Hydrangea Step-by-Step Paint Along (Companion Guide)

This guide was created to accompany both of the hydrangea tutorials on my YouTube Channel: White Hydrangeas ("Delicate Blooms") and Blue Hydrangeas ("Simple Elegance").

Whether you're brand new to acrylic painting or simply looking for a relaxing creative project, these lessons are designed to help you create beautiful artwork one step at a time.

Hydrangeas have always been one of my favorite flowers to paint. Their soft, fluffy blooms, delicate color variations, and timeless beauty make them the perfect subject for learning foundational painting techniques while creating something you'll be proud to display in your home.

Inside this guide, you'll find helpful supply information, color references, and tips to support you throughout both tutorials. Remember, painting isn't about perfection—it's about enjoying the process, learning new skills, and allowing yourself the freedom to create.

As you follow along, don't worry about making every brushstroke look exactly like mine. Every painting is unique, and that's part of what makes original artwork so special. Take your time, trust the process, and most importantly, have fun.

Thank you for painting with me. I can't wait to see what you create!

Blue Hydrangeas Step-by-Step Guide

Supplies You’ll Need

Acrylic Paint Colors Used

  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Hooker Green
  • Raw Umber
  • Raw Siena
  • Yellow Ochre
  • White

You can absolutely substitute similar shades if you already have paints at home. For a complete list of supplies I recommend click here. 

 

 

Beginner Acrylic Painting Set

In the video, I mention a beginner acrylic painting set from Amazon that I really enjoyed using. I loved that it included:

  • A wide variety of paint colors
  • Flat brushes for florals
  • Fine detail brushes for stems and highlights
  • Beginner-friendly supplies that still feel professional

To shop this set in amazon click here. The smaller detail brushes in the set worked especially well for the leaves, stems, and vase details. If you’re just getting started, having a complete set makes the process feel much less overwhelming. You may need to buy a full size white if you plan to use the set for multiple pieces. 


Paint Along Kits

For a limited time, I also created paint along sketch kits that include:

  • A printed hydrangea sketches from both the blue and white hydrangea tutorials
  • A coordinated set designed to display beautifully together

These are wonderful if you’d rather focus on painting instead of sketching everything yourself first. 

Click here to shop paint along kits

Step-by-Step Painting Breakdown

Step 1: Blocking in the Shadows

With acrylic painting, we work from dark to light.

Begin by mixing:

  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Raw Umber
  • White

This creates the darker base layer that will help establish the depth inside the hydrangea blooms.

Don’t focus on details yet. Think of this stage as simply placing the shadows and shapes.


Step 2: Building the Midtones

For the second layer:

  • Add more white into your blue mixtures
  • Begin layering lighter petals on top of the darker areas

Each layer should become slightly lighter than the one before it.

Make sure each layer is fully dry before you begin the next lighter petal layer to avoid the colors mixing together, I suggest using a blow dryer to speed up the process 

Hydrangeas become beautiful because of all the layered values working together.


Step 3: Creating the Lightest Petals

Now we move into the soft highlights.

I primarily used:

  • Cobalt Blue
  • White

This creates the creamy coastal blue tones that make the painting feel soft and airy.

At this stage:

  • Use smaller brush strokes
  • Focus on shaping the final blooms
  • Leave some darker areas visible underneath for depth



Step 4: Adding Color Variation

To avoid the flowers feeling flat, mix:

  • Yellow Ochre
  • White
  • A touch of your existing blue mixture

This subtle warmth mimics the natural greenish undertones often found in real hydrangeas.

I intentionally avoided purple in this painting to keep the palette fully blue and coastal-inspired. But feel free to experiment with your piece!

Painting the Leaves & Stems


Step 5: Loose Greenery

For the stems and leaves:

  • Thin your paint with water
  • Let the acrylic behave slightly like watercolor

This creates soft luminous brush strokes that feel fresh and effortless.

Suggested green mixture:

  • Hooker Green (optional if available)
  • Yellow Ochre
  • Small touches of blue for deeper greens

Remember:
Acrylics are forgiving. You can always paint over mistakes.

Painting the Glass Vase


Step 6: Don’t Fear the Vase

Glass can feel intimidating, but it’s often easier than it looks. But if you decide to stop here and go straight to the background with floating stems you can do that too!

