Watercolor Sunflowers

Goal

Remember no one but you will know exactly what your source looked like.  These are different sunflowers than are shown in the images I looked at!

Inspiration

I took my inspiration from the instructor's painting second from the right on the bottom row.

Materials

• Some probably hot-press watercolor paper I cut into approximately 3.5" • 5" rectangles.
• Various color papers cut into slightly larger rectangles for 'faux' matting.
• A pack of white 5.25" • 7" blank white scored cards and envelopes.
• Some quality watercolor brushes my aunt gave me upon her trip from England.
• A 24 pan set of Yarka St. Petersburg Artists' Watercolors she also gave me.
• A roll of 1" 3M Scotch Masking Tape.
• A hard back vinyl-cover binder to tape the paper to.
• A jar for water, and lots of rinses and refills.
• Salt -- I used a fine sea salt because it was the coarsest I have.

 

Step 1:  Tape and sketch.

Tip:  Stick the tape to clothing before applying to the paper.  This is the third time I've tried it, but I read online that this will keep it from tearing the paper.  I now know I need different tape, but I've not bought it yet.

 

Step 2:  Prepare your color scheme.

Start with a triangle of three primary colors.  Mix the indicated secondary colors and then mix complementary colors for the browns.  I learned this trick from a local artist who was doing a watercolor demo at a local art store.

Here you can see I tried several of each of the primaries, because I the Inspiration page didn't suggest colors.  I chose Golden Deep (transparent) because it was sunflower-like, and the Naples Yellow (opaque) seems too muddy.  I chose Indigo (opaque) for the background because I want a deep, intense blue.  It mixes well with the Golden Deep to make a nice brown.  Blue Lake (transparent) and Indigo both mix nicely with Lemon (transparent) for similar Yellow-Greens.  Lemon with Green Light (transparent) makes the best Green-Yellow of my three greens.  My other yellows were too orange for this purpose.  I chose Quinacridone Rose (transparent) because it made the best oranges with the Golden Deep.  An X indicates a choice I didn't use; the circled daubs are the ones I selected for use.

The Green Underpainting is Lemon, while the Sunflower Underpainting is a mix of Golden Deep and Lemon.

I let the colors in the centers of the bloom and then used a salt technique to create the texture.

Label your hues, diagram your mixes, and label final key colors.  Mix up large enough amounts.  This doesn't take as much pigment as I'd feared.  If you don't mix up large enough amounts, be sure to leave room on your color scheme page to test new batches.

 

Step 3: Apply the under-paintings for the stems, leaf, and the flowers.  

Using the Green Under-painting mix, wash the leaf and stem areas.  This will dry quickly.  Working from the edges of the flowers opposite of the leaf and stems, pre-wet the paper in the flowers and wash them with a mix of Lemon and Golden Deep, blobbing each on in different areas and allowing them to bloom together.  Use a touch of the Yellow-Green mixture for the centers.

 

Step 4: Add shading to the leaf and stems; paint the flower centers. 

The image above is still wet; you can see the paint fades as it dries, as shown with the sunflower wash below.  Use the Yellow-Green mix to add highlights to the leave and stems; use the blue-green mix to add shadows to them.

Lightly pre-wet each flower center, one at a time, and add brown and orange mixtures to the outer edge, Yellow-Green to the middle, and Lemon in between, allowing them to bloom together.  If it becomes muddy, daub with a rolled-up paper towel and try again.  The flower center in back should be slightly fainter.  When the paint is no longer pooled but is still shiny, sprinkle the centers lightly with salt.  The salt will dissolve, changing the surface tension in minute areas of the water, pushing and pulling the paint into abstract textures.  Too much salt won't dissolve well, and will be harder to brush off.  If the paint is too dry, this technique won't work well.  Let this stage dry completely.  The centers below are still wet, so the colors seem more intense than I want in the final product.  The stem on the bottom right is too faint, so it will need another layer of wash and shadow.

Step 5: Let the painting dry completely.

Rinse your brush(es) and change the water.

Step 6: Remove the salt.

Using clean hands, a paper towel, or a small piece of new kitchen sponge, gently brush off the salt.

I added another layer to the leaf and stems.  I started to add another layer to the front flower, painting each one individually, but it wasn't coming out as I wanted, so I made it a light wash, something that can easily be obscured by another layer, but will also add variation to the petals.

 

WORK IN PROGRESS