Learning path · 40 tutorials
Aquarell drawing learning path
Start with a canvas, brushes and layers. Practise leaves, flowers, still life and landscapes, then learn PNG, JPEG, PSD and native-project saving.
New to Aquarell? Begin with the basics, then choose a small drawing exercise. If you already have a piece, jump to export or troubleshooting.
The sizes, colours and settings in these exercises help you compare results; they are not the only correct choices. Keep a separate practice project and use each tutorial’s checks to review your result.
Canvas & brushes
Choose a canvas size, then explore brush size, opacity and spacing with simple marks.
Aquarell getting started: create a canvas, draw in layers and export PNG
Start with a simple drawing exercise to learn canvas settings, the role of each layer, brush adjustments and PNG or native-project export in Aquarell.
Aquarell canvas sizes: plan pixels and DPI for blog images
Use a banner, square illustration and small print to distinguish canvas pixels, display width and DPI, so the size fits the intended use before you finish drawing.
Aquarell brush basics: compare size and opacity in a nine-cell study
Compare brush size and opacity in a nine-cell exercise, distinguishing a single stroke, repeated colour buildup and layer opacity.
Aquarell brush spacing: continuous lines, dotted textures and borders
Keep brush size fixed and compare low, medium and high spacing, then use the results for dotted decoration and hand-drawn borders.
Layers & colour
Separate sketches, colour and details, and build a palette you can reuse.
Aquarell layers: separate sketch, colour and details
Build a three-layer workflow, understand layer order, the active layer and visibility, then use a simple plant illustration to check that edits stay independent.
Aquarell layer opacity: lighten sketches and adjust overlapping colour
Use sketches, shadows and highlights to understand what layer opacity affects, and distinguish brush transparency from compositing a whole layer.
Aquarell colour basics: build a five-colour illustration palette
Give colours roles as background, subject, shadow and accent, then select and save a palette in Aquarell to reduce arbitrary colour changes while drawing.
Aquarell colour sampling: keep touch-ups, shadows and details consistent
Sample from existing colour areas rather than repeatedly guessing, and check deviations caused by transparent overlaps and edge sampling.
Small drawing projects
Begin with leaves and flowers, then practise volume, landscapes and composition.
Draw a leaf in Aquarell: from outline to soft veins
Draw a simple leaf in three layers, practising shape, colour areas, one-sided shadow and a hierarchy of veins, then export your exercise.
Draw a five-petal flower in Aquarell: rhythm, warm and cool colour, and depth
Arrange five petals, then practise the main colour, shadows at their bases, the flower centre and empty space without replacing the overall shape with excessive fine lines.
Draw a cup in Aquarell: ellipses, volume and cast shadow
Build a cup from its rim, body and handle, then use one-sided shading, a bright edge and a table shadow to describe simple volume.
Draw a three-depth landscape in Aquarell: mountains, middle ground and silhouette
Use the tonal relationship of sky, distant mountains and foreground to practise depth. Separate layers, then check that the landscape stays readable on a small screen.
Aquarell illustrated cards: arrange a title, drawing and empty space
Plan the text area, illustration and margins of a portrait greeting card, using the text and font controls to make a readable small card.
Draw an icon family in Aquarell: consistent sizes, lines and colours
Use a leaf, cup and flower to establish shared canvas, visual-size and colour rules, so three separate drawings feel like one family.
Saving & further editing
Choose an export format, keep an editable original and try adjustments inside a selection.
Aquarell transparent PNG: check backgrounds and white edges
Check the background layer and actual pixels, export a transparent PNG, then inspect solid white areas, edges and the file format after sharing on light and dark backgrounds.
Aquarell blog-image export: compare JPEG quality and file size
Choose output dimensions for the real display width, compare JPEG and PNG edges and textures, and reduce damage from repeated compression.
Before exporting Aquarell PSD: raster layers, text and delivery notes
Organise the layers for delivery, compare the PSD with a preview, and explain raster layers, editable text and native projects to the recipient.
Save native Aquarell projects: keep drafts, finished work and shared images separate
Use clear filenames and three checks to retain editable Aquarell projects, rather than treating a finished PNG or PSD as the only original.
