King Charles Watercolors: 15 Easy Christmas Card Paintings Anyone Can Try This Year

King Charles Watercolors have quietly raised a fortune for charity, and they prove something lovely: you do not need to be a trained artist to paint something worth keeping. The King has painted gentle country scenes for most of his life, and his soft hills, cottages and gardens are exactly the kind of pictures that look beautiful on a Christmas card. This year, skip the store bought box and paint a few cards yourself. A small set of paints, one or two brushes and some thick paper is all it takes. Below are 15 easy Christmas card paintings inspired by his calm country landscape style, from a snowy cottage to a little flock of sheep. Each one can be finished in an evening, even if you have never held a paintbrush before. Put the kettle on and pick your favorite..

King Charles Watercolors Begin at a Christmas Card Table

King Charles Watercolors are no small hobby. According to his Wikipedia biography, he is a keen watercolourist who has published books on the subject, and by 2016 lithographs of his paintings had sold for an estimated 2 million pounds, with the money going to charity. For his 50th birthday, 50 of his watercolours were shown at Hampton Court Palace. His favorite subjects are quiet country places, and that easy, loose style is perfect for holiday cards. Clear a table, lay out your paper and let us begin..

You will need: Watercolor paper cut to card size (about 5 by 7 inches), a beginner paint set, a size 8 and a size 4 round brush, two jars of water, paper towels and painter tape.

How to make it: 1. Tape each card to the table so it dries flat. 2. Keep one jar for rinsing and one for clean water. 3. Pick a simple scene from this list and paint three cards at once so each layer dries while you work on the next.

Snowy Stone Cottage Card Inspired by King Charles Watercolors

A little country cottage under snow is one of the easiest and most charming scenes you can paint. This card borrows the gentle mood of King Charles Watercolors without copying any of his pictures: a simple stone house, a white roof, a bright door and a few bare trees. The trick is to leave the roof as plain white paper. The snow is simply the paper you did not paint. Add soft blue shadows under the eaves and the cottage suddenly looks cold and cozy at once. What color will your front door be?

You will need: Watercolor card, pencil, raw sienna, burnt umber, a soft blue, one bright color for the door and a size 4 brush.

How to make it: 1. Lightly draw a box house and a roof shape. 2. Paint the walls in pale sienna, leaving the roof white, then dot darker stones when dry. 3. Add the door, a blue shadow under the roof and thin bare trees beside it.

Rolling Winter Hills in Soft Layered Washes

Rolling hills are the heart of a classic British country painting, and they are made with nothing more than a few curved stripes of color. Start with a pale peach sky, then paint the farthest hill in a very light lavender. Let it dry, then paint the next hill a little darker, and keep going toward the front. Each layer looks closer than the last, and the card gets deeper and deeper. A tiny farmhouse on the far hill makes the whole scene feel peaceful. How many layers can you fit on one card?

You will need: Watercolor card, a little orange and pink for the sky, ultramarine blue, a touch of purple, a size 8 brush and a hair dryer on low (optional).

How to make it: 1. Wet the top half and drop in a pale peach sky. 2. When dry, paint the far hill in very watery lavender. 3. Dry again, then paint each nearer hill a shade darker until you reach the bottom edge.

Bright Red Holly Sprig Card

Sometimes one small sprig says Merry Christmas better than a whole scene. A holly sprig with three leaves and a cluster of berries looks elegant with lots of white space around it, and it is a great first card for total beginners. Paint each leaf with one stroke, pressing down in the middle and lifting at the tips. Then add the berries in bright red and leave a tiny white dot on each one so they shine. Could you paint ten of these in one evening?

You will need: Watercolor card, sap green, a dark green, bright red, a size 6 round brush and a pencil.

How to make it: 1. Lightly sketch three leaves meeting at one point. 2. Fill each leaf with green, adding darker green along one side while it is still wet. 3. Paint three or four red berries where the leaves meet, leaving a small white spot on each.

