Easy techniques for painting a rose

2 i w JMTI «If fm-ter 10 >

How To Paint A Rose

I really don’t know wlrere Co start my story, so I guess I’ll ¡Hit tell you a It:lit about my life. My husband and I have set en children: we consider them our best contribution to the world, and we tore them dearly. Tlrey are each unique in their thoughts and actions, and each brings Sometlring special to our family as a whole. I often feel they are tire inspiration for my painting.

fire field of decora I we painting is very similar to my family. Each painter has his or her own unique vision, and the techniques fen accomplishing this visiun—somclheng created with talent and hard uxtrk. No two painters are exactly alike, nor should they be. bach of us has our own perspective on decorative painting. There are many different news of the same idea, and each one has its own place in tire world.

I love to paint. and I want to share my interpretation of painting with others. I hope this book test I help you in some small way, or perhaps even open up a whole new world to you. Painting has allwed me to pursue my dream*, and I know you can realize yours, t*>o.

Paints

I use t’olkArt acrylic print*. They arc rub, creamy and easily blended. These acrylic puint* arc hi^h quality, an»« Rrade, lifthttast, permanent .»nd water based (this makes them eass to dean up). For the« reasons, I reeomitxnd them for the One-Stroke technique.

Ihc brushes used in all of my proj-ats are the hdkArt One-Stroke bfttdlO. The thrce-picvc set include-*

4 Vi-inJi 11.9cm) flat bruth, no. 12 Hat and the no. 2 script liner. All oi these brushes are synthetic (gold nylon). Iliey were designed especially for the One-Stroke technique. The other brush I use often is the One-Stroke scruffy brush. Unlike other scruffy brushes, the design of this bruth is cscn and uniform. This natural brittle brush has a great oval shape. You will find all kinds of uses for this bruth. That’s it! lust four brushes tor all of these protects.

I. Pinic^-ilt v’xjmthe biuth water mini; ifce $od to the bottom o! ihe «u*

Clean and Care for Yo work it m With >ouf flQlDcn, miJt

CCVtafc It 1« daUxKitcd all tV wjy to the kruJc. VSheo the #r.nh Was H «•oiled mo rK* hot* Irs tfcoraftMy. rwf tbe Krwh vktth wv.ct. RepfV tf wJfd

3. Uvc J vie J n r£*o( |Mpc^ iwid lodiy the brmlr» SSjpe the brwS 1« yo« dry ir. I «iMf^ > «null jitichip: df Rot»iore m tKe broth won’t harm it, a. Ljtlly, I kU to fceush dk brnrirt on j noo peilumcd « 00« Sir f r Brushes ^

»A Hb will *ecp the hnstlrt m ihnr *orr*t sSipc Mike ute you riur your brudi brieve mv* ir -*xr.

• l>> 1»* . Wm fMint 10 tlrv

10 fruu l^vUny’t Oj^flfU ofOmt^TOkt P^nf.v

General Supplies tojm phtc—I ave ihiv 4* my palette. Foam pïate* do not dry out the paim and 4rc conrcnicnt to hold vtheii I am p.imting,

Bntsb (usin—1 use 4 bfuih ba«n borause ic do« not up over easily. (t îs a good tool foe cle4nin$ your hetrthe*.

Rmsb cttanrr—Thcrc are many b«*4ndv, but my favorite i* Brush Pim by Plaid.

Ho.itffkoU sponge—An oval-vhjpcd >.pon>çe work* betf. Thèse can Inr fourni iri the bonoebold cîean-mg action of your uipcmurkct.

Viwgar—I use white distilled vnv e^ir: anv brand will work. I uv il to clean the g4kani/rd tinware m préparation for paintinft.

SpMfV ïpphcatùT (bruib)-à IVS-nch or 2 inch (5cm) sponge bruth «vork bot. Fhry are disponible and tnexpentive. I u*e thein tor hasccoMÎnj;.

Tranifcr pjpcr~- uv white or puper. dependitrç; on ihe coat of my projrct. You can lind thi jt mou eraft supply stores.

.ï1)«/wî—Thi> »* a çrc4t tool. i low ever» if you cannot fimi onc. ue Killpo-.m pen tlut fut mit «mic ot tnk.

