How to Paint Sunflowers in Watercolor
Take a look at sunflowers., Use the silk variety as a model, if desired., Loosen up your hand by drawing sunflowers in a sketchbook., Notice how the petals are arranged., Make a smaller circle inside to represent the disk., Draw the stem., Use the...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Take a look at sunflowers.
If possible, study a live plant.
Supermarkets and road side stalls have bundles of cut flowers for sale in the summer when they are in season.
Put them in a vase or jar or position them as if they are growing in the field. -
Step 2: Use the silk variety as a model
Artificial sunflowers come in all levels of quality.
Cheap ones are basic without much detail, but ones from a craft store have more textural nuances and more closely mimic the real thing.
Silk flowers last forever, are easy to obtain and because of their wire stems can be arranged in many poses.
Photographs of sunflowers are a good reference, too., What do you see when viewing a sunflower? Start with the utterly simple general shape, a large round circle for the flower with a smaller disk directly in the center. , Often they are in two rows in a simple radial pattern around the dark center. , Look closely to see that it is actually many small seeds or flowers compactly arranged., Imagine that it is growing directly from the center of the back of the flower.
Make it thick to support the large flower head.
As the yellow sunflower develops, it can get so heavy the stem bends. , They can serve to fill the space along the stem.
How are the leaves arranged on the stem, symmetrically or staggered? What type of veins do the leaves have? Draw the center vein of the leaf first as a wavy line to suggest movement and life to each leaf.
Then add the two sides to form a leaf.
Do small lines as tributary veins coming off the main vein on each leaf. ,, Within each circle, draw a smaller circle for the central disk., Have the stems go off the page if you are showing the flowers growing outside in the earth.
If the flowers are in a vase, criss-cross the stems and make the mouth of the vase large enough to appear to fit many flowers., There is no need to show the entire vase.
You can depict only the top portion of it and have the rest disappearing off the page. , Where you are viewing your vase from, looking down on it, seeing it at eye level or viewing is from below will dictate how the semi circle, or ellipse of the vase’s mouth will look. , If you are showing the whole vase use help getting the curves of the vase's sides to match.
Draw one side of the vase on tracing paper, reverse it and copy it onto the opposite side., They can also act as a filler to connect the flower head to the vase. , Make any corrections or additions at this point since pencil is easy to erase and making changes will give you more satisfying results after it is painted. , Squeeze the colors around the edge of the palette to keep the center free for mixing.
If using tube paints, choose, as Van Gogh did, at least three colors of yellow.
Put out orange, two browns, three or more shades of green, blue, violet and red.
If using a box of paints with dry pads, dampen with water to activate them. , There is no correct place to begin your painting.
Start where you wish, but many artists begin with the subject matter first.
Keep in mind that wet areas will bleed together if laid down touching one another.
Keep a tiny dry line of paper between colors or work around the page allowing areas to dry before painting next to them., Backgrounds can be whatever you want them to be.
Look at your color wheel and to see what is opposite the yellows and oranges of your flowers.
Those blues and violets are called complementary colors and make a lovely foil for the flowers.
Van Gogh often put the flowers in a room and used even more yellows and oranges in the backgrounds of some of his works.
There is no hard and fast rule.
If your work is an outdoors scene, put appropriate items to show off your flowers; a building, a fence, green trees, the sky, etc. , Take a few steps back to view it as it would be seen on a wall, slightly from a distance.
Make any adjustments at this point and allow to dry again., Accent parts you want to bring into focus with lines and darker or lower values of the body colors.
If necessary, put in some small shapes.
Just keep the linear brush work to a minimum.
Remember to play up your center of interest with touches of more intense color.
This is the place to show a lot of detail, too.
You are guiding the viewer’s eye through the work., Erase any pencil guide lines if you wish.
Put it in a mat and frame and hang it to enjoy. -
Step 3: if desired.
-
Step 4: Loosen up your hand by drawing sunflowers in a sketchbook.
-
Step 5: Notice how the petals are arranged.
-
Step 6: Make a smaller circle inside to represent the disk.
-
Step 7: Draw the stem.
-
Step 8: Use the large
-
Step 9: heart shaped leaves to good advantage.
-
Step 10: Place a sheet of 140#
-
Step 11: cold press watercolor paper in either orientation.
