Learning to paint flowers properly can lead to being able to paint more complex subjects.
Flowers beg to be captured in photographs and paintings. Their simple beauty and vast array of colors, sizes and shapes lend themselves to being captured for posterity. Painting flowers allows a novice painter to lean about colors and shapes that can translate to more difficult painting subjects later on. An introduction to flower painting should include learning about the different parts of a flower and getting the colors and shading aspects down perfectly.
Learn About the Different Parts of a Flower
Although flowers come in hundreds of different shapes and colors, there are four basic parts to a flower that need to be considered when painting them: the pistil, stamens, petals and sepals. The pistil is the stalk found in the center of the flower and is the female reproductive part of a flower. Encasing the pistil is the stamen, which is the male reproductive part of a flower. The stamen produces the grains, also known as pollen, which mixes with the ovules produced by the pistil to pollinate and create other flowers. The petals are the colorful part of the flower, which attracts insects and birds that carry the pollinated ovules to other locations. The sepals are the protective coverings over the petals than fall away once the flower blooms.
Sketching the Flower
Before you can paint a flower, create a sketch of your subject. After a period of time, veteran artists can paint flowers freehand without sketching, but novices should start out drawing the flower to make sure that they capture the entire essence of it. Regular or colored pencils work fine. Create the sketch from a live subject or from a photograph. Note the composition, shape and coloring of the flower, including the stem and leaves. Capture every crease, wrinkle and discoloration to ensure realism.
Color Matching
One of the most difficult aspects of painting flowers is getting the colors right. The spectrum of colors found in the plant world is endless and a flower painting that does not truly represent the color of the flower subject will not be successful. Mixing paints, either on a palette or in a container, should be done prior to beginning any painting project to ensure that the color is right. Add a dab of paint to a spare piece of the material you are painting on, such as canvas or paper, to ensure that it will be a true match once applied.
Shadows and Highlights
Remember that you are painting a living thing and that all external factors should be considered to make the painting look natural. Include sunlight reflection and shading factors when painting. Most flowers have slight nuances of color that appear different to the naked eye (for example, one section of the petal closer to the pistil might be a darker pink that the outer edge of the petal). Life cycle considerations should be included, too. A flower that has just opened up will be more vibrant than one that bloomed a few days ago.