SraUr—I prefer 4 tprav sealer for irxnt of my projects. Dx* three I ose the mott 4re:

1. MkArt HfSbrne CLw—elear facquer-hke rIoi* finish.

2. Folk An Extu îhkk Cbzc-wfi, uibtlc, g!o$ty «hecn.

i. hAkArt SUitf Àaytic .Srater— uift, velvety-imooth n»4tte finish.

Cleaning and Bjsccojtmg a Tcrra-Cotta I’ot Clean the- tem-cotu pot with wap and water. Ixt it dry thoroughly. With a sponge applicator, apply the basecoat around the circumference of the pot. Keep in mind that the monture of the paint i* alnorhed «luicklv by the terracotta, so >x»u need to work fast.

Either hasccoat the inside ot the pot with paint or apply a dear traler, Mich as a waterseal product.

CJfjmng Your Mjilfwx

Clean the mailbox with damp paper towel« or a toft cloth dampened with water and vinegar. Allow it to dry completely.

12 DMifevryf CM*** cfOmr-SmJcs PM^C

Preparing the Floorcloth

1. lay the floorcloth on j flat wrface. Be sure to protect your working uirface with a rarp or newspapers. Apply two or three cam ol Wieker White depending on how porous the cloth k. Allow the to dry.

2. Transfer the pattern to the rlxvcloth. Remember—you may eeed to repeat the pattern a number ol times (depending on the size of the floorcloth).

3. Dampen j Hat tponjp ¿nd load it with Butter Pecan. Apply the jvaint with any number o! technique« to achieve the desired antique look. You can dab, swirl «>r pounce the Butter Pecan, Ihh be creative ami apply j finish you like. Let your sponging dry completely. You need to apply the antiqumg .it lea»t an inch beyond the actual border. It is iuk critical to keep the border exact, as the center will overlap it.

A. Apply masking tape or drafting tape (preferably the ca*> releaw type) to form the center. Make vurc the tape is adhered on the inside of the center, *o the paint will not Weed under it. Apply two or three coats of Green Forest. You can use a brush or a roller: I uwd the One-Stroke Pattern Placement Guide Roller to apply the paint. Allow thu to dry and remove the tape slowly and carefully.

Preparing Wood for Painting

1. Any nail holes should be tilled vsith wood tiller. I he wood should Ik sanded well lo prepare the surface for the hasccojt.

2. Apply your hatecoat color using a sponge bfuth. Allow this to dry. I hen apply a second coat.

3. Alter you have kisccoarcd the Ivy Keepsake Box. dampen a sponge and rub it into Harvest (¿old. Apply thu color around the edges. Be uire to rub a little darker on the edge and lighter toward the center. I ho will give a n*xe antiqued look to the box. Apply this technique

4. You are mm- ready to transfer the pattern onto the box.

Introduction to Techniques

I purchased Some brushes and paint and began working at my kitchen table. At first, I was not a vtar ¡undent. I practiced stroke after srroke, but didn’t seem to make any headway. In tact, j teacher surely would have given Sunflower up on me Then one evening I had a revelation—I discovered that I needed to be myself, and decided to paint th’iigv as I saw them. I had finally found my niclte in the painting world.

I learned an imporrant lesson fhit night. / was ihe only one holding me back. As time progressed. I learned that many other painters experience the same frustration (did. The One-Stroke techniques ! have developed are a way to nuke painting accessible and understandable for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced painter. I hope these techniques will open up the world of decorative painting tor you.

Hou> to Hold Your brush raci r +

How to Paint Flower Centers OH’ 2 «

How to Paint blower Petals

M IkAHJ DtMU’ry é i IW. a <>/

How to Load Your Brush

Adding the Calyx and Stem

M IkAHJ DtMU’ry é i IW. a <>/

Pounci/tg and Sponging

How to Paint Branches and Grapevines tACt >

How to Paint Vines, Crass and Curlicues «

How to Hold Your Brush

Cow farts of the Brush

How to Hold the Fht Brush vjrt

I». rx^w fJru +trTy’, IVxJt (/Ow-V/,^ fjftfi*/

IltoJdttft-HfhMdk up. KKÍ yc*ir f.nxrr

4/J -l».’. cl* Ulrfl» !» itrrp af b:u a od tlx tip.

IltoJdttft-HfhMdk up. KKÍ yc*ir f.nxrr

4/J -l».’. cl* Ulrfl» !» itrrp af b:u a od tlx tip.

