The 30 Day Watercolour Challenge | Free Painting Prompts for Beginners

Have you been wanting to paint more but just can’t seem to find the motivation to sit down and actually do it? Same. That’s exactly why I created the 30 day watercolour challenge! It’s a free daily painting prompt challenge designed to get you picking up your brush every single day for 30 days. Whether you’re a total beginner or just someone who needs a little creative kick in the pants this watercolour challenge for beginners is for you! No pressure, no perfection required – just paint, have fun, and see what happens!

What Is The 30 Day Watercolour Challenge?

The 30 day watercolour challenge is a daily watercolour practice challenge made up of 30 one-word prompts. I designed each prompt to be open-ended so you can interpret it however you like – go as simple or as detailed as you want. There is literally no wrong way to do it! The whole point is to make daily watercolour practice feel achievable and fun rather than intimidating.

This challenge originally started as a way to build community on Instagram, and honestly the response blew me away. People from all over jumped in, started sharing their paintings, and began cheering each other on. It turned into everything I hoped for and more! Now it lives here as a free evergreen resource so anyone can pick it up and start whenever they feel ready. Today, tomorrow, six months from now, it doesn’t matter. The prompts will always be here waiting for you!

Why A Daily Watercolour Practice Is Worth It

Here’s the thing about watercolours: the more you paint, the better you get. That sounds obvious, but it’s actually really hard to make yourself paint consistently without some kind of structure. That’s where daily watercolour practice comes in. Even if you only spend 10-15 minutes on each prompt, that’s enough. Painting every day for 30 days will genuinely transform how comfortable you feel with the medium.

You’ll start to understand how the paint moves, how much water to use, and how to get the effects you’re going for. Watching tutorials alone won’t get you this kind of progress – you have to actually paint!

The 30 Day Watercolour Challenge Prompts

Here are your 30 watercolour painting prompts! Remember: each one is just a starting point. Interpret them however feels right to you!

Not sure what some of the technique prompts mean? Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Wash — cover your paper in watercolour using a large brush and long vertical strokes.
• Masking — use tape or masking fluid to cover areas of your paper, paint over them, then peel back to reveal the white underneath.
• Alcohol — do a wet wash and then drop rubbing alcohol onto the wet paint. It pushes the pigment away and creates the most beautiful organic patterns!
• Salt — sprinkle salt onto wet watercolour paint for a similar effect to alcohol but with a finer, more crystalline texture.
• Drips — wet your paper with clean water first, then drip watercolour paint on top and let it run. So satisfying!
• Layers — let a layer of paint dry completely, then paint on top of it. This is how you build depth and richness in a watercolour painting.

Once you’ve got those techniques under your belt, you’ll be amazed at how much more confident you feel with watercolours!

How To Use These Watercolour Painting Prompts

There are no strict rules for this watercolour challenge for beginners, but here are a few suggestions to get the most out of it:

• Paint every day if you can. Even a tiny 10-minute painting counts! Consistency is everything with daily watercolour practice.
• Keep your paintings small. A small sketchbook or even index cards work great. Small means less pressure and faster results!
• Share your work. Post your paintings on Instagram and tag them with #foxandwatercolour so the community can cheer you on. Accountability makes such a difference!
• Don’t skip a prompt because it feels hard. The tricky ones are where the most growth happens. Give it a go even if it feels weird!

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES FOR THE WATERCOLOUR CHALLENGE FOR BEGINNERS

You don’t need fancy supplies to do this 30 day watercolour challenge. Honestly, whatever you have on hand will work! But if you’re just getting started and need some guidance, here are a few of my favourites:

• Sakura Koi Field Sketch Kit — this is what I personally use and love. It’s portable, affordable, and has a great colour range for beginners.
• Watercolour paper — please don’t skip this one! Regular printer paper will buckle and pill when it gets wet. Even an inexpensive watercolour pad makes a huge difference.
• Basic watercolour brushes — you don’t need a full set. A medium round brush and a large flat brush will get you through most of the prompts.

For a more detailed supply list, check out my post on 21 Watercolour Supplies Under $50 — it covers everything a beginner needs without breaking the bank! 

I really hope you’ll give this 30 day watercolour challenge a go. There is genuinely no better way to build confidence with watercolours than just painting every day and letting yourself be a beginner without apology. Grab your supplies, download the prompts, and jump in! And if you share your paintings on Instagram, tag me @foxandhazel – I want to see every single one. You’ve got this! If you want to see what I created for each prompt, just keep scrolling and see what inspired me.