How to paint a flower field: part 1 (2024)

By Artists & Illustrators | Thu 8th Jun 2017

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Brazilian watercolourist Fábio Cembranelli shows you how to approach the lush composition and delicate detail of a French flower field

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (1)

I like to paint vibrant, colourful flowers and landscapes; these are some of my favourite subjects. One of the most interesting challenges in this genre is the flower field. This theme shows the beauty of nature and the power of a floral mood.

When painting a flower field, it’s important to show a sense of depth, so all brushwork needs to be controlled: colours, edges and lines tend to look warmer, harder and more detailed in the foreground of the composition yet cooler, softer and less detailed in the background. If we paint the branches, leaves and all the flowers in the scene with the same intensity and colour value, it will result in a flat and boring composition.

When I am teaching I tell my students: “viewers will look at your flower field painting and they need be able to ‘fly over it’”. They must be able to see that there are flowers in the foreground, flowers in the background and a zone of space in-between the two: the middle ground. If you attempt to paint a flower field and viewers can’t perceive some level of depth, you’ve probably failed.

How to paint a flower field – art materials

• WATERCOLOURS Quinacridone Gold, Translucent Orange, Burnt Sienna, Opera Rose, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Magenta, Green Gold, Leaf Green, Viridian Green, Manganese Blue, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine, Ultramarine Violet
• BRUSHES Flat Brushes (3/4”, 1”, number 2), Rigger (2), Round Brush (12), Fan Brush (4)
• PAPER Moulin Du Roy, 300gsm, Cold Press, Half Imperial sheet
• MASKING FLUID • TOOTHBRUSH

1 GATHER YOUR MATERIALSI use flat and round brushes made from synthetic fibres only. I find the stiffness of the synthetic brushes useful as I like to be able to lift out some pigment. I work with watercolour tubes displayed in a portable folding anti-fungal palette and use fresh and creamy pigments squeezed a couple of minutes before starting. For watercolour, I use masking fluid applied with an old brush.

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (2)

2 PENCIL IT IN Here I made a quick sketch with graphite pencil on a sheet of taped watercolour paper. I sketched a few flowers, branches and shapes into the foreground and background and began to place a few buildings. I then applied some masking fluid to protect a few flowers and branches. After a few minutes, my masking fluid was dry so I began adding some colours using a flat brush (3/4”).

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (3)

3 WORK IN THE DETAILUsing a round brush (number 12) I start adding details throughout the canvas. I work in more details in the foreground, adding fewer for the middle and background. Strong colours are also introduced in foreground; I use Alizarin Crimson and Opera Rose for the reds and Leaf Green and Cobalt Blue for the greens. For the background I use the same colours but more diluted, with less pigment.

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (4)

4 VARY YOUR BRUSHWORK I continue to add details, creating small shapes, introducing dots (to represent small or tiny flowers) but begin to use a flat brush at this point (3/4”) as I am looking for brushstroke variety. I am using the same colours I described in step three, albeit with a different brush. The objective here is to achieve dynamic brushwork, so I use flat and round brushes.

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (5)

5 LOOK TO THE SKY Now it’s time to start adding sky colours: I wet the sky area with clean water and start adding a mixing of Cobalt Blue, Manganese Blue and French Ultramarine. I use a flat brush (1”) and leave some white spaces in the sky, suggesting a few clouds. However, the star of my painting is a flower field, not a sky effect, so I want to paint a subtle sky without too many colours or brushstrokes.

How to paint a flower field: part 1 (6)

6 GIVE IT THE GREEN LIGHT Using a fan brush (4) I start working with trees and green masses for the background. I mix Viridian Green, Green Gold and a little bit of Ultramarine Violet and gently tap these colours on the paper.

Click here for part 2 >>

Fábio Cembranelli shares a watercolour painting guide in the Summer 2017 issue of Artists & Illustrators, out now – plus look out for his painting on the cover. Click here to get your copy or find it in all good newsagents.

This ‘How to Guide’ first featured in the June 2016 issue of Artists & Illustrators.Click here to find the latest magazines.Project by Fábio Cembranelli –www.fabiocembranelli.com

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How to paint a flower field: part 1 (2024)

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