Watercolour negative stencilling art with vibrant leaf and floral designs on cards, watercolor palette, brushes, and stencilling tools on a white background.

Watercolour Negative Stencilling for Beginners

Looking for an easy watercolour project that creates beautiful results with very little drawing skill? Watercolour negative stencilling for beginners is a wonderfully relaxing technique that combines loose watercolour backgrounds with simple stencils to create striking bookmarks, Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), greetings cards and artwork.

One of the things I love most about this technique is that every project turns out differently. You can experiment with colours, stencil designs and layering to create completely unique pieces.

Whether you’re brand new to watercolours or looking for another technique to try, this is a brilliant project for beginners.

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Free watercolour negative instruction guide

Below you will find simple instructions. If you prefer to follow along at your own pace, you can also download the free printable PDF instructions below. The guide goes through step by step with full colour photos for each step to support the project.

Read on for top tips and recommendations.

What is watercolour negative stencilling?

Instead of painting the stencil shape itself, negative stencilling works by first creating a colourful watercolour background.

Once the paint has completely dried, a stencil is placed over the top and a slightly damp magic eraser sponge is used to gently lift some of the colour away. The remaining colour forms the design, producing a lovely soft effect that still looks very much like watercolour.

This project was inspired by watercolour artist Liz Chaderton. I would highly recommend watching her YouTube video here. Where Liz gives a wonderful tutorial in watercolour negative stencilling for beginners. Then use the printable instructions to help you navigate this project, slowly, yourself. You know I love my slow and gentle crafting.

The amount of colour you remove changes the final look, so every project becomes slightly different. You can get some beautiful layering effects. I’ve taken Liz’s tutorial a step further and suggested using pigment pens or acrylic pens to add details and/ or highlights to your watercolour creations.

What you’ll need

Essential

Watercolour paper (cold press) – I tested hot press and found that when I used the magic eraser sponge it began to fur up the paper (see the dandelion test below)
Watercolour palette – you can get a palette with brushes in this pack
Paint brushes
Low tack or masking tape
A stencil – there are so many of these to choose from and you can get some very reasonably priced packs
Magic eraser sponge (melamine sponge) – do follow any packaging guidance when using this product

Hobbycraft do lots of watercolour resources and often have deals on that are worth checking out.

View Hobbycraft watercolour supplies

Colourful watercolour negative stencil art featuring a dandelion with a rainbow gradient background, created for beginners' tutorial.

Optional

Spray bottle – this helps activate your palette. I use these mini ones as you can take them out and about due to their size. Note that you get 2 in a pack even though the image shows four. TOP TIP: if you find it difficult to press down spray bottles like the mini ones use a trigger spray bottle like these or just add a small drop of water to each colour you are going to use
Hair dryer or heat gun
Hole punch (if adding a tassel) – I have this one. There’s two reasons why I love this one. It’s much easier to get a more centralised hole with a single punch rather than a mutli-hole punch. Secondly, it’s worth paying that bit extra to get the comfort grip on the handles. I’ve found plain metal ones more tricky to use.
Tassels, this pack is such good value for money and you’ll have plenty for this project and others.
Corner punch (corner nibbler) – softer corners do look lovely. Mine gets heavy usage and is still going strong; I’ve had it 5 years
Pigment pens (these are superb and highly recommend them) or acrylic paint pens – metallics give a wonderful effect. This metallic sets is really good value with ready to go tips (note mine came in a flat box – not really a storage box)

TOP TIP: If like me, you suffer from fatigue and/or problems with your hands then I’d recommend purchasing acrylic pens that are already activated – ready to go. What do I mean? Pens that you don’t have to repeatedly shake and pump up and down to get the paint to come out. I LOVE POSCA pens (Amazon & Hobbycraft often have offers on periodically) but they require activating and sometimes I just don’t have the energy for that!

Colourful markers and pens in a pink fabric pouch with a sunflower and the word 'SHINE' for art projects and creative activities.

The other acrylic pens I’ve recommended on here are all ready to go options. Lots of acrylic pens come with dual ends where each nib is different (brush, bullet, fine, chisel etc.). If you’re happy with just brush this set has dual ends where there are two colours in one pen. Great if you’re looking to save space but want a good variety.

Before you begin

This project is very forgiving, so don’t worry if your first background isn’t perfect. It can very much be a process art, have a play and see how the colours, stencils, overlapping develops.

A couple of little tips that really help:

Use two pots of water – one for washing brushes and one for clean water. I just use jam jars for these
Don’t use too much water when painting or your paper will take much longer to dry. It should look slightly glistening rather than a frog could jump in!
VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure your painted background is completely dry before attempting to lift any colour.
If your hands aren’t steady or you can’t apply pressure then tape is your best friend.

Watercolour negative stencilling artwork featuring colourful floral and star patterns on paper, created using stencilling techniques for beginners.

Step-by-step instructions

Don’t forget you can download my step by step instruction guide that gives you full colour photographs for every stage.

Step 1: Prepare your paper

Cut your watercolour paper to the size you would like. I’ve currently fallen in love with this super cute guillotine. I think it might be my favourite craft supply right now. At the time of writing this post it is much cheaper to buy it from Hobbycraft than it is to purchase from Amazon.

For bookmarks, I usually divide an A4 sheet into four long strips. If you’re making Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), cut them to 3.5 × 2.5 inches.