Loose Leaf Wreath Card

A wreath card looks hard but is really just a circle of tiny leaf strokes. Trace around a glass or jar lid in light pencil, then paint small leaves all the way around the line in two or three greens. Tuck red berry dots between the leaves and finish with a little bow at the bottom. The open center is the perfect spot for a hand written name or a short greeting. Who on your list would love a wreath card with their name in the middle?

You will need: Watercolor card, a drinking glass or jar lid to trace, pencil, two or three greens, red paint and a size 4 brush.

How to make it: 1. Trace a light circle in the middle of the card. 2. Paint small leaf strokes around the line, all leaning the same way. 3. Add red dots between the leaves and a small bow at the bottom, then erase the pencil when dry.

Snowy Pines With a Salt Sprinkle Sky

Here is a fun trick every new painter loves. While your sky is still wet, sprinkle a pinch of coarse salt over it. The salt pulls the color into little starry speckles that look exactly like falling snow. When it is dry, brush the salt away and paint three pine trees in deep green and teal, leaving white gaps on the branches for snow. Kids enjoy this one too, with an adult nearby. Will you try fine salt, coarse salt or both?

You will need: Watercolor card, coarse salt, Prussian blue or teal, a deep green, a size 6 brush and a soft dry brush to sweep off the salt.

How to make it: 1. Paint the sky in watery blue and sprinkle salt while it is shiny wet. 2. Let it dry fully, then brush the salt off. 3. Paint three pines with short zigzag strokes, leaving white gaps for snow on each branch.

Castle on a Snowy Hill, a Nod to King Charles Watercolors

Castles, country houses and the hills around them often show up in King Charles Watercolors, so a simple castle on a hill feels like a fitting tribute. You do not need any detail. A dark blue and violet shape with a few square towers against a pale gold sky reads as a castle right away. Paint the sky first, let it dry, then paint the whole castle and hill in one dark color. It is a dramatic card that looks far harder than it is. Which towers will you add?

You will need: Watercolor card, yellow ochre, a little pink, indigo or dark blue, a touch of purple and a size 6 brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a soft gold and pink sky and let it dry. 2. Lightly draw a hill and a castle outline with two or three towers. 3. Fill the castle and hill in one dark blue violet mix, leaving the top of the hill white for snow.

Frosty Walled Garden Card

The King is also a keen gardener who took over the Highgrove estate in 1980, so a winter garden is a sweet subject for a card. Paint a stone wall, two neat clipped hedges and a simple iron gate, then keep the paths white for frost. Pale blue shadows make it feel like a crisp morning. Gardeners on your list will love a card that shows their favorite place resting under frost. Who is the gardener you would send this to?

You will need: Watercolor card, sap green, a dark green, a soft grey, pale blue, a fine brush for the gate and a pencil.

How to make it: 1. Sketch the wall, two rounded hedges and the gate between them. 2. Paint the hedges green with darker green on one side, then the wall in grey. 3. Add pale blue shadows on the white paths and paint the gate with thin dark lines.

Country Sheep Card in the Mood of King Charles Watercolors

A pair of sheep in a snowy field bring the calm countryside feel of King Charles Watercolors to a cheerful little card. Sheep are easy: paint a soft grey cloud shape for each body, leave the top white, then add a dark head and four tiny legs. A low stone wall behind them and a grey winter sky finish the scene. These cards always make people smile, especially farm lovers and anyone who grew up in the country. How many sheep will you put in your field?

You will need: Watercolor card, a soft grey (blue plus brown), a dark brown or black, a little green for the wall, and a size 4 brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a pale grey sky and a low wall line. 2. Paint each sheep body as a fluffy cloud of grey on its lower side only, leaving the top white. 3. Add small dark heads, ears and stick legs.

Wet on Wet Starry Night Card

Wet on wet painting is where the real magic happens. Brush clean water over the whole card, then drop in navy, indigo and violet and watch the colors bloom into each other on their own. Once it is dry, paint a row of dark pine trees along the bottom and dot on stars with a white gel pen or a little white paint. Every card turns out different, which is exactly the charm. Would you add one big bright star or a sky full of tiny ones?

