Learning to paint flowers presents a daunting task, but a few techniques will ease the process.
Flowers are a common subject in paintings. Artists from Vincent VanGogh to Georgia O'Keefe have captured the beauty of flowers in their paintings, in their own styles. Creating your own floral painting is a way for you to practice your painting skills and develop your style as a painter. Also, your painting will be a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork to display in your home.
Instructions
1. Find a model. When learning to paint flowers, it is easiest to have an example to use while painting. Refer to a photo or a real flower while working.
2. Draw your flower. Before you being painting, practice drawing your flower. Use a scrap piece of paper to perfect your drawing. Examine the overall shape of the flower itself. Study the petals, stem and leaves of the flower individually and practice drawing them. When you feel that your drawing will serve as a good guideline to help you paint, draw your final sketch on the surface you plan to paint.
3. Paint the base coat of your flower. The base coat color should be a medium shade of the overall color of the flower so that you can add highlights and shading to it. Allow the base coat to dry before proceeding.
4. Shade the petals. Using your model as a guide, add highlights and dark areas to your petals. Shading will help make the painting as realistic as possible.
5. Add details. The final step in completing your floral painting is to add details. Paint the veins on the flowers and leaves, add rain drops, or add any other embellishments you like.
6. Paint the background. Painting the background last may sound backward, but it will help you clean up your painting. If you have painted any stray marks, or the outline of your flower is not as clean as you'd like, adding a background will effectively cover those marks.
