Painting Petals

Having explored the importance of light and shade, lets see how we can apply this to painting flower petals. I advise you to get into the habit of studying how light falls on petals whenever you have the opportunity. The light and shadows create the form, texture and translucence of the petals. Without noticing these elements, it is extremely difficult to recreate in paint a realistic 3D, luminous petal.

For this lesson, I'm going to encourage you to find a well lit photograph as your source material. Feel free to trace and transfer the image if you wish. Your drawing will improve as you practice but there is nothing wrong with tracing if you prefer. Graphic artists and illustrators do this all the time. There are even instruments to make it easier such as light boxes and projectors.

Ok.  I am going to use one of my paintings for this demo. It is a good example of the way light and shade, warm and cool colour describe the form of the petal. Feel free to copy my painting just for the lesson if you wish. I have, however, sold the painting and also sell prints of it so it is copyrighted :-)

Make Life Easy for Yourself!

• Single colours are flat in appearance. Paint from a well lit, contrasty subject or photo with good light and shade. To describe form we need to be able to show the contrast between light and shade. In painting this is done by observing the subtle changes in colour temperature.

Colour Temperature.

There are, as you know, warm and cool tones of the same colour. For example, warm and cool yellows, warm and cool blues, warm and cool green or reds etc. Changing colour temperature over the surface of your petals helps to describe form. It makes a petal turn and curve, come towards you or move away. Have a look at what I mean in the diagram above.

Demo:

I'm going to show you how I painted the lower petal from this pansy.

Materials I have used:

• Cartridge paper

• watercolour paint for under wash

• pastels

I always use heavyweight cartridge paper for my flower paintings. It accepts a light wash and is a lovely surface for either my coloured pencils or oil pastels.

 

1.  Get down a simple line drawing. Take your time if you want to practice your observation skills. Even if you decide to trace, compare the nuances of line in your tracing to the photo. You'll be surprised how you can improve on it :-)

2. Firstly I select a base colour, partly to eliminate the white paper and secondly to give an overall unity to the painting. Have a good look at your reference photo and select a hue that underlies most of the flower petal. Then mix or select a colour which is a few tones lighter. This will allow you to both build up stronger tones on top and lighten areas which catch the light. Most of my flower paintings are done in  oil pastels but I always put down an underwash in watercolour or acrylic ink. This provides an good uniform surface texture of colour to build on.

3. For this petal, I have painted over the entire area with a ultramarine blue watercolour wash.

Draw or trace your flower onto a heavy cartridge or hot pressed watercolour paper.

Apply a 'rough' underwash. I've used ultramarine for this flower's wash and I've purposely painted it messily to show it doesn't matter! The pastels will cover this base. Just slap the paint on :-)

c) 

Next, observe the colours in your flower and pre select the pastels or pencils you are going to use. Working in directional strokes, loosely overlay the colours. I refer to this as laying down 'veils of colour'.

When you are selecting your colours, remember to think in terms of cool and warm tones. I am working on the larger section of this petal with cool blues and lilacs moving towards warmer lilacs as I move out to the edge of the petal. I will then add even lighter pinks.

d)

I continue to gradually build up the layers of colour on top of the ultramarine wash. By working this way, it's relatively easy to make many fine adjustments to the placement of colours, gradually achieving the contrast of light and shade, warm and cool colours.

e)

I continue this way, finally adding lines of cobalt and deeper lilac to the petals to faintly describe the veins. I also painted in the black markings and the yellow centre. When painting a whole flower head, I would do all these stages over all the petals, gradually building up the flower and adjusting light and shade from my reference photo.

You can see that I'm not bothered about painting 'in the lines' and keeping my paper clean. This is because i nearly always add a dark background to my flower paintings. Enjoy!

Are you Keeping a Flower Painting Journal?

I suggested last lesson that it would be useful and fun to keep a flower painting journal or sketchbook. If you haven't got round to it, maybe that's something you could treat yourself to this month? :-)  Think of it as a flower diary. Draw in it and keep your reference photos in there too.

 

 

This Flower Painting Course is Copyright © Theresa Evans All Rights Reserved.

You may print it to share with friends but please don't copy it to your website. 

Thanks.