Materials:
 

• Watercolour paper (cold press is ideal), 300gsm

• Round brush (size 8–10 works well)

• Cocktail stick

• Pencil & eraser

• Watercolours:
  Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, Yellow, Sap Green, Purple

• Water jar & kitchen roll
   

🖌 Step-by-Step Instructions

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1. Light Pencil Sketch

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Start with a very light sketch – just enough to guide you.

• Draw a gently curved stem

• Add simple leaf centre lines

• Sketch in the olives as small ovals or circles clustered near the stem
   

Keep everything loose and minimal – the pencil should barely be visible.

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2. Mix your leaf greens

Before painting, mix a few soft, natural greens:

• Sap Green + Yellow → warm olive green

• Sap Green + Ultramarine Blue → cooler, muted green

• Add a tiny touch of Cad Red to any mix if it feels too bright – this helps desaturate it
   

These early leaves should sit quietly in the background.

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3. Paint the background leaves, desaturated

Using plenty of water, paint the first layer of leaves.
 

Thin to thick to thin One Stroke Leaf Method

1. Load your brush with watery paint

2. Place the tip of the brush at the base of the leaf, start your stroke, as you progress, gently press down on your brush so that your stroke becomes thicker, keep moving.  Once you are halfway along, start to release pressure on your brush so that you leaf thins out again.  Keep going then gently release all pressure to the point and glide away.​

3. Repeat for the other side – meeting at the tip

4. While the leaves are just damp (not wet), gently scratch a line down the centre of each leaf using a cocktail stick

This lifts paint and creates a delicate vein

Use sparingly – a few well-placed veins look more convincing than lots.

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Don’t overwork them. Let edges be soft and uneven – this keeps them fresh and natural.

Paint only some of the leaves at this stage, leaving others white for later.

Let this layer dry.