A recipe for beets
Posted: August 13, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized 34 CommentsHave you ever tried to sketch beets? They are at once dark, reddish, dirty, hairy, pitted, shiny and dull. My recipe for painting that type of surface: start with a saturated wash of a cool red like Alizarin Crimson. As you move down in the wash, add a bit of ochre and lavender for variety and then throw in something dark like violet to deepen the colour. When the wash dries, use that leftover dark on your palette to indicate some of the pits and dirt on the beet skin, and with a smaller brush, show some of the finer lines too. The same red, diluted, is the starter wash for the stems. My recipe for beet greens: Hansa Yellow, Hooker’s Green and a bit of warm red to tone down a green that you might find too bright, and then a bit of Ultramarine for the darker areas. As for the cast shadow: some of the dirt on your palette mixed with some Cobalt Blue. Drawing: 10 minutes. Painting: 30 minutes.


















Fabulous. Off to market I go.
Have fun at the market. I hope you can find beets that are as beautiful as these!
Wow, how cool! That rich gorgeous green on the leaves, too (chef’s kiss).
Thanks for the chef’s kiss Betsy. I love that.
Thank you Shari,
I am going to try your recipe on some beets.
I hope you cook up something delicious Marion!
So rich and delicious! Thanks for this recipe 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe Chris!
Lovely! And for you, my recipe for a wonderful Beet Pasta, Lynn
Lynn, was the recipe attached here? Or was there a jpeg? If so, I don’t think it would work. You could try sending it again to info@shariblaukopf.com.
I’d love to see it. I’ve made beet risotto but never beet pasta! I’m curious.
You landed this one . BRILLIANT BEETS, was this in your sketchbook over 2 pages?
Missed ya at John & Irene’s, but heard ya looked great . Hugs & squeezes
From the borscht lady🎶🌻
Sent from Luba’s iPhone
Luba, this was indeed over two pages in my sketchbook. We had a great time the other evening and we sure missed you. But I bet you had a great camping trip!! Hope to see you soon my borscht friend.
Lovely!
I’ll try painting them today🙌
Great!!
Wow! Those beets look great! Thanks for sharing all the pigments you used. I’m not confident I could have pulled that off near as well. Appreciate you sharing the recipe too!
De
Thanks De. Give it a try. It’s not as hard as you think.
Then again a good beet recipe is Ina Gartner’s cold borscht soup!! With sour cream of course…..will have to buy some beets to paint (and cook)!!
LOVE THE RICHNESS!!!!!
Karen, thanks!
you can make such a mundane subject so colorfully yummy that I’d love them for my wall (no edible puns intended)
Thanks Soni!!
Perfection!
Denise, thanks!
What a perfect recipe!
Glad you like it!!
Wonderful. Which Hansa yellow do you depend on…?….some brands seem to offer light, medium, deep…. ThanksLove your work… You might consider adding a course on veggies! Elly Hobgood, gws, sw
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Hi Elly, I use Hansa Yellow Medium from Daniel Smith with is a good primary yellow. It is the same as Hansa Yellow Deep from M Graham.
And I would definitely consider a course on veggies!
Your beets are so spot on, Shari! I like the veining in the leaves and the color of the stems. Thank you for the recipe of paint colors. Always enjoy your paintings of any kind of food, my favorites.
Thanks Linda!
That looks so fresh!!! Well done!
Many thanks Joan!
Thanks Shari for your info regarding colour combinations..
Beets can be a real challenge..!
It’s hard to keep colours lively when looking at such dense deep colour..👍
This is so interesting! I painted some ruby chard
Love your drawing and the clean, fresh colors especially the greens, thank you for posting!