My First Free Watercolour Workshop: Paint a Beetle with me
BLog
23rd September 2026
I’m so excited to share something I’ve been working on behind the scenes at Ruth Goodwin Designs — my first free online watercolour workshop, inspired by one of my favourite subjects to paint: the humble beetle.
Why a beetle?
I’ve always loved painting insects. There’s something so fascinating about their tiny shapes, beautiful colours and incredible detail.
Beetles in particular make wonderful watercolour subjects. Their shells can have so many subtle changes in colour and tone, from deep greens and blues to warm golden highlights, and I love the challenge of trying to capture that little bit of shine and texture with watercolour.
They’re also a subject that has become quite special to Ruth Goodwin Designs. I’ve painted lots of insects over the years, and they’ve often been some of the illustrations that people respond to most when I share my work.
So when I started thinking about creating my first online workshop, a beetle felt like the perfect place to begin. 🪲
Behind the scenes
Creating this workshop has been such a lovely project to work on.
There was quite a lot to think about before I even started filming — choosing the beetle, working out the colour palette, preparing the drawing, setting up my camera and lights, and planning how I wanted to explain each stage of the painting.
I wanted the workshop to feel relaxed and approachable, rather than something that you needed lots of experience to take part in.
I’ve included a printable workbook too, so you can have everything you need alongside you while you paint.
From choosing the colours to gradually building up the layers of watercolour, I take you through the painting step by step.
Here are a few little glimpses behind the scenes…
What’s included
When you join the free workshop, you’ll have access to:
A step-by-step watercolour video
Materials and colour palette
A reference photograph
A beetle outline to help you get started
A printable workshop workbook
Painting tips and guidance
The workshop is available online, so you can paint along whenever it suits you and return to it whenever you’d like.
Join my free Beetle Watercolour Workshop 🪲
If you’d like to paint along with me, I’d love to have you join me for my first free online workshop.
It’s completely free, and you can work through it at your own pace from the comfort of home.
What’s next?
This is just the beginning of something I’ve been wanting to create for a long time.
I’m planning to create more relaxed, nature-inspired watercolour workshops over the coming months, exploring subjects from the hedgerows, garden and countryside around us.
I’ve already been busy working on the next ones, so there will be lots more to come. 🌿
I hope this first workshop gives you a little bit of time to slow down, pick up your paints and enjoy the simple pleasure of painting something from nature.
Thank you so much for being here and for supporting my little creative business.
I’d love to have you join me.
Happy painting,
Ruth x 🌿
1st October 2026
Painting Blackberries in watercolour
A Little taste of autumn
There’s something I really love about the beginning of autumn.
The days are still warm enough to feel like summer, but little signs of the changing season are starting to appear everywhere. The light becomes softer, the hedgerows are filled with berries and seed heads, and the colours around us slowly begin to change.
One of my favourite things to paint at this time of year is the humble blackberry. 🫐
Those deep purple-black berries, tucked amongst green leaves and winding stems, are such a lovely little reminder that summer is beginning to turn towards autumn.
And they make a wonderful watercolour subject too.
Finding inspiration in the hedgerows
I’m always looking at the natural world around me for ideas for my paintings.
I love the little details that can easily be overlooked — an insect resting on a leaf, a wildflower growing at the edge of a path, or a handful of blackberries hanging from a hedgerow.
Blackberries especially have so much lovely detail to explore in watercolour.
Although they might look almost black at first glance, when you look closely there are lots of different colours and tones within them. Deep purples, blues, pinks and warmer shades all come together, along with tiny highlights that help to give each berry its rounded, juicy appearance.
It’s these little changes in colour and tone that make painting them so much fun.
Creating my blackberry watercolour
When I started working on this painting, I wanted to keep the feeling quite simple and natural.
I began with the drawing, thinking carefully about the shape and arrangement of the berries before adding any paint.
From there, I gradually built up the layers of watercolour.
Rather than trying to make the berries look dark straight away, I used lighter washes to begin with and slowly developed the colour and depth. This is something I really enjoy about watercolour — allowing the painting to build gradually and letting each layer add something to the one underneath.
The highlights are particularly important.
Leaving little areas of the paper showing through, and adding lighter touches within the darker berries, helps to create that rounded appearance and gives the painting a little more life.
I also loved painting the leaves and stems alongside the berries. The contrast between the deep purples and the fresh greens gives the painting that lovely feeling of late summer moving into autumn.
