Terms of UseHow to Paint a Cactus in Watercolor Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles Co-authored by Virginia Kelley, MA
Last Updated: February 27, 2020
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This article was co-authored by Virginia Kelley, MA, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Virginia Kelley is an artist and art teacher from New York with over 30 years of experience. She has both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Art Education from SUNY-Buffalo State and has taught art at the K-12 and college levels. For the last 20 years, she has focused her work and teaching on watercolor. This article has been viewed 2,018 times.
The most common and recognizable of the group of water-retaining plants called succulents is the cactus. This drought-resistant plant, if outside, can get moisture from dew or the air. As a houseplant, it requires very little maintenance and is perfect for those who forget to water their plants. Even as children, many of us learned to be mindful of the spines or prickly thorns that cover the plant. Keeping a distance and enjoying only with our eyes makes the cactus a perfect subject for a watercolor.
Steps
1 Do some research to find a picture to use as a reference. If you have an actual cactus, you can use it as inspiration. Many discount stores have plastic cacti so if you purchase one, it will last forever.
2 Discover what shapes cacti come in. They grow wild in arid climates and can get as tall as a house. Smaller ones are equally impressive as to their varied and unusual shapes. Advertisement
3 Set out your paints. Any type of watercolor will work for this project. All types need to be activated, so carry some water from a brush to each pad of color. If using tube paints, squeeze out the primaries and secondary colors onto a palette or white plastic plate and add a few drops of clean water to each color.
4 Gather other supplies and set up your work station. An assortment of brushes, a piece of any size or shape watercolor paper taken from a pad, a water container, tissues for controlling drips and an uncluttered surface to work on.
5 Sketch the cactus shape in pencil. You can show scale by what is around your cactus. If it is a big one, including mountains, sage brush or a bleached animal skull can give an idea of its size.
6 Bring the cactus indoors. A row of small cactus plants can be shown sitting on the window sill, table or shelf.
7 Do an initial wash over the cactus, omitting details. Dilute your color with water on the palette. Test the intensity of your mixture on a scrap of watercolor paper. Remember, watercolor dries lighter by 20-30 percent. This is never a problem as a watercolor can be done in layers once it is completely dry.
8 Try out color combinations. You can be creative and mix various colors in a work of art.
9 Show volume on your cactus. Do this by washing a line of darker tone along one side.
10 Add background and details on the cactus. A small, round, pointed brush will only take you so far. Use a fine point Sharpie for the tiniest details and thorns.
11 Add dramatic gray shadows. This will increase the illusion of depth and drama to the piece. Darkening one side of the cactus gives the illusion of roundness to the cactus.
12 Set the piece up and stand back. Decide what parts you want to alter, intensify or delete. Allow the painting to dry again. Using a hairdryer helps speed things up.
13 Put a small cactus indoors. With art you can do what you want. Perhaps you could paint more than one on a window sill.
14 Give your work a final scrutiny. Make whatever changes you wish. To delete something, use a scrub brush or a piece of white kitchen sponge called a Magic Eraser. Let the clean areas dry before painting onto them again.
15 Adding cast shadows brings drama to the piece. Have the shadows all going in the same direction. Keep them transparent.
16 Take pride in your work by hanging it on the wall. The beauty of hand painting is very alluring. Your art will draw people in and you will be sharing your innermost thoughts and ideas. You can even travel to parts far away and unknown through your art. Advertisement
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Tips
Reduce the size of your artwork on a copy machine. Print up a few, trim to size and with a glue stick paste the images on blank note cards. Use these note cards with a cactus motif for special occasions by adding your own greetings inside. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Make a bundle of the cards, tie with ribbon or colored string and give as gifts. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Warnings
Avoid the prickly spines on a cactus. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Things You'll Need
Watercolor paper
Watercolors, any type
Brushes for watercolor, a pencil with an eraser
Fine line Sharpie or other black fine line marker
Reference photos
Blank note cards with envelopes (optional)
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About this article
Co-authored by: Virginia Kelley, MA Master's Degree, Art Education, SUNY-Buffalo This article was co-authored by Virginia Kelley, MA, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Virginia Kelley is an artist and art teacher from New York with over 30 years of experience. She has both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Art Education from SUNY-Buffalo State and has taught art at the K-12 and college levels. For the last 20 years, she has focused her work and teaching on watercolor. This article has been viewed 2,018 times. 1 votes - 100% Co-authors: 8Updated: February 27, 2020 Views: 2,018
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Co-authored by: Virginia Kelley, MA Master's Degree, Art Education, SUNY-Buffalo This article was co-authored by Virginia Kelley, MA, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Virginia Kelley is an artist and art teacher from New York with over 30 years of experience. She has both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Art Education from SUNY-Buffalo State and has taught art at the K-12 and college levels. For the last 20 years, she has focused her work and teaching on watercolor. This article has been viewed 2,018 times. 1 votes - 100% Co-authors: 8 Updated: February 27, 2020 Views: 2,018 
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445 
2 Discover what shapes cacti come in. They grow wild in arid climates and can get as tall as a house. Smaller ones are equally impressive as to their varied and unusual shapes. Advertisement 
3 Set out your paints. Any type of watercolor will work for this project. All types need to be activated, so carry some water from a brush to each pad of color. If using tube paints, squeeze out the primaries and secondary colors onto a palette or white plastic plate and add a few drops of clean water to each color. 
4 Gather other supplies and set up your work station. An assortment of brushes, a piece of any size or shape watercolor paper taken from a pad, a water container, tissues for controlling drips and an uncluttered surface to work on. 
5 Sketch the cactus shape in pencil. You can show scale by what is around your cactus. If it is a big one, including mountains, sage brush or a bleached animal skull can give an idea of its size. 
6 Bring the cactus indoors. A row of small cactus plants can be shown sitting on the window sill, table or shelf. 
8 Try out color combinations. You can be creative and mix various colors in a work of art. 
9 Show volume on your cactus. Do this by washing a line of darker tone along one side. 
10 Add background and details on the cactus. A small, round, pointed brush will only take you so far. Use a fine point Sharpie for the tiniest details and thorns. 
12 Set the piece up and stand back. Decide what parts you want to alter, intensify or delete. Allow the painting to dry again. Using a hairdryer helps speed things up. 
13 Put a small cactus indoors. With art you can do what you want. Perhaps you could paint more than one on a window sill. 
14 Give your work a final scrutiny. Make whatever changes you wish. To delete something, use a scrub brush or a piece of white kitchen sponge called a Magic Eraser. Let the clean areas dry before painting onto them again. 
15 Adding cast shadows brings drama to the piece. Have the shadows all going in the same direction. Keep them transparent.