The Top 15 Contemporary Watercolour Artists Who Will Surely Inspire You to Paint

An Italian, Valentina Verlato, after graduating from the school of literature and defending a thesis on language history decided to turn to painting in earnest. She has illustrated a book and participated in many of the important exhibitions and biennials. At the 4th Watercolour Biennial in Padova and the Biennial International Prize "Marche d'Aqua" Valentina was awarded a Jury's special mention. Vivid flowers, fuzzy tree crowns, people in street cafes, sunny landscapes, soft and colourful portraits – her brush catches their spirit with impeccable mastery and the artworks seem to radiate light.

Prafull Sawant is an award-winning artist from India and participant of dozens of national and international art shows in the USA, Australia, and India. Having started his education at the University of Nashik, the painter later went to an art school and graduated with a diploma in art studies. After graduation, he travelled to Rome, Paris, and Florence. Besides the watercolour medium, Prafull also paints in gouache, acrylic, and oil. His artworks tell stories of his mother country, India: its dry air, the burning sun, and intense colours of its bustling cities. His "dusty" landscapes easily transport the viewer onto the faraway streets of Delhi and make you fall in love with them at first sight.

The watercolour paintings of Blanca Álvarez, a spirited artist from Spain, stand out from the landscapes as we know them. Have a look at her paintings filled with air and light: the sunlit streets of the Spanish cities, lovely houses wrapped in exotic plants, scenes of stormy seas where the elements seem to merge into one another through colour.

Felix Scheinberger, an artist from Germany, had a passion for music and painting since he was a child. By the time he had to choose a profession, Felix had already tried on the role of an artist – by illustrating a book – and had liked it.  So, he entered the University of Hamburg and qualified as an illustrator. Today Felix is the author of three watercolour sketching guides and illustrator of a number of children's books about a hare called Timid Timmy. Felix's watercolour style is unusual: he draws funny sketches on the road, portraying people and everyday routines.

Laurin McCracken is an architect and a watercolour artist from the USA. He got his degree of Bachelor of Architecture and Arts at Auburn University and Master of Architecture and Urban Development at Princeton University. His artworks are exhibited by 9 watercolour societies in the USA. He took part in international watercolour exhibitions in Thailand, China, Russia, Malaysia, Belgium, and Italy.

Laurin paints in a realistic manner creating artworks that remind you of the Dutch and Flemish still lives of the 16-17 centuries. His use of watercolour is very unusual compared to what most viewers would expect from this medium. All the objects are painted so thoroughly and life-like that his artworks create an impression of fine art photography. To quote the artist, his main objective is to show the viewer simple things in a new light with the help of watercolour.

Luis Ruiz Padrón is an artist and architect from Malaga, in Spain. Luis is the author of books about architecture which feature his sketches of locations he has visited. These painterly editions have been exhibited in Italy, Canada, France, and Spain. Luis Ruiz also teaches workshops on sketching in art schools and universities. Moreover, he participates in an international project called Urban Sketchers, that unites many artists around the world.

Luis's schtick is quick landscape sketches: minimalist drawings with bright watercolour accents capturing the atmosphere of faraway cities and their unique colour chords.

The Chinese watercolour painter Liu Yi was born in Shanghai. He studied at the Fine Arts Faculty of the Eastern Chinese Pedagogical University and worked as a teacher at the Shanghai College of Arts and Design. His paintings have been awarded numerous prizes including the Grand Prix of the 7th National Exhibition of Fine Arts and the Grand Prix of the China Watercolour Exhibition. Liu's artworks are sold at the Sotheby's and stored at the National Museum of China as a national treasure.

It is not surprising that Liu's watercolour paintings depict the landscapes of his homeland China: bright, unhurried, and reserved at the same time. He also portrays people and their emotions, completely submerging the viewer into them. Just have a look!

La Fe is an extraordinary artist from Thailand. He started exhibiting his artworks only in 2013 – years after graduation from the Painting and Sculpture Faculty of Silpakorn University in Bangkok. However, he stood out at the very first exhibition and the following year he already presented 14 solo shows in Rome, Paris, and Brussels.

What is so special about La Fe? Lately, he has been painting almost exclusively roses. During the long years of painting in watercolour he has become so masterful, that, according to him, he can paint any rose using just three colours: yellow, blue, and red.

Eudes Correia is an artist from Brazil who settled in Lisbon. He started his artistic career quite early, working as a graphic designer and illustrator, but later on, he found himself paying all his attention to watercolour. He has been doing watercolour ever since.

Eudes's paintings depict common people: tourists and people of the street, kids and adults, men and women. Focusing on these unremarkable average people the artist discerns their unique individuality and captures it on paper.

Eudes is in demand and popular all over the world, taking part in international art events and teaching workshops all over Europe.

Michał was born in 1977 in Novy-Sonch, Poland. An architect by profession, he discovered that painting was his passion, hobby, and an integral part of his lifestyle. Michał 's artworks demonstrate both poetic and a realistic vision: look at the highlights on the housefronts, the shimmering sea, the heavy rain clouds. His watercolours are about feelings and sensations, not specific objects. A well-regarded watercolour instructor, Michał Jasiewicz teaches workshops both in Poland and abroad, and his artworks can be found in private collections in Europe, China, and the US.

Cesc Farré is an architect and graduate of the prestigious Vallès High Technical School of Architecture in Barcelona. His portfolio includes projects of buildings, architectural constructions, art installations, and, naturally, watercolour paintings. Cesc has a collection of awards, and his name is known not only to the Spanish audience but to art lovers all over the world. Cesc spent 2 years working as an architect in Algeria and returned to Spain in 2014. Now he lives in Madrid, teaches master classes and workshops on watercolour painting and graphics, takes part in global competitions, and exhibits his artworks to the delight of his admirers.

Truth be told, this is not the real name of the famous botanical painter. The person behind the alias is Jess Sheperd. Her botanical paintings are detailed to the highest degree.

According to Jess, when she paints plants she tries to become them: before touching the paper with a brush she takes a long time to observe her "models" and grasp all the nuances.

Her paintings are not only reflections of the plants' exterior, but also of sensations of touching the petals, sounds of whispering leaves, the fragrance of the flower buds, and even minuscule movements of plants. Jess considers all these things when painting. Before committing herself fully to painting the artist trained in botany, so the knowledge helps her create her botanical masterpieces.

Tansu Özmen was born in Turkey in 1972. He graduated from the Maritime Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University.  During his studies, Tansu started painting but continued his military service regardless of his interest in art.

However, with time his passion for painting became only stronger so Tansu started studying watercolour painting as a mentoree of the top international masters. Having taken part in a few group exhibitions, he was inspired to hold a solo show which opened in Instanbul in 2013.

Pablo Rubén López Sanz from Spain used to work with oils for quite a long time. Later he discovered acrylics and only then committed himself fully to watercolour. According to him, the key advantage of this medium is that one can take a full set of watercolour paints, hit the road, and paint at any moment when inspiration strikes.

He also says that colour doesn't matter much to him because the most important thing in a painting is the story.

Pablo has developed a whole collection of awards, participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, and his artworks are treasured in many private and museum collections globally.

Vincent Jeannerot, another botanical painter, was born in Lyon, France, in 1961 and did his studies at the National School of Fine Arts in his native city.

He has been painting flowers for 30 years, expressing his wonder and awe at their subtle and fragile beauty. The artist is an active participant of national and international shows and a teacher; he works on developing his own gallery, publishes books on botanical illustration and teaches workshops in many countries from Australia and New Zealand to Russia and the USA.