STEP BY STEP WATERCOLOUR Weekly

STEPHANIE FEHRENBACH
STEP BY STEP
WATERCOLOUR
WATERCOLOUR BASICS
1 WEEK CHALLENGE
Stephanie Fehrenbach
© 2017 by Stephanie Fehrenbach | These worksheets are for personal use only. Please do not replicate.
www.stephaniefehrenbach.ca | studio@stephaniefehrenbach.ca
VIDEO LINK
Please visit the link below to download the video tutorial for each day of the challenge.
7 Day Free Challenge
https://vimeo.com/235449511/1be19505a3
MONDAY: COLOUR MIXING
Today we’re going to focus on colour and how to mix your own unique hues. Pre-mixed, dried palettes
may seem inviting and easier to use since it takes the guesswork out of making your own colours, but it
can also be really limiting! I find having a smaller set of liquid paints gives me the freedom to mix
different quantities of each to make an endless amount of colours.
Having a basic understanding of colour theory will help you visualize how your colours are going to
come together once you start mixing. It may take a little time before it becomes automatic, but before
you know it you'll naturally be grabbing the colours you need to create that perfect hue.
Colour Wheel
© 2017 by Stephanie Fehrenbach | These worksheets are for personal use only. Please do not replicate .
PRIMARY COLOURS
In traditional colour theory, primary colours are the 3 pigment colours that cannot be mixed or
formed by any combination of other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues
SECONDARY COLOURS
These are the colours formed by mixing the primary colours.
Yellow + Red = Orange Yellow + Blue = Green Red + Blue = Purple
TERTIARY COLOURS
These are the colours formed by mixing a primary with a secondary colour. That’s why the hue is a
two-word name such as blue-green etc.
yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green, yellow-green
COMPLIMENTARY COLOURS
These are any two colours that are opposite one another on the colour wheel. Pairing these two
colours provides maximum contrast and can be pleasing to the eye.
COOL COLOURS WARM COLOURS
LESSON 1
MAKE A COLOUR CHART
Laying out all the colours in your palette and mixing them together in a colour chart is a really great
tool for understanding how many different kinds of combinations you'll have to choose from when
you're looking for a certain hue.
To make your chart, begin by making a grid just like the example below. Paint a swatch of each palette
colour along the top squares and the left-hand side of your grid. Next, fill in the remaining squares of
the grid by mixing the corresponding colours.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 FULL PALETTE OF PAINT COLOURS
 BRUSH SIZE 6
 PALLETTE, WATER CONTAINERS & PAPER TOWEL
Lemon Yellow
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red Deep
Permanent Rose
Mauve
Dioxazine Violet
Cobalt Blue
Phthalo Blue
Phthalo Green
COLOUR CHART
TEMPLATE
Lemon Cadmium Cadmium Permanent Mauve Dioxazine Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo

Yellow Orange Red Rose Violet Blue Blue Green
Deep
Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon
Lemon Yellow Lemon
Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow
Yellow + Yellow
+ + + + + + +
Permanent +
Lemon Cadmium Cadmium Dioxazine Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo
Rose Mauve
Yellow Orange Red Deep Violet Blue Blue Green
Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium
Cadmium
Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange
Orange Orange
+ + + + + + + +
+
Lemon Cadmium Cadmium Permanent Dioxazine Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo
Mauve
Yellow Orange Red Deep Rose Violet Blue Blue Green
Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Red Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium
Cadmium
Red Deep Red Deep Red Deep Deep Red Deep Red Deep Red Deep Red Deep
Red Deep Red Deep
+ + + + + + + +
+
Mauve
Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent
Permanent
Rose Rose Rose Rose Rose Rose Rose Rose
Rose Rose
+ + + + + + + +
+
Mauve
Mauve Mauve Mauve Mauve Mauve
Mauve
Mauve Mauve Mauve Mauve
+ + + + + + + +
+
Mauve
Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine Dioxazine
Dioxazine
Violet Violet Violet Violet Violet Violet Violet Violet
Violet Violet
+ + + + + + + +
+
Mauve
Cobalt Cobalt Cobalt Cobalt Cobalt Cobalt
Cobalt Blue Cobalt Blue Cobalt Blue Cobalt Blue
Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue
Blue + + + +
+ + + + +
Cadmium Cadmium Permanent Dioxazine
Lemon Mauve Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo
Orange Red Deep Rose Violet
Yellow Blue Blue Green
Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo
Phthalo Blue Phthalo
Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue
Blue + Blue
+ + + + + + +
Permanent +
Lemon Cadmium Cadmium Dioxazine Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo
Rose Mauve
Yellow Orange Red Deep Violet Blue Blue Green
Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo Phthalo
Phthalo
Green Green Green Green Green Green Green Green
Green Green
+ + + + + + + +
+
Mauve
LESSON 2
COLOUR VALUE
Value refers to the visible lightness or darkness of a colour. When painting with watercolour we don’t
need to use white paint to lighten a colour, we simply need to add more water to the pigment. This
practice will demonstrate how little paint you really need to create pretty pastel tones.
Try this with your other palette colours and see how different the colour appears once it’s diluted.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE PAINT
 BRUSH SIZE 6 OR 12
1. Begin by wetting your brush slightly in your water and dip it into your pink paint.
2. Apply a swatch to your paper to make the darkest tone. This is how the paint
appears straight out of the tube.
3. Wash off your brush a little bit to remove excess paint. Mix a small amount of
water into the pink paint on your palette and apply another swatch on your
paper.
4. Continue gradually mixing more water into your paint and add more swatches
to your paper until you find the lightest hue.
LESSON 3
BLACK & WHITE
I don’t often use a lot black in my paintings, but sometimes I need that rich, deep colour to add contrast
and really let the other colours stand out. I prefer to create almost-black colours rather than pure black
straight out the tube. I find these shades are softer and compliment the other colours in my painting.
Phthalo Blue + Dioxazine Violet + Phthalo Green + Cobalt Blue

