Easy Summer Painting Ideas: 8 Simple Watercolors to Try This Summer

The best summer paintings are the easy ones — a few loose shapes, a few bright colours, a lot of white paper left to breathe. No pressure, no fuss, just a happy little watercolour you can finish in one sitting. Here are 8 easy summer painting ideas to pick from, all simple enough for a complete beginner — and a step-by-step for the easiest one of all at the end.

1. A rolling ocean wave

One curling wave: a sweep of blue-green, a darker hollow underneath, and a flick of white foam off the top. That's the whole painting.

2. A summer sunset

A soft circle of sun low in the sky, warm pink and gold washes bleeding together, and one calm line for the sea. Let the colours run.

3. A slice of watermelon

A green rind, a red wedge, a scatter of little seeds — possibly the easiest painting there is. (Full step-by-step below.)

4. Lemons on a branch

Two yellow ovals and a couple of pointed green leaves. Leave a little white highlight on each lemon and they instantly look juicy.

5. A melting popsicle

Bright stripes of colour, a wooden stick, and one little drip running down. Pure summer, and impossible to get wrong.

6. A palm beach

A leaning palm, a strip of golden sand, and a band of turquoise sea. Three simple shapes and you're on holiday.

7. A single sunflower

A brown circle for the centre and a ring of cheerful yellow petals around it. Add a stem and two leaves — done.

8. A little sailboat

A triangle sail, a small hull, and a few wavy lines of blue water with a reflection. The calmest little scene.

Step-by-step: paint the easy watermelon

The watermelon is the perfect first painting — here's exactly how it builds up.

1. Draw the wedge. A half-circle of red with a thin green rind curving around the bottom. Dot a few seeds.
2. Wash the rind green and the red pale. Lightest layer first — a soft pink-red for the flesh, a fresh green for the rind. Let it dry.
3. Deepen the red. A second, richer red wash in the middle, leaving the edges lighter — that's what gives it juice.
4. Drop the seeds. Little dark almond shapes scattered near the top edge. Not too even.
5. Ink a few lines. A thin pen line along the rind and around the slice, and stop. Easy.

That's the whole trick to easy summer paintings — pick a simple shape, keep the colours bright and the paper mostly white, and stop early. Which of these will you paint first? Tell me below — and if you want a full scene, try the loose-watercolour Amalfi Coast or Lake Como next.