| Step 6
Read through this page to familiarize yourself with the steps.
BRUSHES: #3 Small Round, #14 Large Round and 1/2 " Flat brushes Wet and blot all brushes just before using.
COLORS: Gamboge Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Sap Green, Violet and Ultramarine Blue.
OBJECTIVE: We are almost done! Just a few small details to wrap things up.
LET'S BEGIN: Mix some puddles of Gamboge Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Sap Green, Violet and Ultramarine Blue.
- First we must remove the liquid frisket we painted on the stamen. Refer to the Step 6 photo below and location A. If you used wax or crayon then skip over this part. Use either a rubber cement pickup(available at most art stores) or a soft kneaded eraser and gently begin to rub the frisket/masking fluid off the paper. Just go gently so as to not scar or scratch your paper. With the mask removed take your small round brush and a little GY and wash a little on the left side of the stamen. Leave the right portion of the stamen white. Make your GY mix rather light(by adding more water) as we just want a light hint of yellow. While this area is still wet, touch your brush into Burnt Sienna and then let a little BS flow into the yellow at the far left side of the stamen to add a bit of relected color there. Let this area dry and move to the areas marked B.
CLEAN AND BLOT YOUR BRUSHES
- Notice that there are quite a few B's on the Step 6 photo. What we want to do is tone down the bottom and right side of the petals. Using your 1/2" flat brush and clean water(blot some of the water out) wet the areas marked B. Do not over wet these areas as you just want the paper slightly damp. Mix a little Violet with a touch of Ultramarine Blue. You can add a tiny touch of GY to "grey" this mixture slightly. Using your large round brush pull some of this V+UB+GY mixture in from the outer edge of the petals and over the damp paper. You can also pick up a little GY with either your small round or the 1/2 " brush and touch that into this mixture to add a little warmth to the cooler colors.
CLEAN AND BLOT YOUR BRUSHES
- Mix a little Sap Green and Ultramarine Blue and refer to area C on both the top and lower stem. Brush a little of the SG+UB mixture on the right side of the stems to give some shape to them. You can take your clean and blotted 1/2 " flat and run it along the left edge of the stem to soften the edge of the SG+UB.
- Make sure this color has dried then take the SG+UB mixture you just used and add more UB pushing it to a Blue-green. Paint the shadows that fall across the stem with this Blue-green mixture and a small round brush at D.
CLEAN AND BLOT YOUR BRUSHES
Refer to the Upper Right background and mix a little Burnt Sienna with some Violet and Ultra Blue added. We are looking for a brownish color. In the background paint some thin washes of brown to suggest other flower centers in the field of yellow. Don't be too detailed or too dark with this mixture. Just a suggestion, we will leave that up the the person viewing the painting. NOTE: your background may differ from mine so don't be too concerned if your yellow areas aren't placed quite where mine are.
- Pick up your 1/2 inch flat brush. Be sure it has been cleaned and well blotted. Refer to F and the center of the top petal that is just to the right of F. Starting just above the dark shadow area, press hard and drag the edge of your brush in towards the center of the fllower to try and lift a little of the dark color. You may have to repeat this motion 3-4 time before any paint lifts. Let this area dry for a minute or two, then with your large round brush pick up a little Violet and GY and to the right of the spot you just worked , brush a little of the V+GY mixture in towards the center and up against this area you just worked, leaving a small shadow under the lifted area. Take your 1/2 inch brush and soften the right edge of this wash. This reinforces this shadow and makes the center of of the petal within the shadow pop out!
CLEAN AND BLOT YOUR BRUSHES
- Pick up your small round and mix a small amout of Violet and Ulramarine Blue and go to A and the right half of the stamen and gently paint a fine shadow on the right edge of the stamen. Returning to the left side of the stamen notice the tiny dark spot that really is a small break between stamen and with a dark mix of BS+V+UB make this small accent at the center of the painting. Good......now put down your brush and stand back and admire your painting. If you have a mat that fits the size of your paper then place it around the painting to get a good look. How about mixing some Alizarin Crimson+Thalo Blue and Sap Green and painting your signature with the small brush in the lower left background. Why not? You did good! Congratulations.
Go to the bottom of the page for my final comments......
Dear artist friends,
I hope this exercise was helpful in some way. Maybe you picked up something that can used in your own work. That's what you should look for in any class or workshop you take. Like I said on the opening page, I can't show you how to paint but I can try to aid you in some small way. I hope you will continue to work at your painting as good practice really does help! If you have any questions concerning this demo or painting in general then email me and I will try to answer all promptly. Be sure to visit my site for more exciting tips and lessons!
....George |