+ Mauve + Cadmium Orange
Phthalo Blue + Dioxazine Violet + Phthalo Green + Cobalt Blue + Mauve + Lemon Yellow
Phthalo Blue + Dioxazine Violet + Phthalo Green + Cobalt Blue + Mauve
I don’t use white paint.

Instead, I use the whiteness of the paper and varying shades of grey to create white flowers. I find that this
maintains the lovely, translucent quality that makes watercolour painting so beautiful. Make sure you really
dilute your mixtures with LOTS of water to get those super soft, pastel tones.
Grey Mixture + More Cobalt Blue
Grey Mixture + More Lemon Yellow
Grey Mixture + More Permanent Rose
TUESDAY: LAYERING
LESSON 1
LAYERING WET INTO WET
“TAPPING TECHNIQUE”
This technique demonstrates how we can mix our colours directly on our paper.
Tapping one colour into another while the paint is still wet creates lovely gradients in
your paintings.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE + CADMIUM RED PAINT
Mix a puddle of pink paint diluted with water on your palette and
apply a swatch to your paper
Wash off your brush and dip it directly into your red paint. While
your pink swatch is still wet, gently tap the tip of your brush a
few times into the corner of your swatch. Watch as the colour
blends on its own to create a lovely gradient.
LESSON 2
LAYERING WET OVER DRY
This technique demonstrates the transparent quality of watercolour paint. Notice how you can
create even more colour variations by layering one colour over another.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE + COBALT BLUE + LEMON YELLOW PAINT
Mix a puddle of pink paint diluted with water on your

palette and paint a shape on your paper. Allow the paint
to dry fully.
Mix a puddle of blue paint diluted with water on your

palette and paint another shape, overlapping your pink
shape. Allow the paint to dry fully.
Mix a puddle of yellow paint diluted with water on

your palette and paint another shape, overlapping
your blue shape. Allow the paint to dry fully.
WEDNESDAY: COLOUR BLEED
This technique demonstrates how to blend two colours into one another while the paint is still wet.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 COBALT BLUE + MAUVE PAINT
Mix a puddle of blue paint diluted with water on your palette and
apply a swatch to your paper.
Wash off your brush and mix another puddle of mauve paint in
your palette using lots of water. Making sure your blue swatch is
still wet, begin spreading the mauve paint onto your paper.
Gently touch the edge of your blue swatch with the tip of your
brush so the colours will begin to merge into one another.
Continue spreading the mauve paint with your brush to

complete the square shape. Since the colours are still wet, they
will continue to merge and blend together on their own as the
paint dries.
THURSDAY: ABSTRACT COMPOSITION
We’re going to combine all the techniques we’ve learned so far by creating an abstract composition.
I kept my palette in mostly cool colours to make the piece more harmonious, but feel free to experiment
with whatever combinations you like!
SUPPLIES
 ARCHES PAPER
 BRUSH SIZE 6, 12, 20
Begin by creating a few abstract shapes in the centre of your page,
connecting them together with colour bleeds. Try to vary the
angles and sizes of your shapes to add variety and interest to your
piece.
Continue adding shapes to fill out the page. Once some of your
first shapes have dried, experiment with layering more shapes on
top. Try to keep the top layers lighter by diluting your paint with
water so your shapes maintain their transparent look.
Continue layering and adding more shapes to your

