If you’re looking for a fun and creative art project, making a heart flower painting is a fantastic choice! This tutorial walks you through how to paint a heart‑shaped arrangement of flowers step‑by‑step, using vibrant colors. Whether it’s for your sketchbook or to hang as wall art, you’ll end up with a beautiful piece. Let’s get started!
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Supplies You’ll Need
- Mixed media sketchbook (I used a 9″ × 9″ size) Bee Paper Mixed Media Sketchbook
- High‑pigment inks or liquid watercolors (white and black inks work slightly differently)
- Paint brushes (including a fine size for details)
- Palette for mixing colors
- Ink dropper (especially if using fluid inks)
- Water for diluting colors and cleaning brushes
Heart Flower Painting step by step:
1. Lightly sketch out a heart shape
Start by drawing a light heart on your page. Then mix white + magenta and mark out the centers of your flowers.
2. Paint different flowers
Vary flower shapes and sizes—some large, some small. Mix red, magenta, and white to create a range of tints for each flower. I share more tips in my Watercolor Flower tutorial
3. Add the leaves
Use green to add outlines of leaves first. Then fill in smaller leaves, changing directions and sizes for visual interest.
4. Add more smaller flowers and leaves
Begin filling in the heart shape by adding smaller flowers, partial blooms, and leaves around the edges and in gaps.
5. Fill all the white space to define the heart shape
Go over the background area of the heart with smaller green patterns (lines, dots, tiny shapes) to make the heart stand out.
6. Add darker finishing details
Mix magenta + green to create a deeper shade. Use a smaller brush (size 00 or 1 round) to add outlines and fine details on leaves and petals. Then use some white ink to highlight. These finishing touches bring contrast and depth.
heart flower painting video:
Pull out your sketchbook and paints and come paint with me! Watch my latest YouTube tutorial – Heart Flower Painting Tutorial using Bombay inks. Click the video box below or head here to watch it on YouTube!
Notes:
For this page, I used Bombay India Inks, but any liquid watercolor like these Brea Reese Watercolor Inks or even vibrant Gansai Tambi Watercolors would work!
- Inks behave like liquid watercolors—white and black are more opaque.
- Use a dropper for the ink to avoid contaminating bottles.
- These inks are highly pigmented: a little goes a long way.
- Dilute the inks with water on your palette to create lighter shades.
- If you prefer, swap the green background for black or another contrasting color for a different look.
- Let the first layer dry before adding outlines to prevent bleeding. Read my tips for What Pen To Use With Watercolor For Best Results
heart flower painting Conclusion
I love sharing easy flower painting ideas, and today’s heart flower painting tutorial shows you how to paint flowers into a heart shape. I love how a few simple shapes and colors can come together into something cheerful and personal. Find more Valentine craft ideas like Free Printable Valentine Cards and Printable Heart Coloring Pages to celebrate February!
