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Croissant & cappuccino

A cozy journal page in watercolor and ink. Thirteen small steps, no experience needed.

about 30 min + drying absolute beginner watercolor + fineliner

Thirteen small steps

Tap a step to paint it with us, or start from the beginning.

Faint pencil lines: ovals for the cup, saucer and foam, a crescent for the croissant.

Pencil: ovals and a crescent

3 min

What: Lightly sketch a flat oval for the rim, a small one for the foot, a wide one for the saucer, and a fat crescent for the croissant.
Why: It's only a map for the paint, and it gets erased. It can be faint, and it can be wrong.
Tip: Draw a line down the middle of the cup first and center every oval on it.

The same sketch, with a small heart painted in masking fluid in the foam.

Masking fluid: the heart

2 min, then let it dry

What: Paint the heart in the foam with masking fluid, and let it dry.
Note: Ours is shown in amber so you can see it. Yours may be clear, yellow or blue.
Why: It's a raincoat for the paper: when you rub it off later, the heart underneath is still white.
Tip: Use an old brush and wash it with soap straight away. No masking fluid? A white wax crayon works.

Pale first washes: golden croissant, light brown foam, a pale blue-gray on the right of the cup, a warm patch behind.

The first wash

5 min

What: Pale, watery color: gold on the croissant, light brown on the foam, pale blue-gray on the cup's right side and the saucer, a pale ochre patch behind. Leave the cup's left side white.
Why: Watercolor has no white paint. Whatever you leave bare becomes the light.
Tip: While the croissant is wet, touch darker brown onto each bump. It melts in by itself.

Let it dry

5–10 min

What: Wait. Really wait.
Why: On damp paper the next layer bleeds and every edge goes fuzzy. It's the step beginners skip most.
Tip: Back of your hand on the paper: cool means still damp. Or make yourself a real fika.

Darker strokes on the lower right of each croissant bump, and a blue shadow down the right of the cup.

Shadows that shape

4 min

What: A darker stroke on the lower right of each croissant bump. Blue-gray down the cup's right side, under the rim, and where the handle meets the cup.
Why: The light comes from the upper left, so the lower right is darker. That's what makes things look round.
Tip: Soften one edge of each shadow with a clean, damp brush.

Soft blue shadows on the saucer and the table, under the cup and the croissant.

Cast shadows

2 min

What: The shadows things throw: the cup's onto the saucer, and the saucer's and the croissant's onto the table, all to the lower right.
Why: Cast shadows glue things to the table. Without them, the croissant floats.
Tip: Mix your shadow from blue and a little brown, not gray or black. It keeps the shadows clean and the colors bright.

Small dark touches in the croissant's folds and under the cup's foot.

Dark accents

2 min

What: With just the tip of the brush, the darkest touches: in the croissant's folds, where it sits on the table, under the cup's foot, at the back of the foam.
Why: A few small darks make everything around them look lighter and brighter.
Tip: Less than you think. Three or four touches, then put the brush down.

The masking fluid is rubbed off; a white heart shows in the foam.

Rub off the mask

1 min

What: When the paint is completely dry, rub the masking fluid off with a clean fingertip.
Why: There's your heart: bright white in the coffee. This is the little magic moment.
Tip: If the paper is even slightly damp, it can tear. When in doubt, wait one more minute.

Black ink outlines around the cup, saucer and croissant, with small gaps where the light hits.

Ink: the main lines

3 min

What: With the fineliner, trace the outlines: the rim, the sides of the cup, the handle, the saucer, the croissant.
Why: Ink goes on last, over dry paint. Any earlier, and the water would smudge it.
Tip: Leave small gaps where the light hits, and press a little harder on the shadow side.

Ink details: croissant folds, the lip of the cup, half the heart, crumbs, and two curls of steam.

Ink: the details

3 min

What: The croissant's folds, the cup's lip, half the heart, three crumbs, a little hatching and two curls of steam.
Why: Details are where the eye comes to rest, so put them where you want people to look.
Tip: Draw only half the heart's outline. The eye finishes the rest, and it looks lighter that way.

The pencil lines are erased; only ink and paint remain.

Erase the pencil

1 min

What: Gently erase any pencil lines that still show.
Why: The ink holds the shapes now, and leftover pencil only makes the page look gray.
Tip: Wait until the ink is dry. A kneaded eraser, pressed and lifted instead of rubbed, is kindest to painted paper.

White highlights

1 min

What: Tiny touches of white gouache or white gel pen: the shine on the croissant's glaze, a glint on the rim, one on the cup and the saucer.
Why: The very brightest light is what makes things look glossy and fresh.
Tip: Fewer than you want to. Three to five little touches are plenty.

A few blue splatter dots in the upper right corner.

A little splatter

1 min

What: Load the brush with watery blue and tap it against your finger over the top right corner of the page.
Why: A few loose dots make the page feel relaxed and handmade.
Tip: Cover the drawing with a scrap of paper first, so the splatter only lands where you want it.

The finished croissant and cappuccino page, with steam curling from the cup.

Now take
your fika.

You made it. Write the date next to your painting. It'll be fun to look back on in a few months.

Skills you collect

Each one fills in as you paint its steps. 0 of 6 so far. They stay in your collection for the next lesson.

You've unlocked…

With the skills you just learned, you can now paint these.

An avocado cut in two halves, the stone in one, in watercolor and ink.

coming soon

A halved avocado

The same washes and shadows, and a glossy stone. New paints: sap green and violet.

same skills · + 2 paints

coming soon

A sleeping cat

Soft fur from the same layered washes and shadows. New paints: rose, violet and sap green.

same skills · + 3 paints

coming soon

Tulips in a glass

One new skill away: wet-in-wet, where colors melt into each other on the paper.

+ 1 new skill

see all lessons →

You'll need

Thirteen small steps

Pencil: ovals and a crescent

Masking fluid: the heart

The first wash

Let it dry

Shadows that shape

Cast shadows

Dark accents

Rub off the mask

Ink: the main lines

Ink: the details

Erase the pencil

White highlights

A little splatter

Now takeyour fika.

Skills you collect

You've unlocked…

A halved avocado

A sleeping cat

Tulips in a glass

Now take
your fika.