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Today, we’re making beautiful succulent-themed letter art that’s as calming to create as it is to admire! In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to draw greenery, blend watercolors, and create a piece that’s both relaxing to make and perfect for gifting.
This letter art is one of those project ideas to keep in your back pocket for a day when you feel overwhelmed. It’s tough to stay stressed when you’re drawing succulents, making vibrant ink outlines, and blending watercolors. If you create it as a gift, like I did, the anticipation of giving adds a little extra warmth to the process. Don’t forget to put on your favorite music, audiobook, or podcast to help you settle into a creative flow and make the process even more enjoyable!
You’ll need the supplies listed below to create this project. Don’t forget that you can make substitutions and modifications to suit what you have on hand!
A quick note about watercolors: When I went to link to the Greenleaf & Blueberry watercolors that I used to create this artwork, I noticed that they are all out of stock. G&B watercolors are stunning, but they’re notoriously elusive. Please feel free to use whatever watercolors you have at home! The beauty of watercolors is you can blend them to create your own custom tones. (And if the thought of blending intimidates you, consider taking the Ultimate Beginner’s Watercolor Online Course.)
Open a program like Google Docs and type the letter you’d like to create using the Baskerville font or a similar serif font. Make the letter large enough to fill your watercolor paper nicely. Then, choose one of two methods to trace it: (1) place your watercolor paper over your computer screen and trace the glowing letter, or (2) print the letter and trace it onto your watercolor paper with a light box, like I did.
Tracing isn’t required—feel free to sketch the letter freehand if that’s more your style. The goal is simple: a crisp, serif letter, perfectly centered on your watercolor paper.
Now, it’s time to embellish your letter. Begin by identifying the thickest stroke in the letter, and draw a succulent over that stroke.
Next, draw a smaller succulent at one of the letter’s tips.
Then, draw a simple bud at the opposite end (or on the other side) of the letter.
Next, draw rosemary along the thin strokes in the letter.
Finish up with some simple stems and leaves to add interest to the rest of the letter.
Keep in mind that your pencil sketch won’t look exactly like mine. Get creative with how you place your succulents and greenery to suit your letter. Aim to cover about 80% of the letter with greenery—the remaining space will be filled with black ink for that bold green-and-black contrast.
Now, use your Nikko G nib and waterproof ink to trace over the letter outline and around the plant outlines within the letter. (Don’t trace over any greenery that extends outside of the letter!) It’s really important to use waterproof ink for this step. The ink will be exposed to a lot of watercolor soon, and we don’t want the ink to bleed!
Continue tracing until all the elements inside the letter are outlined.
Now, use your size two paintbrush and your dip pen to fill in the freshly-inked outlines with more black ink.
Once you finish, your letter should look crisp, vivid, and recognizable from afar.
Now, completely erase leftover letter outlines inside the succulents. It’s also a good idea to lightly erase over the succulent and greenery sketches to reduce pencil visibility under the watercolor.
At this point, it’s not a bad idea to pull up a reference photo of succulents (like this one) to inform your color choices. Then, use a size two paintbrush to fill in your large succulent—or large succulents, if you drew more than one—with light green watercolor.
Wait for the watercolor to dry, then use your size 00 paintbrush and a darker green watercolor to make a pointy edge inside one leaf. Swish off your paintbrush with clean water, then use that same water to draw out the dark green color to cover more of the leaf. Be sure to work on one leaf at a time because you don’t want your dark green to dry before you have a chance to blend it in.
If what I just wrote doesn’t make sense, check out this ~30 second demonstration video:
Now, accentuate the edges of each leaf with an earthy pink tone (like Pink Pipestone). If you don’t have an earthy pink, you can blend one by combining red, brown, and maybe a touch of yellow for warmth.
Finish up by adding touches of a watered-down deep blue to the inside of leaves to give the succulent some dimension.
Before we go further, remember that you’ll get the best results from watercolor if you paint slowly and deliberately. Blending four colors won’t make for a quick project, but it will make a beautiful one that will be joyfully displayed for years to come. So, take your time, enjoy the flow, and if you need to pause, your project will be right here when you return.
Now, focus on the other succulents in the piece. First, fill in the medium-sized succulent with the same colors that you used for the larger succulent. Do the same with the succulent bud.
Then, paint over your stems and leaves with the light green paint. Once that paint dries, use the darker green tone and blue to add dimension to the leaves. Then, go over the stem with that earthy, almost-brown pink.
Finish by painting the rosemary. While it might be tempting to just use the light green paint and call the rosemary good to go, adding a second color will give it more depth. Try dabbing dark blue on the tips of each leaf, then use a water-loaded brush to gently blend the color downward.
Once you’re finished with that rosemary, prop the letter art up on a ledge and take a few steps back. As you’re observing the piece from afar, ask yourself if any aspect of it needs a little more work. Do the succulents need more dark blue for contrast? Could the artwork benefit from more of the earthy pink? If anything feels “off” to you, play with it a little more.
If, however, you feel good about how the artwork looks, give yourself a pat on the back! This is a beautiful project, but it’s not a simple one—and the fact that you did it is a cause for celebration. As you drew over those intricate outlines, you practiced precision. When you blended watercolors, you worked on your painting skills and your artistic judgment. Most importantly, the whole experience of creating the project gave you time to slow down, focus, and connect with your creativity. Remember: art isn’t just about the final piece, but the journey it takes to get there.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s Premium project! If you have any questions as you’re making this letter artwork yourself, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to help! Thanks so much for supporting TPK, and happy creating!
Warmly,
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