How to Paint Blue Hydrangeas for Beginners (Companion Guide)

There’s something so peaceful about painting hydrangeas. Their soft petals, layered blues, and coastal feel make them one of my favorite flowers to paint. In this beginner-friendly tutorial, we’re creating a light and airy hydrangea arrangement in a glass vase using acrylic paint on paper.

This guide is designed to go along with my YouTube tutorial so you can easily follow along at your own pace. This painting is from my floral print collection. 

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’m not affiliated with the brand, but 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.


Paint Along Kits

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

  • A printed hydrangea sketches from this tutorial
  • The matching white hydrangea sketch from next week’s tutorial
  • 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.

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.

Ashley intentionally avoided purple in this painting to keep the palette fully blue and coastal-inspired.

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.

Ashley 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.

Creating the Background

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.

Coming Next

In the next tutorial, we’ll be painting:

White Hydrangeas with a Soft Blue Background

Designed to perfectly coordinate with this blue hydrangea painting for a matching set.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it. And while you are waiting, check out my beginners guide with everything you need to know to start painting with acrylics!

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