How /o Hold the Script Liner

2 i w JMTI «If fm-ter 10 >

1 WVtJ tW bonh n with juirt. (»«axr t «1:44*1 »rfn iUMÍy. tum

1 WVtJ tW bonh n with juirt. (»«axr t «1:44*1 »rfn iUMÍy. tum

2 To uprr cd your huÜMicJir, Uf^c ebr hcuw* *o r. »cu» oc cU Jo«* oJflc oI d* Krwlrw

2 To uprr cd your huÜMicJir, Uf^c ebr hcuw* *o r. »cu» oc cU Jo«* oJflc oI d* Krwlrw

3 TfrtiOttV j mv wtull jro. 11« rSc (MMf cdljc o4 fSe Kíttéíf b*uh 10 pooocr

How to Load Your Brush

How Mueh Paint on the Palettei Loading the Hat Brush

IX Dartfrry’t CumfUttBock’jOneJuok*f«MO%

4 Ktf r»«üf tkttt lime» li> toxi tbc bntdei pjiv.

Multt’Loading the blm Brush

J up iKc dit net color çKrrnr, Hew ! oo r»e »iiiirr »uV ol «V* l»:u Ji s |uiat( rct>*i jwr huA by p«cl’ ** tp both «m» o

Double Loading the Scruffy Brush

11 i od hall the bnnfc by poiaan* into the tágf of the fmt o< 2 7he two ccltxt »bouSd ihñyi be »epjrjce on tk taufe »Hrr. r ilwd

TKe. power ihr ocbff half oí the Kntb hru*N ir.m ihr cJ*r of inc. at U>o-*r here, thr uvood piKklr oí 4ok*.

11 i od hall the bnnfc by poiaan* into the tágf of the fmt o< 2 7he two ccltxt »bouSd ihñyi be »epjrjce on tk taufe »Hrr. r ilwd

TKe. power ihr ocbff half oí the Kntb hru*N ir.m ihr cJ*r of inc. at U>o-*r here, thr uvood piKklr oí 4ok*.

Multi-I.oadtng the Scruffy brush

1 fVxirxc ll* h^Crr vcei.tr oí tfee broth «ito the l^ito* color.

1 fVxirxc ll* h^Crr vcei.tr oí tfee broth «ito the l^ito* color.

Repetí ihn CAO c* iWrcc tuno Ui uvixc

luxijing the Siripi Lifter

Repetí ihn CAO c* iWrcc tuno Ui uvixc

Roll jm bnnh j» you puB ic Out Ol ihr «M IÛII pj»*L IKn uill promt :i

Rtffci! ÍKp >oui Iner »tto wr.tr irui fnjI put* frwn l>* m ihf ja.Ti miftn* cfic roxai nnh >«ur no Kript l*ct.

Using the Brush Handle to Make Dots

1 the îrpiV r*«r • W» Htrtifc into the paint pi>ASW 2 IXx tV< punt nmo ?»■ i ui>4»or. Ike vr-;’ cr cWr Hji*JV.

uwliT ihr den V* mar r>> rrlcai tr> keep fW mr ot ik ¿-/t

1 the îrpiV r*«r • W» Htrtifc into the paint pi>ASW 2 IXx tV< punt nmo ?»■ i ui>4»or. Ike vr-;’ cr cWr Hji*JV.

uwliT ihr den V* mar r>> rrlcai tr> keep fW mr ot ik ¿-/t

5/(ic I aiding Your Brush

Wet broth ifvJ tfrdU :i »Im« iht udr ct 0< pjMU ot pjä. 1V bmilr« »r< now tok v»>:h wMer tW©Aft mth piinf. IK* ovm a Krft » W frfutfiuroJ*. A* ffWd jiJ* a)-» dr? the iK* isSf «>1 d* i**o iSf par-J.