-
Step 12: Sketch in pencil
-
Step 13: light circles to represent the big flowers.
-
Step 14: Drop a pair of lines downward for the stems.
-
Step 15: Make the vase big enough to support the weight of the heavy flowers.
-
Step 16: Get the ellipses right.
-
Step 17: Remember to copy the approximate curve of the mouth of the vase at the base of the vase
-
Step 18: if it is visible in the picture.
-
Step 19: Use the leaves as a design element.
-
Step 20: Stand back and look at your layout.
-
Step 21: Set up your palette of paints.
-
Step 22: Start painting.
-
Step 23: Form a background.
-
Step 24: When you have painted the first layer of your piece
-
Step 25: let it dry.
-
Step 26: Get a small brush and do some calligraphy.
-
Step 27: Let the piece dry thoroughly.
Detailed Guide
If possible, study a live plant.
Supermarkets and road side stalls have bundles of cut flowers for sale in the summer when they are in season.
Put them in a vase or jar or position them as if they are growing in the field.
Artificial sunflowers come in all levels of quality.
Cheap ones are basic without much detail, but ones from a craft store have more textural nuances and more closely mimic the real thing.
Silk flowers last forever, are easy to obtain and because of their wire stems can be arranged in many poses.
Photographs of sunflowers are a good reference, too., What do you see when viewing a sunflower? Start with the utterly simple general shape, a large round circle for the flower with a smaller disk directly in the center. , Often they are in two rows in a simple radial pattern around the dark center. , Look closely to see that it is actually many small seeds or flowers compactly arranged., Imagine that it is growing directly from the center of the back of the flower.
Make it thick to support the large flower head.
As the yellow sunflower develops, it can get so heavy the stem bends. , They can serve to fill the space along the stem.
How are the leaves arranged on the stem, symmetrically or staggered? What type of veins do the leaves have? Draw the center vein of the leaf first as a wavy line to suggest movement and life to each leaf.
Then add the two sides to form a leaf.
Do small lines as tributary veins coming off the main vein on each leaf. ,, Within each circle, draw a smaller circle for the central disk., Have the stems go off the page if you are showing the flowers growing outside in the earth.
If the flowers are in a vase, criss-cross the stems and make the mouth of the vase large enough to appear to fit many flowers., There is no need to show the entire vase.
You can depict only the top portion of it and have the rest disappearing off the page. , Where you are viewing your vase from, looking down on it, seeing it at eye level or viewing is from below will dictate how the semi circle, or ellipse of the vase’s mouth will look. , If you are showing the whole vase use help getting the curves of the vase's sides to match.
Draw one side of the vase on tracing paper, reverse it and copy it onto the opposite side., They can also act as a filler to connect the flower head to the vase. , Make any corrections or additions at this point since pencil is easy to erase and making changes will give you more satisfying results after it is painted. , Squeeze the colors around the edge of the palette to keep the center free for mixing.
If using tube paints, choose, as Van Gogh did, at least three colors of yellow.
Put out orange, two browns, three or more shades of green, blue, violet and red.
If using a box of paints with dry pads, dampen with water to activate them. , There is no correct place to begin your painting.
Start where you wish, but many artists begin with the subject matter first.
Keep in mind that wet areas will bleed together if laid down touching one another.
Keep a tiny dry line of paper between colors or work around the page allowing areas to dry before painting next to them., Backgrounds can be whatever you want them to be.
Look at your color wheel and to see what is opposite the yellows and oranges of your flowers.
Those blues and violets are called complementary colors and make a lovely foil for the flowers.
Van Gogh often put the flowers in a room and used even more yellows and oranges in the backgrounds of some of his works.
There is no hard and fast rule.
If your work is an outdoors scene, put appropriate items to show off your flowers; a building, a fence, green trees, the sky, etc. , Take a few steps back to view it as it would be seen on a wall, slightly from a distance.
Make any adjustments at this point and allow to dry again., Accent parts you want to bring into focus with lines and darker or lower values of the body colors.
If necessary, put in some small shapes.
Just keep the linear brush work to a minimum.
Remember to play up your center of interest with touches of more intense color.
This is the place to show a lot of detail, too.
You are guiding the viewer’s eye through the work., Erase any pencil guide lines if you wish.
Put it in a mat and frame and hang it to enjoy.
About the Author
Alice Davis
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: