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Ready for your first coffee painting experience? The coffee “paint” is already dry on a piece of high quality watercolor paper. Just add water or black coffee to your paintbrush and get started painting. Warning - It’s so easy and can be immediately addictive.

I’m happy to mail your free coffee starter painting -

Watch the video for inspiration and detailed instructions on how to get started painting with coffee.

Easy instructions to create a coffee painting color sampler

  • Start with the image on the left

  • Dip watercolor paintbrush in clean water. Roll away excess water on paper towel before your first stroke.

  • Place brush tip on dry edge of coffee and begin to mix the coffee and water. Paint blended mixture down toward the dry area of the paper. Notice the contrast created by the gradation from dark to light. Make the color lighter if needed by adding more water as you move toward unpainted area. Keep excess water out of your brush by blotting in a paper towel.

  • Repete the above procedure with the star on the right side. Blend the inside edges of the dark points toward the center.

  • If an area is too dark it can lightened by blotting with a paper towel to remove some of the still-wet coffee.
    An easy introduction to experience painting with coffee. Classes are offered “live” and virtual.

How to Paint with Coffee in 3 basic steps

  • Step #1 Sketch or outline an image.

  • Step #2 Paint sketch with a light wash of coffee to create background.

  • Step #3 Paint layers of coffee .

Step #1  Paint a simple shape with coffee

Paint the first layer I suggest painting a single leaf but any simple shape will work if you don't have a leaf.  It can be a circle or triangle - anything to just get started! 
Begin by lightly drawing around the edges of the leaf with a pencil. This will establish the edges of where you paint the first layer. Think of it as a page in a coloring book and you will be more at ease about where you will paint. Once the first layer is painted and has dried you can erase the pencil. It is important to let the paper completely dry before you go forward.

The first layer must be completely dry before adding more paint. I recommend having a hairdryer handy because this will speed up the whole process and keep you focused on your progress. If the layer you have just been working on is not completely dry and any new paint added will will just blend into the damp paper. Your new strokes will not be sharp because they will be soaked up by the still wet under layer. This is a Big Deal to remember.

• There may be some remaining pencil lines that could not be erased. This occurs when coffee has been painted over the pencil lines and they become sealed in. Try to keep your initial outlining as light as possible. Remember it is just a guide and not meant to be seen in your final painting.

• Keep in mind that It is OK if some pencil still shows because it can add character to the edges.  Any remaining pencil lines may also be intentionally covered with darker coffee.

Detailed list of basic materials need for painting with coffee see Materials and Resources section.

Step #2  Wake up and Smell the COFFEE!

Next by painting a light wash of coffee inside your sketch. Once this first layer of coffee dries you have a background base or ground to develop as you add new layers of coffee. This background layer will already show subtle changes in the color value. You can also experiment with adding drops of coffee while the background is still wet. This will create textural variations in the color when dry.This painting technique is similar to Wet-on-Wet used in watercolor. Remember, if the background layer of coffee is still wet, any new coffee applied will be free flowing. This can create some interesting and unexpected results. It’s an easy way to try out new possibilities coffee has to offer. If you desire sharp lines or more detailed depth make sure your paper is completely dry before moving to Step #3.

Step #3 Paint with a darker shade of coffee.  

From this point on, it is all about painting new layers of coffee. Begin to add details emphasizing certain parts of your painting. Both the strength of the coffee and the number of layers control how dark each area will be. Eventually you’ll have an “eye” and see where to add darker coffee. This is a gradual process. Remember - if an underneath area is still damp, the newly applied coffee won’t be dark or sharp. It will dissolve into the still-wet area. This is important to remember because it will be frustrating when you keep adding darker coffee and it seems to just disappear. A new layer of coffee will not be visible until the layer under it is dry.