Author: Pierre Labeau, Contributing Editor

I keep getting mail from folks who are looking for some of my world famous QuikTips on florals. When is that Elliot ever going to do anything around here? As always, I come to his rescue with some world class goodies.  Enjoy, and keep those emails a comin'! Pierre (pierre@wetcanvas.com)

First do a sketch of what you have in mind. No need to be too detailed, just get the essence of your idea on the ground.

I've put in a few dabs from my palette but I had to enter the colors digitally and they are quite small. So in case they cannot be read, they are: (left to right) Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, and Yellow Ochre.

I used a Flat Sable brush #14, Round Bristle brushes # 1 and 2. The center of the roses are: Alizarin and Red. The deep red roses are: Alizarin and red. The darkest part under the roses are: Alizarin, Cobalt Blue, and Cadmium Red. The pink roses are: Red and Yellow with much more white added, and some green to dull. The leaves are: Cadmium Red, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow, and some Viridian.

The background is: Ochre, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and Cadmium Red. The background is cool on one side and warm on the other with a light center. Try to keep cool colors next to warm colors and weak colors next to strong colors. Work from dark to light.