkermag’s “A Holiday Gift Guide: Treasures That Are Old, or Old at Heart”. 🎁 I agree that it makes for a *fabulous* gift ... and it is the gift that keeps on giving, since your recipient will develop the skills to create all sorts of beautiful and satisfying projects. We’re talking gorgeous envelopes, frameable quotes that make a home feel cozy, place cards, sketchbook pages, family trees ... there are a lot of possibilities (and tutorials for those possibilities can be found on the TPK Blog)!

To get a kit, visit the link in my bio and navigate to the “SHOP” tab. If you buy a kit as a gift, let me know right after placing your order (lindsey@thepostmansknock.com). Be sure to tell me your recipient’s name, and I’ll be glad to include instructions for them over how to enroll in the Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course, which comes with the $125 kit option. ✍️ Happy holidays! 

#thepostmansknock #tpk #calligraphy #moderncalligraphy #calligraphycommunity #calligraphypractice #calligraphytools #calligraphyset #calligraphykit #giftguide #holidaygiftguide #newyorkermag #smallbusinesslove #shopsmall #makersgonnamake #creativegifts #handmadegifts #artgifts #artsupplies #stationerylove #snailmailrevival #envelopecalligraphy #learncalligraphy #artistsontiktok #creativeprocess #holidayseason #giftideas2024
✨Chic Inky Poppies Mail Art✨ – This inky poppy ✨Chic Inky Poppies Mail Art✨ - This inky poppy motif is one of my all-time favorites for filling blank space with drama and elegance. To make it, you use dark ink smudges, loose leaves, and airy petals to build a border that looks intricate but comes together quickly. My go-tos for this style are sumi ink and a touch of gold watercolor for warmth. 

Want to try it yourself? Visit the TPK website (link in bio) and search for “Chic Inky Poppies Mail Art Tutorial.” Happy creating! 🌸🖋️

#thepostmansknock #tpk #mailart #mailartideas #envelopeart #snailmailrevival #snailmailing #snailmailart #envelopecalligraphy #calligraphycommunity #calligraphypractice #pointedpencalligraphy #moderncalligraphy #sumiink #goldwatercolor #penandink #creativeprocess #creativemail #illustrationart #papercraft #stationerylove #artistsoninstagram #artreels #calligraphyreels #mailartreels
✍️ There’s a fresh addition to the TPK Catal ✍️ There’s a fresh addition to the TPK Catalog: The Graceful Ballerina Calligraphy Drill Worksheet 

This ballerina is unique among TPK calligraphy drills in that it’s really not that complicated. After a few simple loops, a flourished tutu, and long strokes to make the legs, you have, well, a ballerina! 🩰 The most difficult part is getting the outline right; but even that isn’t too bad because you’ve got a traceable outline included in your worksheet set.

The beauty of the flourished ballerina? She makes *anything* look elegant: cards, envelopes, gift tags, whatever. My recommendation is to feature her on your next envelope. She’ll add a “wow” factor and allow you to left-justify the address, which is always a relief (no need to bother with centering)!

To find her, visit the link in my bio, then navigate to the Blog!

#thepostmansknock #tpk #calligraphy #calligraphydrills #calligraphyworksheet #moderncalligraphy #pointedpen #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphypractice #flourishing #flourishedart #mailart #snailmail #envelopeart #envelopecalligraphy #handlettering #creativeprocess #artistsoninstagram #balletart #ballerinadrawing #ballerinaart #inkdrawing #calligraphycommunity #stationerylove #letterwritersalliance #penandink #calligraphyinspiration #learncalligraphy #artistlife #creativeplay
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