Last Saturday I demonstrated painting flowers with both watercolors and acrylics.
First, a brief overview of the parts of a flower. After years of painting, I feel it helps to know what types of petals, leaves, stems and stamens I am dealing with. That way, even though I may not see everything, I know the basic shape to depict.
I showed the class my favorite flower book, "Rocky Mountain Wildflowers," pocket guide by David Dahms. This great flower guide travels in my backpack on all hikes. I refer to it when painting. I also shared a handful of wildflower photos I have taken.
I had prepared a canvas for the acrylics with varied background shades ranging from a neutral grey to a peachy-pink-orange. I started painting by blocking out shapes of some cut flowers I brought - pink carnations, blue-violet stock and white daisy mums. On the canvas, I sketched the outline of the flower bunches using a pastel pencil which will disappear as I paint over it.
On the watercolor paper, I sketched in pen. Then I filled in the background with a complimentary or analogous color. Yellow for the purple stock and a grey green for the white mums.
I quickly and briefly showed a couple brush techniques - one using acrylics, dipping one side of a flat brush in one color of paint and the other side in another color, then make a beautiful whoosh for a petal, leaving those delicate lines of depth and color. Kind of like frosting a cake using 2 colors of icing in the pastry bag.
I also created highlights on the purple stock using a very very light yellowish tint. Again with the complimentary colors. How very useful.
All depending on what the end result is to be.
for the whitel mums I painted with a light black (grey) wash and barely yellowish green tint.
For a landscape, the colors can just be dabbed and dotted. For a close-up still life, details, light and shadows are key.
Flowers are versatile and always pleasing. Get out the paints. Enjoy the creative process.
