March 10th, 2026

Plum Blossoms in Spring

Follow along as Marketing Manager Nakaia Macomber-Millman and Art Toolkit Founder Maria Coryell-Martin demonstrate various tools and techniques for capturing blossoms!

By The Art Toolkit Team

A hand holds an open sketchbook featuring a drawing of cherry blossoms, with a watercolor palette beside it. Delicate pink flowers are visible on the tree branch in the background.

Plum blossoms uplift our spirits each year, promising spring as their delicate pink petals stand out brilliantly against blue skies. A few weeks ago, Marketing Manager Nakaia Macomber-Millman and Art Toolkit Founder Maria Coryell-Martin drove around Port Townsend, searching for plum blossoms, and found some cute little trees just beginning to bloom. With matching Purple Art Toolkits, they began exploring the colors and shapes of the blossoms.

Nakaia had a Pocket Art Toolkit with a Pink Demi Palette, Alpha Series Softcover Sketchbook, and sketching tools, and Maria had an A5 Art Toolkit with a Pink Pocket Palette and larger square and landscape Watercolor Books. The palettes contained matching sets of pigments—because we love little details like that—plus some extra mixing space!

A colorful artist's palette with various watercolor paints sits atop white sketchbooks displaying floral illustrations. A purple carrying case is partially visible in the background. — **Paints:** Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Magenta, Coral Reef, Green Gold, Cobalt Teal Blue, Cobalt Blue, Lavender, Transparent Brown Oxide, and (Pocket Palette’s additional pigments: Perylene Red, Buff Titanium).

Nakaia and Maria used Kakuno Fountain Pens and Rosemary & Co’s Domed Filbert travel brushes: R29 Red Dot Domed Filbert Size 4 and R30 Red Dot Domed Filbert Size 8, respectively, to play with one-stroke shapes for the petals, and dropped in additional soft purples and pinks for texture.

Delicate watercolor depiction of pink cherry blossom flowers on a branch, with soft splashes of color in the background. — Maria’s petal explorations with a filbert.

Nakaia then moved on to sketching blind contours, observing that the petal shape is deceptively simple and that it was helpful to “get my pen down and follow the outline with my eye to pick up on wrinkles and more accurate proportions.”

A collection of watercolor flowers in various shades of pink on the left, alongside detailed black ink sketches of similar flowers and butterflies on the right. The flowers and butterflies feature both open and closed petals, showcasing artistic variations. — Nakaia’s petal explorations (left), and contours (right) with a filbert.

Maria captured bold, blue backdrop of sky behind a blossom-speckled twig, along with a smattering of other blossom sketches and nature spots—dots of color mixes to represent the hues she observed.

A branch with pink blossoms against a blue sky. Below the branch, there are nine color swatches in various shades, including pink, blue, and brown, labeled "Frost Blossoms."

A purple artist's portfolio with an open watercolor sketchbook displaying a painting of cherry blossom branches. Nearby, a watercolor palette shows various paints, and several fallen cherry blossom petals rest on the surface.

A person is drawing cherry blossoms in a sketchbook, using a pen. The page features colorful paint circles and detailed floral illustrations. — Maria sketches with a Kakuno Fountain Pen.

Watercolor illustrations of cherry blossom flowers and branches, accompanied by a palette of six colored circles in pink, purple, green, and blue hues. — Blossom explorations and nature spots.

The range of delicate colors was fun to explore, from the soft pinks with rose accents to the greenish bark and shadows. Deep, dark maroon leaves also stood out against the light petals.

Daniel Smith Coral Reef created some lovely, chalky light pinks for using directly on the paper, bringing an opacity similar to painting with gouache. A range of darks could be mixed with the brown Transparent Brown Oxide and Cobalt Blue, with a touch of Buff Titanium for variation.

A delicate illustration of a cherry blossom branch, featuring clusters of pink flowers and budding leaves, framed by a light blue decorative border. — Nakaia’s plum blossom contour sketch.

A watercolor paint set with a variety of colors sits open next to a sketchbook page featuring a delicate illustration of cherry blossoms. A pen is positioned nearby, and the background includes a purple carrying case and natural elements. — Nakaia’s sketching supplies and fallen blossoms.

In the sunny patch, it was a delightful afternoon, though hands get cold as soon as the sun drops below the hill! When sketching early in the season, be sure to bring your gloves and tea. Now, we’re looking forward to more early blossoms, from purple crocuses to daffodils and everything else to come.

Happy spring from the Pacific Northwest!

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