Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by Dee
Looking for sunflower printables for your watercolor painting or even just a creative project? Look no further… here are some free sunflower printable templates and stencils to get you started on your art-making journey!
Watercolor painting is one of my favorite mediums to work in but it can be tricky to use. From trying to control the way the colors flow and blend, to make sure your edges are clean, it’s easy to feel a bit like an amateur! To help you out, I have put together these printable templates so that all you have to do is transfer the shape onto your watercolor paper and get on with the painting!
I have included different sunflower template designs that are saved in PDF format in A4 size – so they should be easy to print!
These sunflower printables can be used in your art journal, junk journal, bullet journal (I love them all!), they can be used for crafting, school projects, décor, posters, bulletin boards, invitations, wedding stationery, birthday cards… and really anything your mind can conceive of!
[Related Article: How to Start your Own Art Journal!]
6 Free Sunflower Stencils






What do you need before you start watercolor stenciling?
- Watercolor Paper
- Spray Adhesive
- Tape
- Watercolor paint
- Soft bristle brush
- Paper Towel
- A jar of clean water
- A palette
- A heat tool (this is great for speeding up the watercolor paint drying process!)
To use these free sunflower printables you can download the PDF file and print it out.
How to Transfer the Sunflower Outline to Watercolor Paper
- Print out your sunflower template on standard printer paper.
- Tape your printed template to a window with light behind it so that you can see the outline of the sunflower coming through.
- Using a soft lead pencil (2B, 4B, 6B, or 8B), trace over the printed outline of the sunflower that you can see through the paper. Do this quite firmly so that you have left enough lead on the surface to be transferred easily onto the watercolor paper.
- Place your printed sunflower template with the traced pencil outline face-down on your watercolor paper.
- Using your pencil once again, trace the printed sunflower outline so that the pencil line gets transferred to your watercolor paper.
- Voila! You have your transferred shape – and you don’t need to hand draw it yourself!
- Now you can use your watercolor and start your painting!
Using the Sunflower Printable as a Watercolor Stencil
- If you would like to use the sunflower template as a watercolor stencil then first you need to print out the design on mylar, or transparency paper.
- Once you have printed out your design, cut out the shapes of the flower using a craft knife and cutting mat.
- Place the stencil on your watercolor paper and test out the position.
- If you want to, you can start your watercolor painting by first applying a light wash of color before you begin with your top layer. This can create a lovely layered effect!
- If you are happy with the position, then spray the stencil using repositionable craft spray.
- Firmly place the sticky stencil onto your watercolor paper.
- You can now start painting washes of watercolor paint over your page. You will find that to paint into the crevices, and small spaces of the stencil you need to manipulate your paintbrush. It is important that the watercolor paint doesn’t bleed underneath the stencil, so always work with a light touch.
- Allow the paint to dry fully before removing the stencil.
- Use warm water and soap to gently wash the stencil (if using a plastic watercolor stencil) so that it can be reused and is ready for the next time!
Other ways to use these sunflower printables…
- Print them out and color them in!
- Print them on sticker paper
- Print them on normal paper and cut them out for décor, embellishments, and other crafty projects!
- Print them on other paper – try printing them on texture paper, or even tracing paper. You can really get some great effects!
[Related Post: A List of the Best Junk Journal Supplies]
Conclusion
Using watercolor stencils or printable templates is a great way to practice watercolor painting – it is also a lot of fun! I hope you have grabbed your free sunflower printables and are ready to get started on your next creative project! Make sure to bookmark this site because I regularly update my content?
I would love to hear about your latest creative idea… drop me a comment below!

Thanks so much! My small class of Gr. 3 students want to mark their support in a small way – by using the Sunflower of the Ukraine to decorate little pots we are making for Spring plants.
These will work SO nicely – I see you also have butterflies and others that we might use too!
That sounds beautiful Catherine! I am so glad you could use them for your class! I hope you find the butterflies helpful too 🙂