composition until you’ve filled the page. Remember to vary the
shapes, sizes and colours.
FRIDAY: LEAF SHAPES
LESSON 1
STEMS
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 YOUR CHOICE OF GREEN
 BRUSH SIZE 0, 12
It may look simple, but creating natural looking stems can be a little tricky to get the
hang of. I find moving my brush in a quick, curved motion creates the most delicate
looking stems. If you paint them too slowly the line can look too thick and crooked.
You can create your stems by using your size 0 detail brush, or the pointed tip of one of
your larger brushes, such as the size 12. Experiment with both and see what feels best
for you.
To create a stem, mix your choice of green shade in your palette. Dip your brush into the
paint and working from the bottom up, gently paint a thin, curved line to create the
stem shape.
LESSON 2
2-PART LEAF SHAPE
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
Mix your choice of green and dip your brush into the paint.
Working from the bottom up, gently paint the thin, curved line
for the stem.
Load your size 12 brush with the green paint and gently touch
the tip of your brush to the top of your stem. Press your brush
down onto the paper while moving it upwards to create the
widest part of the leaf shape, then lift your brush up again as
you come to the top of the leaf shape. This creates the curved
shape for one side of your leaf.
Repeat the step above for the opposite side of your leaf,
making sure to leave a little line of white space in the centre.
LESSON 3
ADDING MORE LEAVES
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
Create your leaf using the 2-part method.
Dip your brush into the green paint and create another curved
line for a stem underneath your first leaf. Using your size 12
brush, attach another leaf to your stem.
Repeat the process above by continuing to add stems and

leaves. Try to curve your shapes in different directions so your
painting has movement and looks more natural.
LESSON 4
DIFFERENT SIZES
Experiment with another variation by creating small leaves. For this version, I used only the
smallest, size 0 detail brush.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 BRUSH SIZE 0
Begin by creating the delicate line for your stem using your detail
brush. Try to make the stem slightly longer than usual so you can fit
a number of smaller leaves on either side.
Create the leaf shape on one side of the stem using the two-part
technique. You can leave white space in the centre of your leaf or
join the 2 sides together as I’ve shown here.
Continue adding leaves on one side of the stem.
Complete your leaves by filling in the other side of the stem and
painting one leaf pointing straight upward at the top.
LESSON 5
MAKE A GREENERY COMPOSITION
SUPPLIES
 ARCHES PAPER
 BRUSH SIZE 0, 6, 12, 20
Begin by creating a few puddles of different green shades in your
palette. Load your size 20 brush with your choice of green and create
your largest leaves curving outwards from the centre of your page.
Continue by adding new leaves that curve outwards in different

directions. Make sure to vary your colours, sizes and shapes to add
interest to your composition. Use your larger brushes for larger
leaves and your smaller brushes for smaller leaves.
Complete your piece by filling in the blank areas with new leaves,
continuing to vary the sizes, colours and shapes.
SATURDAY: PEONY
LESSON 1
BASE COLOUR + SHAPES
Today we are going to learn how to create simple petal shapes that when painted together
form a peony flower. Don’t worry about shading or any little details for this first step. The goal
is to get used to creating & connecting the shapes, making sure the paint remains wet so the
colours blend evenly and the petals appear to join into one piece.
I like to use larger brushes, such as a 12 or 20, to create my blooms. Larger brushes help you
fill in the space faster and give your flowers that loose, painterly appearance.
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE PAINT
Begin by mixing a puddle of pink paint diluted with water in your

palette. Create the oval shape for the first petal. Use the pointed tip
of your brush to add the jagged edges to the top and bottom.
Connect a circular petal shape beside your first petal, allowing the
two shapes to touch so the wet paint will merge the seams together.
Use the pointed tip of your brush again to create the jagged edges at
the top and bottom of your petal. Don’t feel you have to fill in the
petal shapes completely. Adding flecks of white space give your
flower some dimension and detail so you can avoid the “flower
blob” look!
Paint a “D” shape for your third petal, connecting the side to your
circular petal.
Create the appearance of the centre petals of the flower using the
pointed tip of your brush. Swirl and curve your brush back and forth
along the top of your petals. Don’t make this look too perfect!
Working quickly and creating wispy lines gives the flower a more
natural appearance.
Complete the outer petals by painting curved shapes that surround

the top of your flower. Make sure to vary the sizes of these petals to
give your flower a more natural look.
LESSON 2
SHADING
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE + CADMIUM RED
Repeat the same process for creating your petals as we did

