Start with the greens
Posted: July 14, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bouquet, flower painting, summer, watercolour painting 44 CommentsOnce again this year, along with my CSA basket subscription from Ferme Tournesol, I’ve subscribed to their flower bouquets. I think I get four throughout the summer and it’s always a wonderful surprise to see what’s under the paper wrapper when I get home from the farm. I can’t always identify everything but the flowers always look a bit wild, like something you might pick if you were walking along a country road. Definitely not what I bring home from the grocery store in the middle of winter. I added a few of my own white daisies to this bunch before I sketched them.
This particular bouquet has a lot of smaller flowers in it (except for the big sunflower) with lots of greenery in between each bloom. I decided to start the painting by tackling the greens first, since they are the connective tissue between the flowers. On my Holbein palette, I have Olive Green and Phthalo Green, so that was my starter mix. To that I added various yellows (Hansa and Lemon) and occasionally Alizarin Crimson when the mix was too bright. Once I painted the greens, I filled in the oranges, yellows and purples for the flowers.
Beautiful!
Thanks Susan!!
This painting has a lovely full-summer feel! Thanks for explaining about the greens. Maybe you added white gouache last, in places that held color?
Thanks for having a look Elizabeth. There’s no white gouache in this one, just the whites of the paper.
Gorgeous, Shari. I can’t imagine how long the preliminary pencil work took, especially for the greenery.
Thanks so much Peter. I did take a bit longer to do the drawing than usual, but there are so many details in the flowers. I enjoyed the drawing process on this one because the flowers were so unique.
Beautiful, as usual!! Thr greens you mention: olive and phthalo green- which brands ate these and is the latter green or blue shade? So many thanks!
Tami, the olive green is from Holbein, and the Phthalo is blue shade from Daniel Smith.
Stunning as always. You just can’t miss with flowers, boats, street scenes and just about everything under the sun (or moon for that matter) Always a pleasure to see your work.
Jeff, it is always such a pleasure to hear from you. I hope you and Ellen (and the cat) are all well.
Magnifique!
Merci Nicole!!
‘like some you would pick if you were walking along a country road’…that is exactly what this looks like. So pretty!
Lois, thank you!
You inspire. My eye keeps looking deeper and deeper into the greens you create and then delighted with the bursts of color of the flowers. Gee, you are good!
Carol, many thanks. This one was a lot of fun to paint. I kept looking deeper and deeper into the details as I was painting this.
Beautiful and so lively!
Thank you Maureen!!
That’s a beautiful, cheery boquet! Always appreciate you sharing your artwork!
Thanks De!
What’s left to say except “stunning”!
Denise, thank you!!
Wow! Again 🤩
Lori, thank you!!
Love the colors. Fresh as a daisy. Thanks.
Thanks for having a look Susie!
Extremely beautiful. You’ve given each blossom its own particular drama in perfect harmony with all of its counterparts. I especially like the luscious, warm purple shadow that you achieved in the centre flower. Everything works – many thanks 🙂
Thank YOU, Chris. I always appreciate your observations.
Lovely!
Thanks Donna!
You captured their beauty with your own.
Carol, many thanks!
Thanks for sharing your green mixes and method of starting with the greens. Very useful!
Thanks Jean. I’m glad it was helpful!
This is really lovely…and so unfussy! Thanks for your method and the colors you used.
Glad you like it Joan!
Beautiful and inspiring! Love your clear colors.
Thanks so much Rosemary!
Just gorgeous. Would love to watch you paint this from start to finish. Another class.
This would be a long class Judy! It took quite a bit of time to finish this one.
Gorgeous! And breathing.
Thanks so much!
We have seasonal vegetable / fruit deliveries here, but seasonal flower bouquets would be so much fun!
They’re always so special and I’m grateful to have them!