LESSON IV - Part 4: Painting Sunflowers Challenge

In this painting challenge, I will include pictures of students' paintings, from one of my workshops.  They are included to give you ideas, as well as to illustrate the different steps.  But, I'd like for you to draw and paint from either a real sunflower . . .

 . . . or you can use my marker drawing of sunflowers as a reference . . .

 . . . or take and use a close-up photo of a sunflower.


While looking at your reference, do a contour drawing in pencil of the sunflower.  Draw 1, 2, or 3 sunflowers, including their stems and the leaves.

Draw a "frame" around the flowers, so that some of the petals and leaves spill out over the frame.

Now, paint a wet-in-wet mingling, using your warm and cool yellows.  Just paint this yellow underpainting on the sunflowers and stems and leaves -- not onto the background. . .

Now, start to develop the shapes.  Working petal by petal, start adding colors, like gold, or raw sienna, or orange.  Stay transparent, and try not to cover up all the yellows of your underpainting.  You can add a little sap green to the inside of your flower. 

Now, paint the green stems and leaves.  Stay transparent, and vary the greens.  If you use a tube green, add another color to it -- gold to warm it up, blue to cool it down.

Introduce burnt sienna to your flower -- for the darks in the petals, and the middle of the sunflower.  Use salt in the middle, for texture.

Mix up a nice dark color for your background.  Use a blue, like French Ultramarine or Phthalo Blue, and add Burnt Sienna and Alizarin Crimson to it, to make it dark.  

Paint the background shapes with this dark color.  Don't worry about getting an even wash -- use enough water to keep it moving -- and, try not to go back over what you've painted.  

You can see all the different versions . . . 

Have fun with this challenge -- I'll be anxious to see your version of the sunflowers!