If you start the vase and change your mind later you can either paint over it with a few layers of the background color (allowing it to try fully in between) or use rubbing alcohol to pull out some of the dark color to paint over it. 

I created the vase outline using:

  • Raw Umber
  • Ultramarine Blue

Together they form a beautiful charcoal gray.

Vase Tips

  • Keep edges slightly darker
  • Add lighter grays inside the glass
  • Use white highlights around the rim
  • Add touches of green reflection near the stems

The goal is not perfection. Painterly glass often looks more realistic than overly detailed glass.


Step 7: Soft Coastal Background

For the background:

  • Mostly White
  • Tiny amount of Yellow Ochre

This creates a warm creamy backdrop that allows the blue flowers to stand out beautifully.

You could also use a pale blue background if preferred.

Ashley chose cream because the following week’s tutorial features white hydrangeas against a soft blue background so the pair coordinates beautifully together.

Final Details

Step 8: Finishing Touches

As you near completion:

  • Reinforce darker shadows if needed
  • Add tiny highlights to petals
  • Refresh stem details
  • Add a soft cast shadow beside the vase if desired

If shadows feel intimidating, skip them entirely. The goal is to create something you love.


Beginner Tips to Remember

  • Paint from dark to light
  • Use more white with every layer
  • Pause the tutorial between steps
  • Don’t overthink each petal
  • Acrylic paint is very forgiving
  • Layering creates depth naturally

Most importantly:
Enjoy the process.

White Hydrangeas Step-by-Step Guide

In this lesson, we’ll be painting soft, fluffy white hydrangeas in a glass vase using acrylic paint. This painting is beginner-friendly, but it also includes optional details you can build on if you want a more realistic finish.

Before you begin, I recommend watching the full tutorial once all the way through. Then, when you’re ready to paint, you can slow the video down, pause as needed, mute the audio, and enjoy painting at your own pace.

Paint Colors Used

For this painting, you’ll need:

  • Titanium White
  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Yellow Ochre
  • Raw Sienna
  • Raw Umber
  • Hooker’s Green

You can also substitute or adjust colors based on what you have. If you don’t have Hooker’s Green, you can mix a green using yellow ochre or yellow with a tiny bit of black or blue.

Step 1: Sketch Your Painting

Begin by lightly sketching your hydrangeas, stems, leaves, vase, table, and background.

You can draw this yourself, or use the pre-printed sketch included in your Paint-Along Kit. The sketch is there to make the process easier, especially if you are brand new to painting.

Think of this stage like creating a simple coloring page. The lines will help guide you as you build your layers.

Step 2: Paint the First Layer of Hydrangea Blooms

Mix a soft, creamy gray using:

  • White
  • A small amount of ultramarine blue
  • A touch of yellow ochre
  • A tiny bit of raw umber, if needed

Using a flat brush, begin adding the first layer of petals. Keep your brushstrokes loose and organic. Hydrangea petals should point in different directions, so avoid making every stroke look the same.

This first layer should be slightly darker than your final petals. Acrylic painting is built in layers, and we’ll slowly add lighter colors on top.

Let some of the sketch and background show through. You do not need to cover every area perfectly.

Step 3: Build Lighter Petal Layers

Once the first layer is dry, add a little more white to your gray mixture and begin layering in more petals.

Work slowly and allow each layer to dry before adding the next. This is important because if the paint underneath is still wet, the petals may start to blend together and look muddy.

You can use a blow dryer to speed up the drying time.

As you build your petals, keep the left side of each bloom slightly lighter than the right side. This will create the feeling that light is coming from the left.

Do not use pure white yet. Save your brightest white for the final highlights.

Step 4: Add Stems and Greenery

Mix Hooker’s Green with a little yellow ochre. Add a bit of water so the paint flows easily from your brush.

Paint the stems and begin filling in the leaves. This first green layer should be darker because acrylic painting usually works from dark to light.

You can also add a few touches of green into the darker areas of the hydrangea blooms. This makes it look like the stems and leaves are peeking through the flowers.

At this stage, don’t worry about perfect details. Focus on filling in the basic shapes.

Step 5: Paint the First Layer of the Glass Vase

Now we’ll begin the glass vase.

