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  • Welcome to TPK! This is your second 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 author

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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Previous post: Rediscovering Hand-Lettering: Why TPK’s Original Hand-Lettering Worksheet Set is Awesome
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89 responses

  1. Madalyn Shatzer Avatar
    Madalyn Shatzer
    May 2, 2020

    I recently used your wreath design when making a sympathy card for a friend. I love all of your patterns!

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  2. null Avatar
    null
    May 2, 2020

    I recently used your wreath pattern to make a sympathy card for a friend, and it turned out quite well! I love your wreath designs!

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  3. Stephanie H. Avatar
    Stephanie H.
    March 2, 2020

    Beautiful! Thank you for making something so intricate within reach for those of us who are not as gifted creatively!

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  4. Nicoleta Onel Avatar
    Nicoleta Onel
    May 27, 2019

    So beautiful! This is the next tutorial that I’ll try!

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  5. Samantha in CA Avatar
    Samantha in CA
    May 25, 2019

    This is beautiful!

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A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson A couple of days ago, I posted a clip from Lesson 1 of the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (seriously, join us — enrollment is a *steal* at $5/month, and you get complimentary tutorials [that happen to complement the course] — link in bio)! People seemed to like the story in that clip, so here’s another fun story from the same lesson. Sorry, I can’t confirm who the client was! That was a project with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). 🤐 Still: a very fun, very cool experience ... I’m grateful that calligraphy has given me cool adventures and connected me to such an amazing community. ✍️

#calligraphystory #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #beginnercalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphy
Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraph Lesson 1 of TPK’s Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course doesn’t actually start with the pointed pen! ✍️ Instead, we ease into it with faux calligraphy and then pencil calligraphy. Here’s a little preview of what the pencil calligraphy lesson looks like. ✏️

If you’ve been wanting to learn calligraphy, join us in this course. It is an absolute *steal* because it’s included with your TPK Premium membership ($5/month - cancel anytime). Once the course concludes in January, you can choose to purchase lifetime access to the videos; or just continue on with us to the next course. For more information, visit the link in my bio!

#learncalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pencilcalligraphy #blackwingpencil #pencilart #letteringart #handlettering #modernlettering #artisticletters #artisticlettering
I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Mode I’m editing videos for the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course (🎉 JOIN US! link in profile for enrollment info!!) — and wanted to share this story from Lesson 1. In that lesson, we’ll chat about how to develop your motivation (this story is part of me sharing mine); and we’ll ease into our pointed pen experience with faux calligraphy and pencil calligraphy. Step by step, you’ll develop skills that will serve you for a lifetime ... and surprise and delight those around you, just like my “rent check envelopes” did! ✉️

#mailart #moderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #storytime #calligraphy #snailmail #snailmailrevolution
Some recipes aren’t just instructions — they’re memories on a page. 💛 I spent some time illustrating one of my favorites, and it turned into the sweetest (literally) keepsake. Calligraphy, watercolor, and a little patience bring the story of a dish to life.

If you’d like to try illustrating your favorite recipe, too, I shared the full process (with helpful printables) on the TPK Blog — link in bio. ✨

#illustratedrecipe #calligraphyart #watercolorillustration #creativeproject #keepsakeart #slowcreativity #handletteringlove #moderncalligraphy #calligraphyinspiration #watercolorart
As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recip As much as cooking is an art, illustrating a recipe takes it one step further. ✨ In TPK’s latest tutorial (link in bio), I’ll show you how to create an illustrated chocolate lava cake recipe using watercolor. You’ll find helpful PDFs and step-by-step instructions so you can follow along — or use the layout to bring one of your own favorite dishes to life.

Frame it as keepsake art, or give it as a thoughtful handmade gift this holiday season. 🎁

#illustratedrecipe #watercolorart #calligraphycommunity #foodillustration #arttutorial #watercolortutorial #creativeprojects #handmadegifts #keepsakeart #thepostmansknock
✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesso ✨ One of the most beloved assignments from Lesson 5 of Hand Lettering 101 was this playful project: design an artistic alphabet where no two letters look the same.

The idea? JUST PLAY. 🎨 I used watercolor and a paintbrush, but many students grabbed markers, pens, or anything colorful on hand. The results were incredible — @adriennelovesletters gave it her own flair, Isabel C. made it three times, and Laura M. created a stunning version too. (You can peek at more inside the TPK Premium Discord!)

If you’re ready to try this project yourself, you’ll find the Hand Lettering 101 eCourse waiting in the TPK Catalog. Just head to the link in my bio to be taken to the TPK website. 💌

#handlettering #watercolorlettering #moderncalligraphy #letteringpractice #creativeplay #calligraphycommunity #artinspiration #calligraphyart #watercolorart #letterlove #tpkpremium #handlettering101
Had the best time writing the latest tutorial on t Had the best time writing the latest tutorial on the TPK Blog — “Drawing Lesson: Elegant Swallows” (🔗 link in bio). If you’ve never drawn birds before, swallows are an excellent place to start. Their shapes are simple once you break them down! ✍️ 

In the tutorial, you’ll find:

🪶 Step-by-step visual instructions for drawing swallows in four different movements
🪶 The “Hand-Drawn Swallows Cheat Sheet” PDF
🪶 A detailed tutorial for making the mail art shown here

On another note, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to TPK Premium and Premium Plus members ... your support allows me to write cool detailed tutorials like this one. 🙏 You all are amazing, and I’m so proud of our community.

#mailart #snailmail #illustration #illustrationtutorial #drawingtutorial #drawinginstructions #birdart #swallowsart #calligraphy #moderncalligraphy #pointedpen
In June, I kicked off the Hand Lettering 101 eCour In June, I kicked off the Hand Lettering 101 eCourse with TPK Premium members, and wow — it’s been such a joy to watch the transformation.

Over six lessons, students went from that “where do I even start?” feeling to confidently creating their own alphabets, playing with flourishes, and putting together gorgeous compositions. I loved seeing those little lightbulb moments along the way.

Here’s the great news — you can still take the course.
When you sign up, you’ll get instant access to:
📚 All six lessons (9+ hours of video demonstrations + printable PDFs)
🖌 Fun, approachable projects that build your skills without feeling overwhelming
🎯 A “before and after” assignment that’s always such a satisfying reveal

If you’ve been wanting a gentle, step-by-step way to get started with hand lettering, this is it. You can DM me for the link, or search Hand Lettering 101 on the TPK site (link in profile).

#handlettering101 #handlettering #moderncalligraphy #letteringlove #calligraphycommunity #learntoletter #creativelettering #letteringcourse #onlineartclass #artpractice
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