Paint Two Puffins in Watercolour: 4 Colours, 1 Brush and Salty Rock Effects

I photographed these 2 little puffins a few weeks ago whilst preparing for my next art retreat on Lundy Island, UK. I wanted to share a simple, joyful puffin painting that beginners can follow without needing lots of materials.

This project shows how much you can do with just 4 colours and 1 brush, using wet-in-wet washes for the background and salt to create easy rock textures. It’s also a lovely way to introduce students to painting puffins before my upcoming coastal and wildlife work.

For this project you’ll need watercolour paper, one round watercolour brush, clean water, kitchen roll or tissue, a pencil sketch and a little salt for creating the rocky texture. The four watercolours I use are Winsor Lemon, Quinacridone Magenta or Permanent Rose, Winsor Blue Green Shade, and Lamp Black. You can also use a white gel pen or a little white gouache at the end for tiny highlights, but this is optional.

Start by painting the puffins mostly wet into wet, beginning with the cooler colours and blacks. Keep the dark areas soft at first, allowing the pigment to move naturally in the damp paper. Once those areas are in place, add the brighter details, such as the beaks and eyes. Try to keep your cool and warm colours separate as much as possible, as this helps avoid unwanted muddying and keeps the painting fresh.

Apply clean water to the background area first, working carefully around the puffins. Then mix rich emerald greens and indigo blues and let them flow into the damp paper. This creates a deep, atmospheric background that suggests the cliffs without needing to paint lots of detail. Allow the colours to blend softly, but try to keep some variation so the background feels natural and full of depth.

Paint the rocky area the puffins are sitting on using warm colours to contrast with the cooler background. While the paint is still damp, sprinkle on a little salt to create natural rocky textures. Let it dry fully before brushing the salt away, as this will give you the best texture and help suggest the rough surface of the rocks without overworking the detail.