Cactus Flower Lesson 14

Ta-da! The final piece. I used another glaze of Prussian on the shadow at lower left just to help make the warm flower pop.

You can paint along with this lesson! Many of my students like to print the daily lessons, then go to my etsy shop and click on the Online Lesson icon to order the photo references and drawing ($5), which come in an email and can be printed from your computer.

If you enjoyed this lesson, please let me know. I will try to post another lesson soon.

If you are interested in purchasing this piece, please email me at: debbie@watercolorworksart.com

Cactus Flower Lesson 12

Oh what fun! Developing the red flower heads was lots of fun. I love how the greens and red act against each other and really make the focal point pop. The dark values in the shadow areas help to create the illusion of depth.

I used many different reds on my palette to work around the flower heads including, Burnt Sienna, Perylene Maroon, Permanent Rose, and some Quinicridone colors. I wanted to keep the yellows glowing through some areas, so I was careful not to cover them with too many glazes or with cool glazes.

I used some Burnt Sienna and VanDyke Brown in the shadow areas around the thorns. Be sure to leave the white areas wherever you can! This just adds sparkle to the piece.

Cactus Flower Lesson 11

The shadows are even deeper now, as I have added another glaze of Perylene Green, mostly on the right and under the flower heads.

The dark shadow works like an arrow to carry the viewer's eye to the focal point.

I played with different applications of colors to create some textures in the warm shadow area to the left and under the flower heads. I am enjoying the shapes that are emerging from this piece!

Cactus Flower Lesson 10

Back to the Cactus Flower lesson!!!

Now it's time to add some depth and details.


Using Hookers Green I have glazed over some of the other greens, especially where I added shadow glazes previously.  I glazed this green over the parts of the leaves where the cool Cerulean Blue was applied earlier. Now the yellow greens in the sunlit areas begin to contrast more with the cool blue-greens of the other areas. Look at your photo reference carefully and you will see that none of the green areas can be painted exactly alike because the light hits each leaf differently and each leaf has a small shift in color from the others.

I have also used VanDyke Brown in a richer mixture than before and developed some details in the lower left area of the painting. This area in the reference had some woody growth, and I wanted to capture a bit of that. I also liked how it warmed up that corner of the painting.

I have worked around the painting adding small touches and glazes for depth and interest.

To see more of this lesson, please visit earlier posts.

Cactus Flower Lesson 8

Now that I have my shadows developing nicely, I want to give them another glaze of a nice dark Perylene Green.

This is a gorgeous color that looks like a pine green to me. It has a bit of warmth to it, and it glazes nicely.

Now the shadow areas really have some punch. Notice the soft edges where the cactus leaves have soft, flowing nooks and crannies. I have applied the Softened Edge Stroke to the areas where there is a clear edge and to the edges of cast shadows. If you hold it away from you, you will begin to see the illusion of depth and perspective! This also makes the flower heads really POP!

It is really important to step away from your work occasionally and get a fresh perspective. I like to take the piece and stand in front of a mirror, or set it up in a different room where I can get about 10 - 15 feet away from it. Sometimes I turn the piece upside down to get a fresh look at the composition and to see more objectively how the piece is coming together!

Cactus Flower Lesson 7

To develop the shadows even further, I have used a very wet puddle of VanDyke Brown and applied it to a few areas where I want darker or more striking shadows.

One theory I like to use for shadows is that if I glaze a relative opposite of the local color, the colors will visually blend (not physically blend) to create a darker value. For instance, if I want the dark green shadows to be very dark in value, just adding green will only make the paint thicker, it won't add to the darkness of the value. By adding a relative opposite, like a red or warm brown, I can add to the value, then glaze over it with the local color (green in this case) and the green becomes what the viewer sees, but the warm tones add darkness to the value. Hope this makes sense.

Think of it this way: relative opposites on the color wheel, like red and green, when physically mixed will make a neutral, dark gray. If I glaze these colors they will still VISUALLY make a dark, more neutral color, but they will retain some of their more pure color characteristics. Try it on some scrap watercolor paper. Glaze a red, allow it to dry, then glaze a green. The green will still look green, only darker!

Cactus Flower Lesson 6

Be sure that all previous applications of paint have thoroughly dried.

Next, I have used Burnt Sienna to warm some areas an add the under-painting for some of my shadows. This application of paint should be very wet. Don't brush too much over previously painted areas or you will dig up and stir up the pigment layers. Try to apply the wet paint for each layer or glaze with a very light touch, and quickly drop it in. Your brush should just push the puddles of wet paint around. It should barely even touch the paper, if at all. Using a delicate touch will preserve the previous glazes of color and each glaze will stay fresh and clean.

You can view previous posts to see the beginning of this lesson. Just click on the archives at the left of this page.

Cactus Flower Lesson 4

Today I am adding some yellows.

I have used Aureolin Yellow to begin to develop the areas in the flower heads that will become yellow-orange. Be careful where you apply colors - they should not go EVERYWHERE! Soften some edges by pulling water into the stroke. I call this my Softened Edge Stroke.

First lay down a stroke of color, very wet, yet strong with pigment. Then, clean your brush and load it with water. Just touch the tip of your brush to your paper towel to remove excess water that may drip. Pull a stroke of water from the blank area into and alongside the stroke you just applied. It is important to do this BEFORE the stroke dries. Pulling water into the stroke will push the pigment into the area that already has color. If you pull the water from the stroke out to the blank area, the stroke will just be diluted and the pigment will wash out to the blank area. The goal is to create a very soft transition from dark color to nothing (clear water).

This takes practice. Be easy on yourself and remember that it is just a piece of paper! With practice you will master the many different techniques!

Cactus Flower Lesson 3

In the next application of paint I used Cerulean Blue (Peacock Blue by Holbein would also be great here!).

Keep this really wet as Cerulean Blue is a very opaque color. I searched the photo reference for areas that might have a light blue cast to them. This application is an underpainting for future glazes. I have varied the values to show the textures of the plant. Wetting some areas or working with pigment that has more water creates lighter values.

Cactus Flower Lesson 2

It is time for the first big wash! I used a very wet mixture of Permanent Sap Green and Aureolin Yellow.

You can see how wet the application was by the little puddle of paint at the bottom of the wash area. I used this mixture around the painting to work in the preliminary green washes on the cactus leaves.



You can vary the mixture here and there as the photo reference and your preferences dictate. I used some Hookers Green in some areas where I wanted to indicate shadows.

If you would like to paint along, please visit my etsy online shop and click on the Online Class icon. For $5.00 you will receive the photo reference and drawing for this painting. I will suggest that you print each lesson/post. This makes it easier to paint along!