previously using the permanent rose paint. Once your three
petals are in place, dip your brush into the red paint and gently
tap the tip of your brush onto the bottom edges of your petals.
Make sure your bottom layer is still wet so that the colours will
merge seamlessly.
Return to your pink paint and use the tip of your brush to draw
the thin, curved lines for the centre of the flower. Add shading to
the centre by dipping your brush back into the red paint and
gently tap it into your lines.
Complete the flower shape by painting the curved outer petals

surrounding the centre.
LESSON 3
CENTRE DETAILS
Add some variety to your flowers simply by adding different colours to the centre.
Experiment with different hues and see what you like best!
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE + CADMIUM RED + CADMIUM ORANGE
 BRUSH SIZE 0, 12 OR 20
Repeat the same process for creating your flower as we did

previously using your pink paint and shading with your red paint.
Make sure to leave an area of white space in the centre of your
flower.
Dip your brush into the orange paint and use the tip to draw
thin, curvy lines for the centre of your flower. Overlap your lines
on top of your outer petals so the colours blend into one
another.
LESSON 4
ATTACHING GREENERY
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE, CADMIUM RED, PHTHALO GREEN
Repeat the same process for creating your flower as we did

previously. Wash off your brush and add some green paint to
your pink mixture on your palette to create a new green colour.
Touch the tip of your brush at the base of the pink petals and
pull downwards in a quick, curved motion to create the delicate
stem of your flower.
Load your largest brush with your green paint and create the leaf
shape using the same two-part method. Gently touch your leaf
to the outer petals of your flowers to create small colour bleeds.
Complete your flower by painting a smaller leaf on the other side

your stem.
LESSON 5
DIFFERENT ANGLES
Practice painting the peony from different angles so you can put the blooms together in
different compositions and bouquets. Feel free to move your paper around if that helps you
paint the different angles!
SUPPLIES
 PRACTICE PAPER
 PERMANENT ROSE, CADMIUM RED, LEMON YELLOW
Paint a pink peony that points to the left using your permanent
rose paint and cadmium orange for the centre details.
Try painting a second peony beside your pink bloom using only
the cadmium red paint. Make sure it’s diluted with lots of water
to create that pretty pastel tone.
Mix a peach colour with the permanent rose and lemon yellow
paint and create a third peony that is angled towards the top of
your page.
SUNDAY: BOUQUET
For our final lesson, we’re going to put together all the steps we’ve learned and create a bouquet!
Feel free to copy my example or experiment with your own colours and designs.
SUPPLIES
 ARCHES PAPER
Paint the three peonies as we did previously.
Make sure to paint your blooms in different
angles with white space in between and
surrounding the flowers so there is room for
greenery.
Mix a green colour using the phthalo green and

cadmium orange paint. Use the size 12 or 20
brush to paint the leaves below the pink peony
and beside the peach peony. Try to curve your
leaves to surround the flowers and fill in the
empty white spaces.
Mix a lime green colour using the phthalo green

and lemon yellow paint. Use the size 6 brush to
paint the leaves in between the flowers and to
fill in the remaining white spaces in the
composition.

STEP BY STEP WATERCOLOUR Weekly

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STEP BY STEP WATERCOLOUR Weekly

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STEPHANIE FEHRENBACH

7 Day Free Challenge

Yellow + Red = Orange Yellow + Blue = Green Red + Blue = Purple

yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green, yellow-green

COOL COLOURS WARM COLOURS

Cadmium Red Deep

Lemon Cadmium Cadmium Permanent Mauve Dioxazine Cobalt Phthalo Phthalo

Phthalo Blue + Dioxazine Violet + Phthalo Green + Cobalt Blue

Phthalo Blue + Dioxazine Violet + Phthalo Green + Cobalt Blue + Mauve

I don’t use white paint.

Grey Mixture + More Cobalt Blue

Grey Mixture + More Lemon Yellow

Grey Mixture + More Permanent Rose

Mix a puddle of pink paint diluted with water on your

Mix a puddle of blue paint diluted with water on your

Mix a puddle of yellow paint diluted with water on

Continue spreading the mauve paint with your brush to

Continue layering and adding more shapes to your

Create your leaf using the 2-part method.

Repeat the process above by continuing to add stems and

Continue adding leaves on one side of the stem.

Continue by adding new leaves that curve outwards in different

Begin by mixing a puddle of pink paint diluted with water in your

Complete the outer petals by painting curved shapes that surround

Repeat the same process for creating your petals as we did

Complete the flower shape by painting the curved outer petals

Repeat the same process for creating your flower as we did

Repeat the same process for creating your flower as we did

Complete your flower by painting a smaller leaf on the other side

Mix a green colour using the phthalo green and

Mix a lime green colour using the phthalo green

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