After enduring the long winter months here in New England, we are desperate for spring to break forth with fresh blossoms and new life. It’s been slow coming this year, but in anticipation of the beauty that will soon be all around, I’ve been painting flowers. Floral paintings are a wonderful way to get in the mood for spring, and it only takes a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a colorful bouquet.

I’d like to share a few tips for approaching your floral subjects in a more painterly way.

1.  Create a Color Study. It’s easy to get lured into all the little details of a flower. But first, try to observe the main color shapes and mass them in with bolder, looser marks. Keep your color studies small, 6x8” or smaller so you can stay loose and focus on those positive and negative shapes that make up the subject.  

2. Try a Loose Underpainting. A local color underpainting is a great way to establish the flow of design in your floral painting as you quickly anchor the main shapes in color. All the stems and leaves, petals and background shapes can get washed in with tone at the start, allowing you to set the color key and value for your painting while gaining a sense of movement in your design. I like to use an alcohol wash to establish my local color underpaintings, but any solvent can work.

3. Focus on the Impression. When you begin to really build up your painting, be sure to squint your eyes and focus on the big impression, not all those little details. Try to be sculptural with your marks by pushing, pulling and carving out the positive and negative shapes that make up your scene. Pay attention to the edges that are developed between these shapes. Some should be soft and broken while others are sharp and more defined. You don’t need all those details to tell the story, so step back and let your mark-making be bold and expressive.

There you go, three quick tips to creating a more painterly floral pastel! I hope this sets you in motion this spring with some fresh ideas for your next flower painting!

If you’re looking for a Flower Painting Demonstration, watch this video here >