Whimsical Mushrooms: An Easy Mushrooms Watercolor Tutorial for Beginners

This week's easy mushrooms watercolor tutorial, "Whimsical Mushrooms," started with how much I love mushrooms. I love the taste of them, and I love to cook with them. I do not love them so much when they sprout up in our lawn, which I think happens when we have watered the grass too much in the summer.

These painted ones are the fun kind, and I just love their polka dots. That is the feeling inside this week's painting: a plain fungus turned fun, colorful and whimsical.

And here is the painting:

From the Lawn to the Kitchen Table

I painted the simplest version of it. Not every spot, not every leaf. Just the feeling: two red-capped mushrooms with creamy stems and fall leaves tucked around their feet.

The part that takes focus is painting the red and leaving the white dots white. I love that red, but it asks you to slow down a little, and that is fine. Slow is allowed at this table.

And because no painting leaves my table without one, there's a tiny heart sitting right on the big stem. Some signatures are initials. Mine is a heart.

Mixing Our Red-Capped Mushrooms Colors

This project uses my November palette, and I'm excited about it. This week's colors are called Red-Capped Mushrooms: Merry Berry, Lemon Drop, Cider Glow, Garden Moss and Twilight Plum.

The mushrooms were perfect for these colors. I washed the caps in warm Merry Berry, let Lemon Drop and Cider Glow light up the fall leaves, and let Garden Moss bring the little greens to life. Twilight Plum settles into the soft shadows.

One of my favorite things about working with a limited palette is discovering how many colors you can make without reaching for another tube of paint.

A Fun Trick: Mix-Your-Own Warm Cap Red

There's also a very simple trick in this week's tutorial that you can use in all kinds of paintings.

Want a warmer, scarlet-leaning red? You can mix your own. Swirl Merry Berry, my Quinacridone Red, with just a little Cider Glow, and you'll get a warm red that's perfect for mushroom caps.

Play with the amounts. More gold makes it even warmer, and no two mixes will look exactly alike, which is exactly as it should be.

Paint These Whimsical Mushrooms With Me

For this week's project, we'll paint two whimsical mushrooms together from beginning to end.

We'll start with an easy outline, wash in loose watercolor layers using our Red-Capped Mushrooms colors, add the fall leaves, and finish with the little details. My favorite moment comes last: stepping back and leaving it clean. I thought about adding more, like spatters and dots using a white pen, but I liked it just as it was. That clean, simple finish is what makes it feel almost fairy-tale-ish and magical.

And yes, there's a tiny heart on the big stem too.

WATCH THE WHIMSICAL MUSHROOMS WATERCOLOR TUTORIAL ON YOUTUBE:

No watercolor experience is necessary. You can trace the outline if you'd rather not draw the mushrooms yourself, and you certainly don't need to use the exact same paints I do.

The idea isn't to make yours look exactly like mine.

It's to paint something that makes you smile.

Join Me at the Kitchen Table

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are mushrooms hard to paint in watercolor?

No! Mushrooms are one of the friendliest subjects for a beginner. It's mostly simple shapes: two rounded caps and two creamy stems. In this easy mushrooms watercolor tutorial, we keep everything loose and whimsical, so wobbly lines just add charm.

What watercolor colors do I need for these whimsical mushrooms?

I used my five-color November palette using Daniel Smith watercolor paints: Quinacridone Red, Hansa Yellow Light, Quinacridone Deep Gold, Undersea Green and Moonglow. You don't need these exact paints. Similar red, yellow, warm gold, green and dusky purple watercolors will work.

Do I need to know how to draw to paint these mushrooms?

No. This project is designed for beginners, and you can print and use a simple traced outline if drawing feels intimidating. The goal is to enjoy painting the shapes and colors, not to draw perfectly shaped mushrooms.

How do you leave the white dots white on the red caps?

Slowly, and on purpose. Paint the red right around each dot and leave the paper showing through. It takes a little focus, and it is worth it. If a dot fills in, a tiny touch from a white pen after the paint dries can bring it back.

How do you know when this painting is finished?

When the red caps glow, the white dots are still white, and the tiny heart is on the big stem, I step back and look. If it makes me smile just as it is, I stop there. A clean, simple finish is enough, and you can always leave a painting as it is if you like it that way.

What if my mushrooms look wonky?

Good. Wonky becomes whimsical around here. A leaning cap or an extra polka dot just gives your mushrooms more personality.

This Week's Heart Practice

Today I turn plain things into whimsy.

I like this week's Heart Practice because it's something you can carry with you all week, paintbrush or not.

In gratitude, thank all the plain things that turned into small joys for you this week. The good meal. The color you love. The quiet ten minutes with a paintbrush in your hand.

Then, take a deep breath and smile at your painting.

Sometimes the smallest things, a plain little fungus, a few brushstrokes on paper, remind us of the biggest truth: you have a place at this table.

With heart and color,

🩷 Donna