Last Updated on October 16, 2024 by Dee
Gear up for a splash of creativity with these 40+ enchanting printable stencils for watercolor painting! This unique collection is dedicated to the artists who draw inspiration from the world around them, offering a window into diverse scenes and motifs.
Within this series, we’ve included a wide array of artistic muses, featuring everything from the subtle elegance of florals to the dynamic energy of street scenes perfect for urban sketches. Embrace the full spectrum of your watercolor palette as you bring to life bustling cityscapes, tranquil natural landscapes, and everything in between. Grab the free templates at the end of this post!
Table of Contents
40+ Beautiful Stencils & Printable Templates for Watercolor Painting
Watch this helpful video on how to use these watercolor templates to create your own masterpiece!
Flower Watercolor Templates
Landscape Templates
Printable Sunset Stencils
Cute House Templates
Birds Watercolor Stencils
Forest Printable Watercolor Stencils
City Scene Printable Watercolor Stencils
Fashion Models Watercolor Templates
Ready-made Stencils For Watercolor Painting
**This page may contain affiliate links to products I have used or recommended. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.**
Botanical Stencils
This botanical stencil set comes in 8 elegant and beautiful floral patterns. They are eco-friendly and made from PET plastic material so are durable and reusable. I really like the design of the circular format with the botanical elements inside of it. They have been finely cut so that there is a lot of space for watercolor play!
9 Pieces Reusable Painting Stencil Plastic Paint Stencils
If you are looking for a floral set of stencils then this is great! They offer a variety of different flower combinations for your watercolor painting. They also come in a variety of sizes to best suit your needs. Lovely watercolor stencils for your art journals or watercolor paintings.
12 Pieces Tropical Leaf Stencils
And we love a bit of greenery! This set offers you 12 pieces of different typers of tropical leaves. This gives you the opportunity to use the stencil shapes on their own as a stand-alone watercolor painting, or as an addition to a watercolor illustration.
20 Pieces Sea Ocean Creatures Stencils
Mermaids, shells, fish, and more! These stencils are great for seaside watercolor paintings or children’s book illustrations! These are also available in different sizes.
8 Pieces Sunflower Stencils
[Related Article: How to Paint a Sunflower in Watercolor]
Sunflower and dragonfly stencils which come in a variety of sizes and are made of PET material, which is safe for our environment. Durable and lightweight they are also easy to clean.
DecoArt Kraft Stencils – Sloth Life
These cute stencils are made from durable paperboard so are reusable, but also eco friendly. The paperboard may absorb some of the watercolor paint and so you need to make sure to allow your washes of watercolor paint to dry in between layers.
Cats Stencils
These metal cutting dies can easily be used for watercolor stenciling. You need to make sure they are securely placed on the paper – your spray adhesive will be great for this. Paint over them as you would paint over a standard watercolor stencil.
Graftobian Bad Ass Airbrush Face and Body Stencils
These are professional stencils most often used for face and body painting. I have put them into this list because they are a great way to achieve patterns in watercolor backgrounds. Using these as watercolor stencils will help you create artwork with repetitive shapes and intricate lines. You can layer watercolor washes with these stencils to create an interesting and effective design.
WildFlower Stencils
These beautiful floral stencils includes vivid flower patterns, such as sunflowers, dandelions, roses, lotus flowers, chrysanthemums, peonies and even a mandala!
Christmas Stencils
It is always helpful to have some Christmas Stencils handy for cards and Christmas gifts!
GSS Designs Christmas Tree Wall Art Stencil
What do you need for 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!)
Tips for Using Stencils for Watercolor Painting
- Remember to work on paper that is has a heavy weight (thicker, and stronger than plain printing paper). This is so that the paper doesn’t buckle or warp when you paint watercolor on the surface. It’s a good idea to work on paper that is at least 300gsm. You can choose to work on cold-pressed paper which usually has more of a tooth (more textured), or hot-pressed paper – which is smoother.
- Watercolor paint becomes lighter as it dries. If you want more vibrant colors in your stencil painting then you need to layer washes of color to build up the intensity of the color.
- Keep your colors clean. Wash your brush well between using different colors.
- Test out your color combinations on strips of used or offcuts of watercolor paper before you begin your artwork. It’s always a great idea with any art medium to play and explore the medium before you begin. This helps you to understand what the medium is capable of and what you can achieve.
Making your own Watercolor Stencils
If you would like to take stenciling a step further you can make your own stencils for watercolor painting! Here are some quick steps for making your own stencils.
- Choose an image, shape, or pattern you would like to paint. (You can even draw your own design in pencil, pen, or digitally on your iPad or PC using Photoshop, procreate or even just paint!)
- Place your design underneath a mylar transparency sheet.
- Using a permanent marker trace your design onto the mylar transparency sheet. (Alternatively, you can also print out the digital design onto the mylar paper with an inkjet printer.)
- On a cutting mat, use a craft knife to carefully cut out your design.
- And you have your own stencil!
Grab the Free Printable Templates for Watercolor HERE (below)!
To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!
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thank you i will try this
Great looking forward to the templates
Please send me From 5 to 6 of your projects (6) so I am able to get a feel of your work.. 1 for me and the other for my grandson as he is starting to learn to paint. I thought this would be a good way for him to starting learning ..He lives close to Chicago and I don’t get to see him maybe 1 every 3 to 5 years hope you can be of help..thanks have a blessed summer 🙏
Hi Kitty, That sound like a really lovely idea and I am sure your grandson will enjoy the process. Using a painting template can be very helpful if you want to focus on the painting process. You can sign up to unlock the templates PDF in the section that says “Get Our Free Printables”. By signing up you will then have access to all the free printables on my site. Wishing you all the best and happy painting!
Love the idea of this. I downloaded it but I was thinking how do I get it on watercolor paper?
Hi Debbie, print the stencils onto a thick card stock, cut them out, and use them to mask areas of your painting so that you can paint over it. x
Where have you been all my “beginning to learn to paint” life? I am so glad I found you and your beautiful gifts to us. I will definitely look through your catalog, get some appropriate supplies and enhance my learning and wake up any skill I may have but don’t know I have.
I am an 84 years young new, trying and frustrated “artist to be” and knowing these stencils are here has awakened the excitement I started out with but was gradually losing. I’ll be getting back to you with a progress report. And good luck to all you hesitant but yet hopeful beginners. I love you all
Dear Diane, Your comment brought the biggest smile to my face! It means the world to me that my post and the stencils have inspired you. I truly believe that art is for everyone, and it’s never too late to pick up a brush and create something beautiful.
Your enthusiasm is contagious, and it reminds me of why I love sharing my passion for watercolor. I’m so excited for you to embark on this creative journey, and I have a feeling you’ll surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to share your progress. I’m cheering you on every step of the way!
With warmth and creativity,
Awesome design! I love it 🙂
Looking forward to the water colour templates. They look absolutely awesome