Medium: Acrylic paint
How To Paint a Sunflower: An Easy Tutorial For Beginners
Sunflowers! Sunflowers are known to be unique, energetic, and beautiful. They represent sincere trust and loyalty to something far bigger and brighter than themselves, faith and adoration for all that is. If you feel all fuzzy and warm just from looking at them, why not create a painting and frame it at home? Or paint one and give it to that special someone (may it be your best friend or mum) who makes you feel loved and happy?
If you want to learn how to create a sunflower (or sunflowers!) using acrylic paint and a canvas, keep scrolling through this easy step-by-step guide on how to paint your very own sunshine!
For this painting, you will be needing the following materials:
- A Canvas size of your liking
- Acrylic Paint
- Brushes
- Jar Of Water
- Paper Towel
- A mixing palette
For the Colours you will need:
- Burnt Umber
- Cadmium Orange
- Carbon Black (Or mars black)
- Cadmium Yellow Medium
- Primary Yellow
- Titanium White
- Ultramarine Blue (or any colour you’d like for the background)
To create the center of your sunflower, use a pencil to draw a circle. You can free-hand this or, use something as a guide such as a can or plastic container lid. The size of your circle depends on your canvas size or how large you would like your final flower to be. My canvas is 8 x8 inches and my circle is about 4 inches across. This is going to look crazy in the beginning and by making very easy single strokes will come together in the end to be a beautiful sunflower painting!
Use your brush and the Burnt Umber paint to follow your pencil line and paint the rough outer edge of the circle.
Load the round brush with dark brown (burnt umber) paint, and press the brush to the canvas, placing more pressure in the middle and lifting up closer to the center of the circle. It’s OK if they overlap and don’t look super neat or tidy. This is going to create our layers of petals. Use the tip of that round brush to push down slightly at the bottom part of the petals to create the petal variation. Make sure to rinse brush between colors.
If you’re enjoying this painting technique, try this easy hydrangea flower painting tutorial
Continue around the circle, covering the edge of that circle, spacing them kind of evenly… but it’s OK if they aren’t uniform, they aren’t in nature either. Once the entire circle has been done, move onto Burnt Orange (Cadmium orange medium)paint and repeat the same pattern with the top and bottom parts of the petals.
In this paint a sunflower easy DIY, let the first two layers of paint dry slightly and then paint a layer of petals in Antique Gold (Medium Yellow), using the same pressing technique in the direction of the petal to create the rest of the petals of the sunflower head. It’s ok if the paint is not a solid coat with each petal and it’s uneven yellow paint. It will all work out in the end.
Keep your stroke direction while painting consistent for best results. It helps the strokes blend into each other as you layer color especially as you paint the back petals.
Add the next layer and work around the entire middle circle, and with each layer going progressively lighter in paint colors from a golden yellow to a lighter yellow hue working though Bright Yellow, Banana Cream, and Light Buttermilk. leave some little white spaces between as you work. Layering these colors this way will give a nice color dimension. As you go you will start to cover the darker part of the paint and the front petals will become bright yellow petals.
If you want to create additional colors, mix equal amounts of each yellow hue with white paint , or the cadmium medium orange and continue to layer your colors darkest color to light with your sunflower petals.
Sunflower Watercolor Painting Easy
Medium: Watercolor paint
Level: Easy
When painting loose sunflowers with watercolors, the key is to create a loose and free-flowing look. Start by making a circle guide for your petals, then add yellow and orange paint for the base of the flower.
As you work around the outside of your flower, use darker colors like red, brown, and green to blend and create a more realistic look.
When you are finished, use small brushstrokes around the petals to add texture and highlight some of the lighter sections for added dimension.
Main supplies:
- Watercolor paint
- Watercolor paintbrush
- Watercolor paper
How to Paint Sunflowers Using Coffee
Medium: Coffee
Level: Intermediate
If you love the smell of freshly brewed coffee, this painting technique is perfect for you! You only need coffee and water.
Mix up your own coffee solution, then use a brush to paint the sunflower on the canvas. It’s best to evenly layer several coats of the mixture to get a realistic effect.
Coffee makes for a unique and unusual sunflower painting, perfect for those who like to think outside of the box.
Medium: Fluid Acrylic Paint
Level: Intermediate
Try something new by using fluid acrylic as a medium in your painting.
The fun part here is that the artist did not use a paintbrush to apply the paint. Instead, she used household items like a spoon, a toothpick, and a tissue to paint this beautiful piece.
With the right technique, as seen in this tutorial, you’ll be able to create an interesting and unique-looking sunflower.
Once you have the right colors, apply the fluid acrylic onto the canvas. Premix orange and yellow to create a shaded effect on the petal once applied on the canvas (with a spoon).
The toothpick is great for adding details and texture to your sunflower. To finish off, use a tissue to paint the leaves and stem.
Main supplies:
- Fluid acrylic/ Acrylic paint and paint thinner
- Plastic cup
- Blow dryer
- Palette knife
- Canvas
Cute Sunflower Painting Easy
Medium: Oil pastels and markers
Level: Easy
Using round objects to ensure your sunflower comes out cute and chubby is a great idea. You can use it to guide where to place your center and petals evenly.
In this tutorial, the artist defined the outlines of the sunflower drawing before using oil pastels to color it. Blend the colors with your fingers or a cloth to create the unique effect of oil pastels.