How to Paint Flower Centers

U’n.V rKr CCOIff r» f. use j 12 l»«w*h ¿H.W. ««ih &h«>ol Vriow ..r>J

1 IVurlc

24 f VmSirry » (xwlplrtr N&akcft Mr^Av** ftm;^

woffcsg yt** WA> jfiMiX4 ihr OVAI

5 Ii >• dr*> i»r 1:»»; » t» tlupc Cr»w*

Bonus Project: Sunflower liinihouse

¿6 is «XJ I i «mçà (^Ox-Äftif Patnti«*

2 PKk vp a Jf » 4IM ölScfco i Im Yifcw» oo the cr*nct. jnJ poovr eo tW ccrncr. _

Wild flower Center iv.-.rh Mi^/S. r rlli«»rM

I V thf f-vi of ihr broxh hifkjlc Jiffrii * OOMf o? ihr

How to Paint Flower Petals

Han*« on Ac chawi çuth ifcmn i ¿k brink* a« >ou wrokc ibe w*Atit jun ipcul

*!tif »si DOUNM hir^f. Soixlnf; ktiih I f>.ilr (Ml «v (W oifjf. rrjie a dxxi ittûr c’.mn. It-*lrf.«fth »hcwf.tr cocnff ol fekuù

*!tif »si DOUNM hir^f. Soixlnf; ktiih I f>.ilr (Ml «v (W oifjf. rrjie a dxxi ittûr c’.mn. It-*lrf.«fth »hcwf.tr cocnff ol fekuù

¡Àtfgf Daisy Petals

Han*« on Ac chawi çuth ifcmn i ¿k brink* a« >ou wrokc ibe w*Atit jun ipcul

How to Paint a Rosebud

Start With the Upper IVtal

11kuMf lo*)*my. l2ÍMM«iikfkte Wh« jfJhcir» WíiK. Smk c«i th.-

iVom’ the Lower Petal

5 fVtb »r^dv on if* bcfcdn Kniet you/ Uuifc in i i^tfc “IT v»pc. voeb áKi-j)» (iotf; IÇ»A JM

Ihe Wrong Way to Make a Rosebud!

Imr tt ifc* in * Kali .uku ..-m% ihr wfac« «Jtr ««• Úk ^f JJt r ilir thjpc

foM thec-iUv the

4 ftepeat*«: K.rf.i vile «v the bu» lr«i IT* * »mail fki JI

Adding the Calyx and Stem

$ > ih: vhiwlo$A. P»>’h (IMIII sioi/ ,

Aii tkt vcm, «rrol^c Awwwd ik-twc^heSxi.

4 ftepeat*«: K.rf.i vile «v the bu» lr«i IT* * »mail fki JI

the hooon foM thec-iUv the

1DmMt lo*l a «*. 12 the hrwfc SmMomt and (.rrer> Iloimc. it the

12 fVm tkuUmy” < 'Mptar V»4e J'jjtfm^

How to Paint a Shell Stroke

1h: !%:: ¿ic jiicj*?WtJ| • ■ -fcf Ml VON*. WTut Ae

MC »ft to rixuif. à bcx’jiiKI «CiÄe> He wire >».a- fanh rt iu’Jf kodfJ? Iii ye* rcrd eo. fcww the M dir* Tvxif y.U, .«» |upn 1P2X) M by douMe fc>*Jitv • VWfkh ll-^m^ liai y tnh Yk».fcc* WW and Berty Ww. rxçc coward Ptni n o«i the bmt’o

) the Beny Til* vomer erf«hc bruA m ^wi tvriinoc 10 nv»l< M ^tJ with thr tvmfc.

5 Therein* hue« è bcaaMul .jKKjx* roic petal « Ottdt Ail’ ftetke aMiieooarnotioM

bfiwAi loaded *> >ou rxo .HIÎO! jvi tfif in the rrtftiile of the aroke.

How to Paint C-Stroke Petals

Cloud (‘.-Stroke utoICR

Was this article helpful?

Watercolor Rose Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

• Don’t start with a circle.
• Don’t paint concentric lines.
• Don’t use a standard watercolor brush. The belly of the brush doesn’t hold enough water.
• Don’t forget to add details once the first layer of paint dries.

If you start a watercolor painting like this, it can be fixed if the paint is light enough.

Let the paint dry completely, then paint over the old roses using the technique below.

Tips for Painting Watercolor Flowers

• Use a nice watercolor brush. It doesn’t have to be real animal hair, but it does need to be able to hold a lot of water, but still have a nice point. I really love this brush because it works so well, but doesn’t cost a fortune.
• Go slow. If you’ve watched a lot of youtube videos, it seems like the artists paint so fast! But beginners need to go slow.
• Use your brush in a drawing manner to fill in the spaces while still leaving white between the petals.
• Adding another color into the wet mix is a fun way to add interest to watercolor florals. I really like adding oranges and yellows into pink flowers.
• The center starts out small and darker, while the petals get larger and lighter in color as you get to the edges.
• Work in odd numbers for a more pleasing effect. I added 3 center parts to the rose, then 3 small petals, and so forth.
• Don’t make the petals too perfectly rounded. The need to be ruffly and irregular.
• Use a palette that holds plenty of paint. I really love this ceramic palette.

