Oranges & Blossoms – A Mixed Media Watercolor Tutorial

In this beginner-friendly tutorial, we’re creating a cheerful, seasonal illustration featuring oranges, blossoms, and leafy stems — all drawn in fine liner and brought to life with watercolor and colored pencil. This is a mixed media project that’s perfect for practicing your brushwork and color mixing in a relaxed, creative way.

Whether you're using my curated watercolor set or your own supplies, this piece is a wonderful way to play with layering, contrast, and loose sketching.

Want the Sketch?

Download the full line drawing on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/posts/117870965

Keep Painting!

Explore my watercolor eCourses: https://bit.ly/2P6ARmS

Supplies Used

• Watercolor Set: https://amzn.to/3Vg1SHp

• Watercolor Set (Blick): https://bit.ly/41c26mO

• Perfect Sketchbook: https://etchrlab.com/products/tps-signature-series-2023-hot-press

• Colored Pencils: https://amzn.to/45dBhyi

• Brush Set: https://amzn.to/2WzSIKr

• Fine Liners: https://amzn.to/3RLNyVW

Extras:

• Mechanical Pencil + Eraser

• Two Glasses of Clean Water

• Extra Mixing Palette

• Paper Towels

Kumquat Branches

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Step 1: Sketch & Outline

Begin by loosely sketching three circular orange shapes. Add overlapping leaves and gently curved branches that wrap above, below, and behind the fruit.

• Keep your lines imperfect and expressive

• Add small, simple flowers (3–5 petals) for a botanical touch

• Use a waterproof fine liner with a larger nib (0.9 mm) to trace your drawing

Erase the pencil lines completely before painting.

Step 2: Mix and Paint the Leaves

This piece includes a rich variety of natural greens.

• Mix Olive Green with Raw Umber to tone it down

• Add a bit of Rose Madder Hue or Navy Blue for variation

• Paint the leaves with different intensities — some bold and opaque, others light and watery for background texture.

Use a round brush or filbert and keep your brushstrokes loose and flowing.

Step 3: Paint the Oranges

For a warm, vibrant orange:

• Mix Light Red, Raw Sienna, Yellow, and a touch of White

• Paint the oranges with a highlight in mind — leave the center or one side lighter

• Soften highlights using blending and lifting with a clean, slightly damp brush

• Add a second, deeper layer of color (Light Red + Burnt Sienna) around the perimeter while the base layer is still slightly damp

• Use Van Dyke Brown for the stems.

Step 4: Flowers and Shadows

Add simple brushstrokes to the center of the white flowers using a soft creamy gray (White + Payne’s Gray + Brown).

• Keep them subtle, or leave them blank — either option works

• Deepen the shadows with a dark green (Olive + Navy + Brown)

• Add small splotches beneath blossoms and oranges to suggest depth and dimension

Let everything dry completely before the final step.

Step 5: Final Linework & Colored Pencil

Return with your fine liner:

• Add dotted texture to the oranges

• Outline a few leaves for extra definition

• Add new leaves that remain unpainted for contrast

Use colored pencils to add subtle detail:

• Light Yellow for veins

• Brown and Dark Orange for line shading at the bottom edges of the oranges

Thank you for joining me in this joyful, painterly practice! This project is a celebration of color and creativity — and a perfect way to explore mixed media illustration. As always, I’d love to see what you create. Tag me on Instagram @shaydacampbell and share your beautiful work.

Happy painting!