Last Updated on July 14, 2026 by Dee
Lemons might be the friendliest thing you can paint in watercolour. They’re forgiving in the best way — that sunny yellow wants to bleed and pool and glow all on its own, so even a wobbly first attempt comes out looking cheerful. A single lemon, a little slice, one leaf. That’s the whole painting, and it’s such a lovely way to spend a slow afternoon with a brush.
So I’ve drawn up the exact lemon lineart I paint from — and I’m giving it to you completely free. Pop your email in below and the printable template lands straight in your inbox (you’ll also get an instant download link on the very next screen, so there’s no waiting around). Print it, trace it onto watercolour paper, and paint along with me. 🍋
Whether you’ve never picked up a paintbrush or you paint most weekends, this one’s a gentle, happy little project — and the template does the drawing part for you, so you can go straight to the fun bit.
What You’ll Paint
A classic Eureka lemon — the bright, cheerful kind you’d find in a bowl on the kitchen table. You get the whole fruit with its little stem and leaf, plus a cut slice so you can play with those soft, translucent segments. It’s a simple composition on purpose. When there’s only one subject to focus on, you can really slow down and enjoy watching the paint do its thing.
Here’s the loveliest part about lemons: they don’t need to be precise. Watercolour does its best work when you leave it alone, and lemon yellow is a naturally luminous pigment — it pools and granulates and creates its own gentle shadows if you let it. Keep your first wash light, let the pigment settle where it wants to, and build a little depth on the shaded side once everything’s dry. That contrast between the bright side and the shaded side is the whole trick to making it look round and juicy.
Don’t overthink the leaf, either. A single confident stroke of green, a touch of shadow at the base, done. If you’ve been wanting to loosen up your watercolour and stop fussing over every edge, this loose, slightly imperfect style is the perfect place to practise — and a lemon is the perfect subject.
What’s Inside Your Free Download
When you pop your email in above, you get a tidy little printable pack — no fluff, just what you need to paint along. Here’s what’s inside:
- The lemon lineart template — a clean, light outline drawn at full A4 size, ready to print or trace. The lines are deliberately soft so they disappear under your paint.
- A one-line how-to — the three simple steps (print, trace, paint) so you can dive straight in.
- Both file types — a print-ready PDF and a single PNG, so you can use whichever suits your setup.
That’s the whole thing — a single lemon, drawn once, ready for you to make it your own. Print a stack of them if you like; lemons are the kind of subject you’ll happily paint five times in a row, each one a little looser and lovelier than the last.
What You’ll Need to Paint Along
Honestly, not much. That’s part of why lemons are such a good beginner subject. Here’s what I’m using in the video — but don’t feel you need to match it exactly. Whatever paints you have will work.
- Watercolour paints — just a warm yellow, a cooler lemon yellow and a little green will do it. I’m using my Winsor & Newton Cotman set here — it’s the student range, brilliant pigments for a small price, and it’s what I always recommend to anyone just starting out.
- Brushes — a size 4 round for the body of the lemon and a size 2 for the leaf and the little segment lines. My Escoda round brushes hold a lovely point and spring back beautifully.
- Paper — cold-pressed watercolour paper. The Canson XL Watercolour Pad is my everyday favourite — it takes a wash without buckling and it’s kind to your wallet.
- The free lemon template — printed out or traced onto your watercolour paper. Grab it from the form above if you haven’t yet.
- Water and kitchen towel — clean water and a roll of kitchen towel to dab your brush and lift any splashes.
This post contains a few affiliate links — if you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever share the supplies I genuinely use and love.
Watch the Full Tutorial
The full step-by-step walkthrough — first washes, building the shadow side, and painting that little slice — is a video you can paint along with in real time. Make a cup of tea, print your free template, and let’s paint a lemon together. 🍋
Enjoying the tutorial? Subscribe to Artsydee on YouTube so the next free paint-along pops up in your feed.
