Mini Watercolor Paintings: Paint Many Landscapes on One Journal Page
If you want to paint several landscapes but don't want to commit to a full painting for each one, try mini watercolor paintings. Fill one journal page with lots of small boxes and paint a different scene, or test a different idea, in each one.
Why This Matters
It's easy to see a lot of landscapes you'd like to paint, whether you're traveling or just looking around you, and not want to pick only one. Painting each as a full piece isn't always realistic. Mini paintings give you a way to keep going: divide one journal page into a whole bunch of small boxes and paint many scenes in one sitting.
With so many boxes to fill, you stop worrying about the content of each one. Instead, each little painting becomes a place to explore an idea you've been meaning to try. Painting many small pieces lets you experiment and play more than you would on one large painting, and it takes some of the pressure off, too.
Try This
- Draw lots of small boxes on one page of your watercolor journal.
- Paint a different scene in each box, such as the landscapes you see around you.
- Don't worry about what each little piece shows. Pick one idea you've been meaning to try and explore it in your mini paintings.
That idea could be a technique, like layering, or an effect, like sunlight coming through trees. Painting trees red instead of green to suggest backlight is one idea you could test. Each mini painting is a low-stakes place to try one idea.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you'd like to try trees in your mini paintings, you may find this related Quick Tip helpful. It covers how to create depth in trees, which you can practice on a small scale:
How to Create Depth in Trees with Watercolor
Ready to Experiment With Color in Your Paintings?
If you'd like to bring more color ideas into your mini paintings, my Free Color Mixing Workshop is a good place to keep building.
👉 Join the Free Color Mixing Workshop
If you're curious about my overall approach to teaching watercolor, you can find that on my about page.