You will need: Watercolor card, indigo, ultramarine blue, a purple, a white gel pen or white paint, a size 8 brush and a toothbrush for splatter.

How to make it: 1. Wet the whole card with clean water. 2. Drop in the blues and purple and tilt the card to blend. 3. When dry, paint pine tree shapes along the bottom and add white stars with the pen or a flicked toothbrush.

Loose Painted Ornament Card

Round ornaments are just circles, which makes them a happy card for anyone who feels nervous about drawing. Trace a coin or bottle cap for the shape, fill each circle with one color, then touch a darker shade to one side while it is wet so it looks round. Thin lines from the top of the card make them hang. Let the colors bleed a little and leave a white highlight on each. Which three colors match your tree this year?

You will need: Watercolor card, a coin or bottle cap to trace, red, teal and yellow ochre or gold paint, a fine liner brush and a pencil.

How to make it: 1. Trace three circles at different heights. 2. Fill each with color, then add a darker shade on one side and leave a small white highlight. 3. Paint thin hanging strings and tiny caps on top.

Gold Edged Poinsettia Card

A poinsettia card feels rich and festive, and a touch of gold makes it look like it came from a fancy stationery shop. Paint five to seven long pointed petals in red around a center, then a second layer in a deeper red between them. Once dry, trace a few petal edges with gold paint or a gold paint pen. Tilt the card in the light and it sparkles. Who on your list deserves the extra gold this Christmas?

You will need: Watercolor card, a bright red and a deep red, green, yellow for the center, a small pan of gold paint or a gold paint pen and a fine brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint long pointed petals in bright red around a small center. 2. Add darker red petals between them and a few green leaves behind. 3. When dry, outline some petal edges in gold and dot the center yellow.

A Snowy Red Post Box Card for King Charles Watercolors Fans

In 1994 the Royal Mail issued postage stamps that featured King Charles Watercolors, so a card with a snowy red post box is a fun little wink for royal watchers. Paint one tall rounded red shape with a white cap of snow, then a soft lane and a hedge behind it. Keep the post box plain and bright so it pops against the grey and white. It is the perfect card to slip into the mail. Who is the first person you will post one to?

You will need: Watercolor card, a bright red, a dark red, soft grey, green, a pencil and a size 4 brush.

How to make it: 1. Draw a tall rounded box shape in the middle. 2. Paint it bright red, adding dark red down one side, and leave a white snow cap on top. 3. Paint a grey lane and a soft green hedge behind it.

Mini Painted Gift Tags

Leftover scraps of paper are perfect for tiny painted gift tags, and they turn plain kraft paper gifts into something special. Cut small rectangles, snip the top corners, punch a hole and paint one simple thing on each: a sprig, a pine, a snowflake or three berries. Write the name on the back and tie them on with red and white twine. They take minutes, and people often keep them as tiny pieces of art. How many gifts are waiting under your tree for a tag?

You will need: Watercolor paper scraps, scissors, a hole punch, red and white twine, green and red paint and a fine brush.

How to make it: 1. Cut tags about 2 by 3 inches and snip the top corners. 2. Punch a hole at the top. 3. Paint one small design on each, let them dry and tie them on with twine.

King Charles Watercolors Tips: Paper, Brushes and Drying

A few simple tips will make all your King Charles Watercolors inspired cards look better. Use real watercolor paper, at least 140 pound or 300 gsm, so it does not buckle. A size 8 and a size 4 round brush can paint everything on this list. Let each layer dry before the next, and hang finished cards on a twine line with clips. For more easy painting ideas, see our Bob Ross winter paintings. Which card will you paint first this weekend?

You will need: 140 lb (300 gsm) cold press watercolor paper, a beginner pan set, size 8 and size 4 round brushes, painter tape, paper towels, twine and mini clips.

How to make it: 1. Tape the paper down before painting so it stays flat. 2. Work light to dark and let each layer dry. 3. Press finished cards under a heavy book overnight, then hang or post them.