Gouache Project Ideas for Beginners: Easy Painting Projects You Can Start Today

Gouache is one of the most beginner-friendly painting mediums — vibrant, matte, forgiving, and perfect for quick creative projects. Whether you’re completely new to gouache or experimenting with your HIMI Jelly Cup Gouache set for the first time, these simple project ideas will help you build confidence, learn essential techniques, and enjoy the process of making art.

Below you’ll find five easy gouache projects, complete with step-by-step instructions, tips for success, and examples you can follow. These projects are ideal for adults, teens, and creative beginners of all ages.

Find our introduction to Gouache paints and usage tips here.

Table of Contents

• Simple Floral Motifs
• Flat-Style Illustration
• Sunset Landscape
• Patterned Bookmark
• Cute Character Painting

1. Easy Gouache Floral Motifs for Beginners

How to Paint Floral Motifs

1. Lightly sketch 3–5 flowers and leaves.
2. Mix your gouache with a little water until creamy.
3. Paint petals in simple rounded shapes.
4. Add leaves and berries using long strokes.
5. Once dry, add highlights or deeper shadows for dimension.

Tips for Beginners

• Use a round synthetic brush — it naturally creates petal shapes.
• Keep your palette limited for harmonious colours.
• Florals look best when imperfect — embrace the looseness.

Why it’s perfect for beginners:

• Small, forgiving designs
• Great for practising brush pressure
• Ideal for journalling, cardmaking and stationery art

2. Flat-Style Gouache Illustrations (Houses, Teacups, Plants)

Skill level: Beginner

What you’ll learn: Blocking shapes, creating smooth edges, layering

Perfect for: Wall art, journalling, confidence building

Flat-style illustration is a popular gouache aesthetic — simple shapes, bold colours, clean lines.

How to Paint a Flat Illustration

1. Sketch a simple object: a house, teacup, mushroom, or pot.
2. Fill each shape with opaque colour.
3. Let colours dry completely to avoid lifting.
4. Add small details like windows, stripes or dots.
5. Add final highlights for polish.

Tips

• Flat brushes help create smooth edges.
• Drying time is key — take it slow between layers.
• Use complementary colours for visual contrast.

Why this project works well with HIMI Jelly Cups:

• The creamy consistency gives perfect matte, even colour.
• Easy for beginners to block in shapes before adding details.
• Great introduction to layering light over dark.

3. Beginner Gouache Landscape: Simple Sunset Scene

Skill level: Beginner

What you’ll learn: Blending, gradients, silhouettes

Perfect for: Cards, prints, relaxing evening painting

A sunset landscape teaches blending without needing fine detail skills.

How to Paint a Sunset Landscape

1. Start with a horizontal gradient (yellow → peach → pink → purple).
2. Blend quickly while the paint is still wet.
3. Let the sky dry fully.
4. Add trees, hills or birds in dark gouache.
5. Keep silhouettes simple for the best effect.

Tips

• Work quickly — gouache can dry fast.
• A larger brush helps keep blends smooth.
• Don’t overdetail the silhouettes; bold shapes look better.

Why beginners love it:

The final piece looks impressive even with minimal detail, building confidence quickly.

4. DIY Gouache Bookmarks or Gift Tags

Skill level: Very beginner-friendly

What you’ll learn: Repetition, composition, brush control

Perfect for: Gifts, school supplies, craft fairs

Bookmarks are a brilliant low-pressure project that let you experiment with pattern design.

How to Paint a Patterned Bookmark

1. Cut sturdy paper to bookmark size (5 x 15 cm works well).
2. Choose a simple pattern: stars, florals, stripes, raindrops.
3. Paint your motif evenly across the bookmark.
4. Add highlights or outlines if you like.
5. Punch a hole and add ribbon for a finishing touch.

Tips

• Keep your shapes consistent.
• Choose 2–3 colours for cohesion.
• Patterns don’t need to be perfect — charm beats precision.

Ideas to try:

• Polka dots
• Mini florals
• Stars and constellations
• Stripes or geometric patterns
• Cute doodles for bullet journals

Why it’s great for new artists:

Small surfaces make it easy to experiment with HIMI textures and opacity without feeling overwhelmed.

5. Cute Gouache Characters and Animals

Skill level: Beginner

What you’ll learn: Building characters from simple shapes, layering, expression

Perfect for: Kids, stickers, prints, journalling, confidence building

Painting cute characters is fun, expressive, and achievable for absolute beginners. Characters can be created from basic shapes: circles, ovals, soft curves.

Beginner-Friendly Character Ideas

• 🐰 Chubby Bunny (round body, long ears, soft peach tones)
• 🐸 Happy Frog (wide oval head, round eyes, plump body)
• 🐉 Sleepy Dragon (bean-shaped body, simple spikes, pastel wings)

Basic Steps

1. Start with large shapes (ovals, circles).
2. Add small details (ears, limbs, tail).
3. Add face last — simple eyes and a smile are enough.
4. Paint with flat colour blocks.
5. Add highlights or blush for cuteness.

More Character Ideas:

Chubby Bunny

• Body: tall oval, smaller circle head
• Features: long floppy ears, tiny oval feet, round tail
• Expressions: closed eyes and a tiny “3” mouth

Happy Frog

• Body: wide oval sitting shape
• Head: slightly overlapping circle with two small bumps for eye sockets
• Features: big round eyes, simple smile, tiny dots for freckles

Sleepy Dragon

• Body: bean-shaped, curled slightly
• Features: small wings (triangle shapes), a few rounded spikes along the back, simple closed eyes
• Tail: tapering curve ending in a small triangle tip

🎨 Want to Try More Gouache Projects?

Explore our full range of beginner gouache supplies, including HIMI Jelly Cup sets, brushes, sketchbooks, and more.

💬 Share Your Artwork!

If you try any of these projects, tag us on Instagram (@undertherowantrees) or share in our community — we’d love to see what you create!