✨ Pastel Watercolor Stains for a Print ✨
(Step-by-step guide for hand-drawing)
Today I’ll show you how I create watercolor stains — soft, semi-transparent spots with uneven edges that make the background look light and “airy.”
🔹 Step 1. Background
I start with a white or light beige background. On a light base, watercolor stains look more natural and delicate.
🔹 Step 2. Choosing Colors
I pick 3 shades that go well together:
base light — soft blue #76C9FF,
accent bright — pink #FB4BAD,
optional additional — light yellow.
💡 Tip: it’s best to use pastel and “watery” shades — they create a real watercolor effect.
🔹 Step 3. Brush Settings
Brush: soft round.
Opacity: 25–35%.
Hardness: 0% (fully soft).
🔹 Step 4. Painting the Stains
1. With the light color, I softly paint a few spots of different sizes. Let them slightly overlap each other.
2. Switching to the accent pink, I add several semi-transparent spots on top of the first ones.
3. Where the colors overlap, you get that “blurred watercolor transition” effect.
🔹 Step 5. Refining the Edges
I take a smaller brush.
With the same color, I softly trace the edges of the spots to give them more depth.
I also add extra smoky, transparent stains here and there (opacity 15–20%).
✨ Result
You’ll get a light background with uneven watercolor stains — semi-transparent, delicate, and alive. Perfect for prints and artistic effects in Studio.
