Whimsical Flowers

Bring out the playful essence of these colorful flowers by focusing on the elegant shapes and the bright colors of the petals. Add layers to create the petals sweeping them out from the center to suggest a pinwheel movement. To add even more interest and depth, add lines, twirls and dots to accent the painting.

Materials

Step 1

Sketch or trace the line drawing lightly on your choice of paper. You can also print it for Free here. Although you may not be able to see the pencil line in the remaining steps, it will be a guide for placing each stroke.

Step 2

Prep your watercolor by dabbing some water on your watercolor pans. Load your brush with water and deposit a large drop into each pan. Let it sit while you set up the rest of your work station. The water will soften the watercolor cakes and prepare them for use. If you don't give your paints enough time to soften (about five minutes), you will not get enough pigment to paint.

Step 3

Use a clean brush and some clean water and paint the middle circle of a flower with plain water. (I am starting with the flower on the far right.) Next, load your paintbrush with light purple. Drop the paint in the center of the water circle and let the paint bleed away from the center.

Step 4

Now, load your paintbrush with dark purple. Drop the paint on the edges of the water circle and let the paint bleed towards the center. Work quickly before the water dries. This is the wet on wet technique.

Step 5

Using the same technique paint the centers of the flowers. I used yellow/orange, yellow/brown and orange/pink on the various flowers. Using a light color and a dark color from the same color family would make the centers stand out.

Step 6

Using more water and less pigment, paint in the petals. This is going to be your first layer.

Step 7

Complete painting all the petals. Make sure to use more water and less pigment. This step is important as you will be adding more layers to add depth and details to the petals.

Step 8

Paint in the stems using a rounded brush. Try to paint each stem with just one stroke making sure the pressure on the paintbrush is the same throughout the stroke. Changing the pressure on your paintbrush can thicken or thin out the stems.

Step 9

You can combine two pressures in the same stroke to paint a leaf. Start with a thin stroke right at the edge of the stem and then gradually thicken your stroke by increasing the pressure. Without lifting your paintbrush from the paper, gradually thin out into a point. Paint all the leaves making sure to overlap at times. This will add depth to your paintings.

Step 10

To add depth and interest to your painting, use the darker pigment of the same color and paint in the shadows as shown in the picture above. Deepening the tones by going over your strokes with darker mixes of the same colors already used in these areas will add beauty to your artwork. Carefully add darker tones throughout your work.

Step 11

Now it’s time to add the final touches. Here I have used a thin brush with darker tones to outline every petal, leaf, and stem. If you look closer I have added some thorns on the stems, veins on the leaves, decorated the centers, and petals of the flowers with dots, strokes, and lines. Have fun in this step and add your own twist to your painting. Make it your own!!

Hope you enjoy painting these whimsical flowers! If you try them, share your work with me @sheebachandini, #sheebachandini.