Troubleshoot blurry Aquarell exports: pixels, scaling, brushes and compression
Locate blur at the original, exported-file or published-page stage, distinguishing insufficient pixels, soft brushwork, JPEG compression and webpage enlargement.
Aquarell local colouring: limit brushwork with selections, then understand masks
Use a separate practice image to limit brush marks with a selection, check whether it is still active, and distinguish temporary regions, layer masks and direct erasing.
Marks, light & shade
Use hatching, stippling, negative space and hard or soft edges to study light and colour temperature.
Aquarell crosshatching: shade a sphere without a solid fill
Use the direction, spacing and overlap of single-colour lines to draw a sphere, practising reserved highlights, the light–shadow boundary and contact shadow.
Stipple a pear in Aquarell: describe volume with dot density
Build a pear’s outline, midtones and cast shadow from individual short marks, practising dot size, density and negative space.
Aquarell negative-space painting: reserve winter branches in the sky
Paint the sky between branches to practise negative space, branching rhythm, edge cleanup and unpainted areas in Aquarell.
Aquarell edge study: draw three stones with hard, soft and lost edges
Use three stones to practise clear, soft and disappearing edges, arranging overlaps, contact shadows and surface changes.
Aquarell warm–cool still life: an orange against blue cloth
Practise colour temperature, value, area ratios and reflected light with an orange and blue cloth, avoiding equally saturated complementary-colour blocks.
Light & materials
Paint a night window, rainy reflections, waves, clouds and fabric folds to build tonal depth.
Paint a night window in Aquarell: make a little warm light the focus
Use a night window to practise a large dark area, a small warm light, window-frame overlaps and reflected light on the wall.
Paint rainy-night reflections in Aquarell: vertical colour on wet pavement
Start from three lights and organise vertical reflections, horizontal breaks and near-to-far perspective on wet pavement without making the whole road a mirror.
Aquarell wave study: separate the crest, body and foam with value
Build a wave from dark sea, a lighter wave body and a little foam, practising movement, broken edges and control of white areas.
Aquarell cloud study: separate the lit and shaded planes of a white cloud
Draw a cumulus cloud with a broad outline and a few shaded areas, practising its top and base, hard and soft edges and open sky.
Aquarell fabric folds: organise shadows around the direction of tension
Draw cloth hanging from one point, first identifying tension, fold direction and planes, then placing shadows, bright bands and the hem.
Everyday subjects
Turn observations of breakfast, mushrooms, cats, moths and street corners into pictures.
Paint breakfast toast in Aquarell: distinguish bread, butter and jam
Practise three materials on one slice of toast, using colour, edges, pores and highlights to separate bread, butter and jam.
Paint woodland mushrooms in Aquarell: caps, gills and mossy ground
Use one large and one small mushroom to practise cap thickness, gill direction and woodland depth in a simple nature illustration.
Aquarell cat silhouettes: keep the pose with a few furry edges
Establish a seated cat with four main shapes for head, chest, haunches and tail, then control ears, negative space and a few furry edges without drawing every hair.
Paint a moth in Aquarell: balance wing patterns by hand
Draw a moth’s outline and wing patterns manually, using a centre axis, corresponding points and varied density to balance the sides without mirror drawing.
Aquarell rooftop sketch: use two sets of converging lines for a street corner
Draw three simplified corner buildings using a horizon, two convergence directions and roof thickness to establish space, then add a few windows.
Observation & storytelling
Practise a portrait, hands, clear glass and seed pods, then finish a four-panel story.
Aquarell monochrome portrait: place the features before shading
Practise the head shape, relative feature positions, three values and edges in a single-colour portrait, avoiding detailed eyes too early.
Aquarell hand sketch: break a pose into palm and finger joints
Divide a hand into palm, thumb and bent finger segments to practise length, overlap and negative space, then finish with a little shading.
Paint a glass bottle in Aquarell: suggest transparency with background and edges
Use the visible background, light and dark edges and a few highlights to distinguish a glass bottle’s rim, body, liquid level and table shadow.
Aquarell seed-pod study: show the seed arrangement in a cutaway
Draw an open seed pod, observing four types of shape: outer shell, inner wall, seeds and their attachment points.
Draw a four-panel story in Aquarell: keep one character’s actions coherent
Arrange four panels manually, using a consistent character, changing actions, gaze direction and empty space to tell a short story without dialogue.