Rose
The Flower of Love, Energy and Admiration
This might be the flower most people know the meaning of because everywhere we look in movies and books, the guy always shows up with a bunch of red roses. And to be honest, I am a romantic and have kept the first rose my husband gifted me. But for this step-by-step, I didn’t choose to paint a completely red rose. I wanted to make the colors a bit more unique, so I included a bunch for you.
I hope you are ready to paint the flower of love with me.
Materials List
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Pencil and eraser
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Paper: Canson Montval 300gsm (140lb) cold press Watercolor brushes: sizes 7 and 4
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Water and cloth
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Palette
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Fineliners: sizes 005, 01 and 02
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Colors:
- Pyrrol Scarlet
- New Gamboge
- Quinacridone Rose
- Sap Green
Directions
The stem and leaves are a mix of sap green and a bit of pyrrol scarlet.
The flower head is a good mix of pyrrol scarlet, new gamboge and quinacridone rose at the edges. All the colors are dripped into the clean water and mix naturally on the paper.
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This flower can be a bit tricky, so I’m showing a few more steps in this first sketch. Begin by drawing out the middle with a pencil. Add a few lines wrapped by a C-shaped line.
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Draw a few C-shaped lines behind the center. You can almost let them frame the middle of the flower.
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Now, draw the petals in the front. These are foreshortened and curved. I know it looks weird right now, but stay with me.
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Now you can draw all the big petals surrounding the flower. Make these nice and organic. Remember, no flowers are perfect, especially not the outer petals that are withstanding wind and rain.
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Draw a sturdy stem and a few leaves. Erase some of the lines so there is not too much graphite, but you still want to be able to see the lines—that is important. You can use a kneaded eraser for this if you have one in your stash.
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Now wet the entire rose head with a big brush (size 7) and drip in pyrrol scarlet and new gamboge close to the center. At the edge you can use a cool red like quinacridone rose. Let it all mix and mingle. Don’t be scared of water and color bleeds—they will be the magic of this flower. After it has dried a bit, you can drip in a little more color to areas that might be in shadow. Wait patiently for it to dry. Since it is the flower of love, maybe spend the break by sending your partner a kissing emoji.
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After it’s dried, you can paint the stem with the tip of your smaller brush (size 4) using the wet-on-dry technique. Use a mix of sap green and a bit of pyrrol scarlet for a nice neutral green. Try painting the leaves so there are hints of a white line in the middle. This will define the shape of the leaves.
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Take the 01 fineliner and draw a rough outline following the pencil lines beneath. Leave the outer edge of the petals, the stem and leaves without ink.
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Add fine details with the 005 fineliner. This is where you will really shape your rose. The part of the petal that is hugging the center of the flower will mostly be straight lines going down toward the bottom of the flower. The curled petals will have more C-shaped lines following the direction of the curl.
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Finally, add some darker details where you feel like it needs it with the 02 fineliner.
Pop the champagne—you did it! Go celebrate with someone special!
Read NextNighttime in the Towering Forest
