Sweet Music Centre

Roses in various stages of blooming can make a beautiful watercolor painting. For this lesson, let’s use yellow roses in a clear vase. If painting a dozen roses, only a few need to be in full detail. Others can be seen in the background, giving your painting depth and interest. Some will be facing forward, others to the side and back. Different heights and angles keep the viewer interested.

Start by making a pencil value sketch of your composition. Indicate where your lightest lights and darkest darks will be placed. Decide where your focal point will be. (try placing it off-center.) Show the rose petals curling and turning on the edges. Some may be more open than others. Carefully draw the center petals. Once your sketch is complete, you are ready to pencil it on to your watercolor paper.

For the roses in the foreground aureolin yellow and cadmium yellow will be your major colors, but each flower may have two or three different hues. For instance, the yellow of your rose may be complimented with soft violet in some of the folds and shadows of the flower. Painting flowers allows for much creativity, since no two will be exactly alike. Use a light wash of aureolin for your lightest lights. Mix together aureolin yellow and rose madder genuine for another soft, transparent color. Use this where your values are a little darker than where you used aureolin only. Add cadmium yellow for your deeper yellows. If some of your flowers are casting shadows on others, indicate this with a light wash of violet, made from combining rose madder genuine with cobalt blue.

Use a variety of colors for your stems and leaves. I prefer to mix my own greens, but there are some good greens available from the art supply stores. Viridian green is a nice transparent cool green. This can be mixed with aurelin yellow for a lighter green. Experiment with mixing greens. Your painting will be much more interesting if you don’t use just one shade of green. Have your stems curve slightly and remember to indicate your light source throughout your painting.

Use some of your colors from your roses as a soft wash for your vase. Show one or two highlights on your vase where the light lands. Don’t overdo. This is a case where less is more. Remember to paint the shadow cast by the vase. Use some of the colors from your painting for this also and you should have a lovely painting of yellow roses.

Flowers seem to naturally lend themselves to watercolor painting. They can be painted in a loose, graceful style or with controlled precision. When painting flowers, choose a style which feels natural to you as you plan your composition.

Roses are such well-loved flowers, and are a popular choice for watercolors. To begin a painting of roses, do a sketch of your vase and flowers. Decide ahead of time how you will handle your background. When painting white flowers it is a good idea to have a dark background which will help your roses to “pop” or to stand out. Show in your pencil value sketch where you brightest whites and darkest darks will be placed. Plan your focal point, placing this area off-center to add more interest. Do the same with your vase. If it is in the middle of your paper it will be less interesting.

Once your value sketch is completed and your subject has been penciled in on your watercolor paper you are ready to paint. If you want to use masking fluid to preserve some of your white paper, this is the time to apply it. Remember to wet your brush, then coat it with soap before dipping it into te masking fluid! If this step is overlooked, you may not be able to remove the masking fluid from your brush and it will be ruined. ( Some of the masking fluids come with an applicator.) Once it has dried, you will paint right over it. When your painting is complete, it can be removed with an eraser or your finger, revealing the preserved area of white paper.

Some of your white roses need not be white! A diluted wash of rose madder genuine on some petals, and aureolin yellow on others will give your painting some depth. Mix these two colors together, and use as a light wash to give more interest to your painting.

Vary your leaves and stems. Have some leaves twist and curl. Show more detail in your foreground and let some fade off into the background. Remember your light source throughout your painting. Give your stems a delicate curve, don’t use straight lines. Use a variety of greens, both cool and warm. Practice mixing greens.

Paint highlights on your vase, but don’t overdo. This is a case of less is more. One or two well placed highlights is much more effective than many. One additional thought; a fallen petal or two can add a nice touch.