Today, I’ll teach you how to make a beautifully loose tree illustration using watercolors and a straw. This is the perfect project when you’re in the mood for something creative, calming, and a little bit unpredictable!
I believe in “creativity cross-training”—meaning that it’s important to switch up your techniques and mediums to keep things fresh. Today’s tutorial is an excellent palette cleanser if you’ve been working on projects that require precision and control. Instead of crisp lines, we’ll lean into a delightfully unpredictable technique to create flowing, organic branches. From there, you’ll bring the piece to life with leaves and a few flitting bluebirds.
If you prefer to learn by watching, the video below will guide you through the entire process. If you like reading along with step-by-step photos (or just want a refresher after watching), keep scrolling for written instructions.
This project requires a super simple supply list:
Start by moistening the watercolor shades you’ll be using. Those include at least one shade of blue (for bluebirds), at least one shade of brown (for branches), and at least two shades of green (for leaves).
This is where the fun begins! Use your paintbrush to create a generous, watery blob of brown watercolor in the corner of your paper. You want it to be nice and juicy—extra water helps the next step.
Now, grab your straw and blow through it to move the paint from the blob across the page. The result will be organic-looking tendrils that will become your tree branches. Don’t worry if the paint doesn’t go exactly where you expect—that’s part of the charm.
Once you’ve made an initial branch shape, use your paintbrush to dot along the lines where you blew the paint.
Then, blow through your straw again to spread out any added dots.
Repeat this process until you’re happy with the shape and coverage of your branches.
Dip your small paintbrush into one of the green tones, then start adding little oval-shaped leaves to branches. The only “rule” here is to make sure the leaves are touching a branch.
Continue to paint leaves until all of your branches are full. Be sure to leave a couple of blank areas where bluebirds can sit.
After you’ve painted the leaves and branches, consider adding bluebirds to your piece! This step is optional, but it adds some interest and movement. Begin by drawing a circle just above a blank piece of branch.
Then, add a tail that starts as a rectangle and tapers into a triangle.
Finish up by painting a small Pac-Man-shaped head (i.e. leave a space for the beak).
While you wait for the paint on the sitting bluebirds to dry, try painting a couple of soaring bluebirds. To do that, start by making that same circular body.
Then, paint a tiny head.
Draw two jagged triangular shapes for wings.
And finish up by adding a tapered rectangle for a tail.
Then, draw several more soaring bluebirds in different sizes.
Once your blue watercolor has dried, go ahead and add tiny dots of yellow for the beaks.
From here, you can call your piece complete—or take it a step further. You can write a greeting at the bottom, for example, or sneak in some gold watercolor spatters. I used watercolor calligraphy to write “gracias” at the lower right of my artwork to transform it into a card.
This project is meditative and forgiving; and I love that it’s perfect for any age group. My six-year-old happened to walk by when I was reviewing the tutorial video, and he immediately fetched supplies to follow along. My hope is that you feel that same pull. The results will be different every time, and you can tweak them to your liking.
The nice thing about this technique is its flexibility; you can use it to make just about anything. It’s perfect for a sketchbook spread, a bookmark, a gift tag, or even envelope art. It’s the kind of technique you can come back to whenever you want to make something quick, pretty, and imperfect. I hope that you enjoy experimenting with it as much as I do!
Warmly,
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