Watercolor Lettering and Loose Florals with Jade Scarlett

Subscribers Only Seminar

This seminar is for CreativeLive subscribers only. Not subscribed? Start here!

The Watercolor Lettering and Loose Florals seminar blends expressive brush lettering with soft, organic floral painting. This session focuses on creating fluid, imperfect compositions where painted letterforms and loose botanical elements work together harmoniously. Rather than aiming for rigid precision, participants learn to embrace movement, transparency, and layering to create modern, airy designs suitable for cards, prints, and decorative artwork.

Through guided demonstrations, this seminar covers watercolor lettering techniques, simple floral brushstrokes, and composition strategies for combining text and illustration. Participants will practice controlling water and pigment for clean letterforms, painting intuitive floral shapes, and building balanced layouts with contrast and negative space. By the end of the session, attendees will complete a cohesive piece that integrates lettering and loose florals with confidence.

This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Jade Scarlett.

What You'll Learn

  • Balance structure with looseness by combining lettering and florals.
  • Create thick and thin watercolor letterforms using controlled water and pigment.
  • Build simple floral shapes using brush pressure and wet-on-wet blending.
  • Layer once dry to add depth without overworking the piece.
  • Use a limited palette (2–4 colors) to create cohesion.
  • Balance florals around lettering using contrast and negative space.
  • Add finishing details and deepen shadows through glazing.
  • Recognize when to stop to preserve softness and movement.

Who It's For

  • Students with basic watercolor or lettering experience
  • Creatives interested in handmade cards, prints, or decorative artwork
  • Brush lettering artists looking to incorporate painted elements
  • Watercolor hobbyists wanting to add text to their compositions
  • Anyone drawn to soft, modern botanical design styles

Required Materials

  • Watercolor paints (basic primary set or floral-friendly palette with pinks, greens, blues)
  • Round brushes (sizes 2, 6, and 8 recommended)
  • 140 lb cold press watercolor paper
  • Waterproof black fineliner (optional for outlining)
  • Pencil and kneaded eraser
  • Two water containers
  • Paper towels or cotton cloth
  • Palette for mixing
  • Optional: white gel pen for highlights

How to Join

  • This class is available exclusively to CreativeLive subscribers. Not a subscriber? Join here.
  • The class will be delivered via Zoom-style live sessions through CreativeLive.
  • To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited.
  • A unique Zoom join link will be sent to registered subscribers prior to the class date.

About the Instructor


Jade Scarlett

Jade Scarlett is a watercolor artist, modern calligrapher, educator, and confessed craftaholic. It is her deepest belief that people can be happier and more fulfilled when expressing themselves creatively, and she's intensely passionate about teaching and making art accessible to all.

Her desire is to uplift and encourage everyone to live their best creative lives.

Her motto in life is “Make art, feel happy!"