Want the Whole Citrus Compendium?
If this little lemon leaves you wanting to paint the whole fruit bowl, that’s exactly what my Citrus Compendium is for. It’s a premium watercolour reference set with twenty citrus varieties — Meyer and Eureka lemons, Tahitian and key limes, navel, cara cara and blood oranges, grapefruit, kumquats, and gorgeous oddities like Buddha’s hand and finger lime.
The magic of this set is the colour recipe cards. Getting citrus colour right is genuinely tricky — most of us reach for a flat yellow and end up with a lemon that looks like a tennis ball. Each variety in the Compendium comes with a hand-mixed recipe card showing the exact swatches and mixes, so your Meyer lemon glows buttery gold, your blood orange bleeds ruby, and your pink grapefruit flesh turns that perfect rose. Every subject includes the lineart template and a painted reference to follow.
👉 Get the Citrus Compendium on Payhip — £14 (about $18)
Not sure citrus is your thing? You can browse my whole watercolour template shop on Payhip — florals, landscapes, birds, botanicals and plenty more, all in the same gentle, paint-along style.
Want New Watercolour Templates Every Week?
If you love painting along like this and want a steady stream of fresh templates every single week, come and join me on Patreon. The Treasure Chest tier is just £8 a month — less than a couple of fancy coffees — and it gets you a brand-new watercolour template drop every week, a monthly members’ painting challenge to keep you motivated, and instant access to the entire back catalogue the moment you join.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get the free lemon watercolour template?
Pop your email into the form near the top of this post. The printable PDF is delivered two ways: you’ll get an instant download link on the very next screen, and a copy lands in your inbox as a backup. Print it out (or trace it) and you’re ready to paint.
Can I print the template straight onto watercolour paper?
It depends on your printer. Many home printers (mine included — an Epson EcoTank) only have a front paper tray and can’t feed thick watercolour stock through it. If that’s you, print the template onto regular printer paper and trace it onto your watercolour paper against a window or lightbox — the outlines are drawn light on purpose, exactly so they’re easy to trace. Alternatively, a local print shop or library can print it onto heavier paper for you.
Will the printed lines smudge when I paint over them?
Let your print dry for 10–15 minutes before you start painting, keep your washes light over the lines rather than scrubbing, and you’ll be fine. Inkjet ink (especially the tank-based EcoTank kind) holds up well under gentle watercolour washes once it’s had a moment to set. If you’re worried, tracing the design onto watercolour paper sidesteps the issue entirely.
What colours do I need to paint a lemon?
Less than you’d think. A warm yellow and a cooler lemon yellow give you the fruit; a touch of green (or yellow plus a little blue) gives you the leaf; and a whisper of the yellow mixed with its complement makes a soft grey-green for the shaded side. That’s it. A basic student set like the Winsor & Newton Cotman range has everything you need.
Is this template beginner-friendly?
Very. A lemon is one of the best first subjects in watercolour — simple shape, forgiving colour, and only three elements to paint (fruit, slice, leaf). If you can paint a light wash and wait for it to dry, you can paint this lemon.
Final Thoughts
There’s something so satisfying about a finished lemon — that little pop of sunshine on the page that took you all of twenty minutes. Grab your free template above, put the kettle on, and give it a go. And when the tutorial video drops on Tuesday, you’ll be all set to paint along with me.
You Might Also Like
- How to Paint a Sweet Pea in Watercolour — The Original 1699 Cupani
- Loose Watercolour Flowers — How to Paint with Soft, Imperfect Edges
- Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners
- Simple Watercolour Ideas for Beginners
- Free Watercolour Sketchbook Templates
Come and find me on Pinterest for endless painting inspiration, and on YouTube for weekly watercolour and Procreate tutorials.
Tell me in the comments — what should we paint after the lemon? I’m tempted to do a whole citrus row next: lime, blood orange, maybe a Buddha’s hand just for the fun of it. Happy painting. 🍋
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