Be sure to check out this post I wrote on how to paint easy leaves. I also have a post with more easy flowers to paint with watercolor.

Yield: 1

Watercolor Rose Tutorial

Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

• Watercolor paint
• Watercolor paper
• Palette

• Paintbrush

1. Use a concentrated amount of watercolor and make 3 little marks in the center.
2. Add a bit more water to your brush and start drawing petals around the center marks.
3. Use the belly of the brush to make thicker petals and the tip of the brush to make thin parts of the petals.
4. Make sure the edges are imperfect and not too round as you go.
5. The first layer of petals should have 2-3 petals.
6. Continue adding more petals, filling in the white spaces between them to make the petals look like they overlap.
7. Add more water to lighten the color as you get to the edge.
8. Continue painting until you’re happy.
9. Rosebuds can be made by using the belly of your brush to make an oval shape.
10. Overlap the first oval with another oval.
11. Add a few jagged lines at the top so that your rosebud isn’t too perfect.
12. Let the rosebud dry completely and add details as desired.
13. Leaves are made in a similar manner to the rosebud. Use the belly of the brush to make 2 overlapping ovals that have a point at each end.
14. Then use the tip of the brush to add jagged marks around the edges.
15. Let the paint dry slightly and add lines for the veins. (They will bleed, but that will add depth to the finished leaf.)
16. Let the leaves dry completely and add lines again.

Pre-Mixing Colors

When you mixing your colors in advance, it leaves you free to simply paint. This particular painting is obviously dominated red and green. Red and green are complementary colors and in this recent blog post I wrote about this particular color relationship, so I won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say, red and green is a striking color contrast that immediately draws attention.

Green can be quite overpowering, so to add some subtlety and variation to the painting I mixed up a range of greens from light to dark. My light to mid – greens were mixed from New Gamboge and Ultramarine and my dark green was mixed from New Gamboge and Pthalo Blue.

Painting Colored Shadows

Local Color: The color of an object as it appears in normal lighting conditions. E.G. A yellow lemon, a red shirt etc.
Perceived Colour: The effect of colored light and reflected light on an object.

Shadows are rarely just shades of grey, they are colored by reflected light from the environment, from the objects that cast them and the local color of the object that they fall on .

So how do we best paint a convincing shadow?

Simply adding grey or black to make a darker version of the colour can sometimes work but in general this will just create unconvincing dull looking shadows.

Unless they are modified significantly by light from the surrounding environment, shadows that appear on an object tend to be cooler (ie bluer) and darker versions of that object’s local color. So by adding the coolest or darkest adjacent color we can create shadows which are still colorful and vibrant.

To make this a bit easier to understand. In the diagram below, I’ve laid out the color wheel in a straight line.

So when we come to paint the shadows on the roses we need to look to the coolest adjacent colour to red, which is violet. Shadow comparison

1. Begin with a light sketch of the reference photo. I used a mechanical pencil with an HB lead.
2. Mix up plenty of Rose Madder, then with a No.2 mop brush start painting the heads of the roses with short curving strokes.
3. Carry on painting the rest of the roses in the same way making sure that you leave some white space between the strokes.

1. I began adding stems and leaves with my mid-green, occasionally adding some darker greens for variation.
2. Alizarin Crimson is a darker and cooler red than Rose Madder, so mixing this with a little Ultramarine pushed it towards the necessary shadow violet shadow color.
3. Start paint the shadows on each of the roses.
4. Using a small round brush dragged downwards paint the blue watery reflections within the vase.

Painting The Vase

Glass and water are colorless , but they can be defined by shadows and reflections rather than painting an outline around the shape vase itself .

1. I start by painting clean water where the shadow cast by the vase will be.
2. Painting into and up to the edge of the water line with a little Paynes Grey mixed with Ultramarine, creates a diffused shadow and a “Lost and found” edge which suggests the presence of a vase.
3. Finish the painting by adding a few more leaves and ferns where necessary.

Need more help with this? Watch the full real-time video of this painting from my YouTube channel.

Get Instant Access: Price $59

Get Instant Access: Price $47

Get Instant Access: Price $97