Mix a soft gray-blue using:

  • Ultramarine blue
  • Cobalt blue
  • Raw umber
  • White
  • A tiny touch of yellow ochre to warm it up

Use this color to paint the waterline and the shapes inside the vase. Follow the sketch like a guide and fill in the sections gently.

The vase may look messy at first, and that is completely normal. Glass comes together through layers, reflections, and highlights.

If painting a glass vase feels intimidating, you can simplify it by painting a solid vase instead, or by extending the stems down and skipping the vase details. But I encourage you to try the glass version first. You can always paint over it if you change your mind.

Step 6: Add Shadows and Reflections in the Vase

Add darker blue-gray tones near the bottom of the vase and around the edges where the glass curves.

You can also add lighter blue where the background will show through the glass. Since this painting has a light blue background, adding blue inside the vase helps it feel transparent.

Use loose, horizontal brushstrokes to suggest water and reflection. Don’t worry if it does not look realistic right away. The vase will continue to come together as you add more layers.

Let this layer dry before continuing.

Step 7: Build More Detail in the Vase

Once the vase is dry, come back in with lighter blues, soft grays, and small touches of white.

Tighten the edges of the vase and add small highlights around the waterline. You can keep this stage simple for a more impressionistic look, or continue adding finer details for a more realistic glass effect.

If you would like to add the gold rim detail, mix a golden color using yellow ochre, raw sienna, and a touch of white. Add this carefully along the rim or edge of the vase.

This gold detail is optional. The vase will still look beautiful without it.

Step 8: Paint the Tablecloth

Mix a rich brown or taupe color using:

  • Raw umber
  • Ultramarine blue
  • A little green
  • Yellow ochre
  • White, as needed

Paint the table area below the vase. Keep the left side slightly lighter and the right side a little darker to match the direction of the light.

You can add a soft shadow beneath the vase to make it feel like it is sitting on the table.

For extra dimension, use a flat brush and a little white or light taupe to create a subtle reflection on the tabletop.

Step 9: Paint the Blue Background

Mix cobalt blue with white and a small amount of raw umber to create a soft coastal blue.

Paint the background around the flowers and vase. Start with a slightly darker blue, then layer lighter blue on top to create depth.

It is okay if you accidentally cover a little bit of the leaves or edges of the vase. You can come back later and clean up those areas.

You can also make the corners or edges slightly darker and keep the center a little lighter for a soft, airy look.

Step 10: Add Final Highlights to the Hydrangeas

Now it’s time to bring the hydrangeas to life.

Use white straight from the tube, or mostly white with just a tiny bit of your creamy gray mixture, to add the brightest petal highlights.

Focus these highlights mostly on the left side of the blooms where the light is hitting.

Use a smaller rounded brush for this step so the petals feel more delicate and defined.

If any areas become too bright, you can mix a deeper gray and add back some soft shadows. The goal is to create a balance of light and shadow so the flowers look white, not flat.

Step 11: Add Leaf Details

Once the green layer is dry, mix a lighter green using:

  • Hooker’s Green
  • Yellow ochre
  • White
  • A little water

Use the tip of a small brush to add veins and highlights to the leaves.

Add darker green in shadowed areas and lighter green or yellow-green where the light would hit. This will make the leaves feel more natural and less flat.

You can also add a few small green touches back into the blooms to suggest greenery peeking through.

Step 12: Finish the Final Details

Take a step back and look at the whole painting.

Now is the time to clean up edges, straighten the table line, add final vase highlights, soften shadows, or brighten any petals that need more contrast.

You can also add a few light blue brushstrokes in the background to give it texture and movement.

Remember, your painting does not need to look exactly like mine. Your brushstrokes, color choices, and style will make it your own.

Let the painting dry completely, then display it somewhere special.

Final Encouragement

If this is your first painting, be proud of yourself for trying something new. Every layer teaches you something, and every painting helps you grow.

If something feels messy halfway through, don’t give up. Acrylic paint is very forgiving, and you can always let it dry and paint another layer on top.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. Painting is meant to be relaxing, creative, and personal.

Tag me in Instagram with your finished painting for a chance to win fun giveaways and to be featured on my social media!  @ashley.fineart I can’t wait to see what you create! 

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