There are so many ways to paint in acrylic and this is just one technique that I love to use where the magic of painting flowers for me is to pull the petals and flower scene out of the canvas. All the time layers are being added in or cancelled out by a new leaf or flower. I normally start with a wash, look at the painting and allow my self to see the shapes within that. Then I start to put in the background leaves, shading, light and dark. On top of that comes the flowers in a variety of colours as seen in the photo – this is only the start. I then put a darker shade underneath each flower to reflect the vibrancy of each flower itself, ie making it stand out. I may cover a flower that doesn’t look so compositionally pleasing, all the time listening to myself and watching/waiting for that moment when I have the feeling to stop.
It’s necessary to dry the layers in between with the hairdryer so that the colours don’t become muddy. On the other hand, you can allow it to be a bit tacky so that an additional colour on top of say a flower can blend in slightly. Why not give it a go. Remember the more we don’t care how the painting is going to come out, the more fun and more likely something unexpected can emerge. Have fun.
