I hope you enjoy this step by step if you have a go at painting it.
I love sharing the joys of using techniques to "tame" this wonderful medium and use it to express the beauty of the natural forms around us.
My future plan is to start an series of on line courses. You would get A4 drawings, full instructions and most importantly FEEDBACK on your work for maximum learning potential.
So look out for these!
Reference photo
My drawing
Materials
-Watercolour paper 140not 11x15 inches
(I used Saunders
Waterford)
-A board with your paper fixed to it with masking tape all around the edge.
-Watercolour Brushes Size 6, 8 10
-Masking Fluid and a small old brush to apply it
2B Pencil and a putty rubber
Colours
Aureolin
Raw sienna
Quinacridone gold
Winsor blue
Cobalt Blue
Winsor Violet
Permanent Rose
Quinacridone Magenta
Quinacridone Red
Step One
I drew the design on to the watercolour paper set at landscape. I then put a line of masking fluid approx. half a centimetre thick round the edge of the flowers in order to protect them from the first wash. I also masked out some small sparkly spots in the glass vase. While the masking was drying I prepared my colours for the first wash.
I made large wells of aureolin and raw sienna lightly mingled, permanent rose, Winsor violet, cobalt blue. The paint was single cream consistency. I wetted the paper with clean water everywhere except the main body of the flowers so that any colour would only spread where the water was.
Ignoring the drawn lines, I started by dropping in yellows top left and down through the vase and over the table. I then dropped in the blues and violets using a weaving action and allowing the colours to blend on the paper. Once the colours were in I lifted the board and allowed the colours to mix and run one into the other. I let this first wash dry completely. Then I removed the masking on the flowers.
TIP! Cover your masking brush with soap to protect it.
Step Two
I made wells of the yellows, a green well made with Winsor blue and Quinacridone gold loosely mingled, and separate ones of violet, red and pink in order to paint the flowers. I wet each flower with clean water and stroked in the thick colour leaving some areas unpainted to depict light.
The water makes the colour blend naturally. One or two white flowers were left unpainted. I dropped some yellows and greens into the leafy areas and let them blend. I allowed this to dry completely
Step 2
Step Three
Studying closely the reference photo, I used thicker mixes of each flower colour to make one petal stand out against another. I painted in some folds and creases within one of the unpainted flowers to make a pale violet flower. With a mix of cobalt and a tiny touch of pink I painted in the creases in the white flowers. For the flower centres, I first laid in some cobalt blue, and then dropped in a dark mix made with Winsor blue, pink and a touch of green. The little stamens were painted with the dark mix.
I painted the frilly leaves in the centre by painting the negative spaces around them with darker green and then leaves around the outside were painted.
For the vase, I made a mix of Winsor blue and a little gold and aureolin to make a blue green colour. I wet the vase with clean water and then dropped the thick colour in round the edge and allowed it to travel into the centre. I stroked in some stalk shapes wet in wet with a thick green mix. All this was allowed to dry.
TIP! Try and leave some edges unpainted
on the flowers to give an effect of light.
Step 3
TIP! When painting the vase, concentrate your colour round the outside to keep the centre light to make it look more “glassy” and see through.
Step Four
The vase needed another layer of paint. Once again I gently wet the whole vase and a very thick mix of the dark blue/green colour was dropped in around the edge and at the bottom to depict the thick glass. I let the colour spread naturally. With some yellowy green I painted in some negative shapes among the stalks in the vase to make them stand out. Some more negative shapes were painted among the frilly leaves. I removed the masking on the vase to reveal some sparkles on the glass.
Finally it was time to lay in a second wash behind the flowers to make then stand out with more impact. For this I made up some Winsor blue, some violet, some magenta and then wet the background on the top half of the painting right the way to the edge of the paper. I then dropped in the colours up against the flowers and weaved them to the edge of the paper and allowed them to blend by tipping the board this way and that. I left the wash alone without manipulating it so it stayed fresh and clean. I allowed this to dry.
I laid in the suggestion of a cast shadow and a reflection from the vase with a mix of cobalt and a touch of pink and wetting the paper lightly first.
TIP! You can do the background wash in
two parts if this is easier, making a break
in the middle at the top.
To see me actually painting similar projects have a look at this link about my DVD (£15 via PayPal or Amazon)