Step 2: Tape your paper down

Secure each piece to a non-porous surface using masking tape or low tack tape. I have a glass work surface but you could use a cutting mat or a oil cloth table cloth.

Leaving a small border creates a lovely clean white edge when the tape is removed later. Don’t worry you can always straighten up later if your tape goes a little wonky!

Step 3: Prepare your paints

This project uses the wet-on-wet watercolour technique. This means that your paper is wet when you apply your watercolour and you activate your palette.

Lightly mist your paints with water (or add a few drops if you don’t have a spray bottle). Then brush a thin layer of clean water across your paper before adding colour. Don’t over water.

Step 4: Paint your background

Now for the fun part!

Add whatever colours you like, blending them together while the paper is still damp.

There’s no right or wrong here – bright rainbows, soft pastels or natural greens all work beautifully. Let your imagination flow.

Try not to flood the paper with water as this can make drying much slower.

Step 5: Let everything dry

Allow your background to dry naturally or speed things up with a hair dryer or heat gun.

CAUTION: If using heat, keep it moving constantly as it can become very hot.

Step 6: Position your stencil

Once the paint is completely dry, choose a stencil and carefully position it over your artwork.

Take your time deciding exactly where you’d like the design to sit. If necessary, secure it with a little more low tack tape.

Step 7: Prepare the magic sponge

Cut your magic eraser into several smaller pieces if you like. I cut these magic erasers into eight pieces for this project.

Dip just one corner into water before squeezing almost all of the moisture back out.

You want the sponge to feel barely damp rather than wet, otherwise you’ll simply add water back into the painting instead of lifting colour.

Colorful star-shaped stencils used for watercolour negative stencilling art project, featuring green, pink, purple, and blue stars on white background.

Step 8: Begin lifting the colour

Holding the stencil firmly in place, gently rub the sponge over the openings in the stencil. Even if you have taped down be careful with more delicate designs or ones where parts of the stencil inside could move around.

You’ll gradually see the paint begin to lift.

It doesn’t need to return to pure white – you simply want enough contrast for the design to appear.

Top Tip: Start on the lightest colours first, as these tend to lift more easily. You can also get transfer of darker colours onto your lighter areas. Consider changing magic sponge or washing and wringing out again.

Step 9: Continue across the stencil

Work slowly across the whole stencil, re-dampening the sponge only when necessary.

Remember to squeeze out as much water as possible each time.

When you’re happy with the result, carefully lift away the stencil.

Step 10: Experiment with different effects

The amount of paint you remove completely changes the finished look.

For example:

lifting more colour creates bright white shapes
lifting less colour leaves a beautiful coloured glow inside the design

Both effects look lovely, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Step 11: Try layering

One of my favourite techniques is layering stencils. You can see this in the leaf project. This was one leaf stencil that I moved and repeated the technique to get the finished effect.

Once one design is complete, simply place another stencil over the top and repeat the lifting process.

This builds interesting textures and depth, especially on bookmarks and larger pieces.

No two projects ever turn out quite the same.

Step 12: Remove the tape

If you’ve used masking tape, gently peel it away from the paper.

If it feels a little stuck, briefly warm it with a hair dryer/ heat gun first. This softens the adhesive and helps prevent tearing the paper.

Watercolour negative stencilling artwork featuring stars and a gradient of purple, pink, and blue hues, created for beginners' tutorial.

Step 13: Finish your project

At this stage your artwork is complete – but there are lots of ways to personalise it even further.

You could:

round the corners with a corner punch
punch a hole and add a tassel to bookmarks
use pigment pens or acrylic paint pens to add highlights or extra details

These are my top pick pigments pens that are good value for money:

Ideas for your finished designs

This technique works brilliantly for:

Bookmarks
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)
Handmade greetings cards
Gift tags
Journal pages
Framed artwork
Scrapbooking
Mixed media projects

Frequently Asked Questions

Can beginners do this project?

Absolutely. The beauty of negative stencilling is that there isn’t really a wrong way to paint the background, making it ideal for beginners.

Can I use children’s watercolour paints?

Yes. Any watercolour paints will work. Artist-quality paints may lift slightly differently, but children’s palettes can still produce lovely results. Different colours also lift differently – have a play.

What is a magic eraser?

A magic eraser is a melamine foam sponge. In this project it gently lifts dried watercolour pigment from the paper without damaging the surface when used carefully.

Can I use acrylic paint instead?

No. This technique relies on watercolour’s ability to be reactivated and lifted. Acrylic paint dries permanently and won’t give the same effect. You could use acrylic paints after you have finished the negative stencilling to add detail.

Final thoughts

Watercolour negative stencilling is one of those techniques that looks far more complicated than it really is. With just a simple watercolour background, a stencil and a magic eraser, you can create beautiful handmade bookmarks, cards and artwork that are completely unique.

The best part is experimenting. Try different colour combinations, layer several stencils together and see what effects you can create. Every piece becomes a little surprise!

Looking for more watercolour inspiration? Why not try these Summer bookmarks – a great craft for beginners and children alike.

As always, I would recommend adult supervision with activities and take care to ensure the items you are using are suitable for your child in both age and development. The views expressed are my own. If I have been sent a product for review then I will state this is the case; my review will be my honest opinion.