Tags
abstract flowers, Abstracted Flowers Painting Tutorial, flower tutorial, painting flowers, tutorial
Hello!
When I posted the above flowers a few weeks ago, many of you expressed an interest as to how I made them! So following is a quick tutorial (though, after several weeks of experimenting, I still haven’t been able to replicate the above flowers exactly… oh well! Just remember to have fun and not worry about the end product very much; because it is such a fast and loose process, you won’t be able to control it that much anyhow!)
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED
• #140 hot-pressed (smooth) watercolor paper (or similar), cut or torn to any size
• watercolors (pan or tube, either is fine)
• white gesso (I use Golden brand, because it is a bit thicker than some of the other brands)
• one or two flat brushes (between 1/4″ – 3/4″)
• pencil (I use a cheap mechanical pencil)
• eraser (I prefer kneaded rubber erasers)
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS
Step 1. Randomly “splotch” 3-6 different colors of watercolors onto your paper. This can be done in one step, and it’s okay if the colors overlap and run a bit. (I usually use a half-inch flat watercolor brush.) Leave some whites spaces. Let dry completely.
Step 2. Once your watercolors are dry, get out your white gesso. Using a DRY brush (or one that you’ve squeezed most of the water out of), start painting gesso circles around areas of the watercolor, as shown above. Once you paint a circle, immediately turn the brush around and “draw into” the gesso with the brush handle. Draw lines for petals, circle-y scribbles, etc.
Here it is at the next stopping point. Notice I covered the in-between areas with white gesso, too. (Also, the white “stars” above are made by putting a dollup of gesso in the middle of a color patch, and then turning the brush around and drawing into it.) Let gesso layer dry completely.
Step 3. Next, add pencil to pull out your flower shapes even more. Keep your hand as loose as possible.
Step 4. I went back in with gesso and added a few more star shapes, as it seemed a little bare after step 3.
Step 5. Fill in the areas between the flowers with a light layer of pencil. Vary your directions a bit, and then smear with your finger to soften.
Step 6. This is hard to see here, but this step involves lightly going back in with an eraser here and there. (This is an optional step; I just felt I was a little too heavy-handed with my pencil in Step 5, so I wanted to soften it a bit.)
Step 7. Finally, I gave the entire piece a VERY LIGHT layer of sepia brown watercolor to unify the piece. (Again, an optional step for you!)
_____________________
These last few weeks I have been FLOWER CRAZY! As I got into trying to get this tutorial ready for you, things kind of exploded and I found I could approach the flowers in many different ways on many different surfaces, using all the layered painting techniques I’ve been sort of making up the last 15 years. (Gesso plus watercolor? Yes! And on wood? And collage, too? Yes and yes!)
Some of you have requested a longer, more in-depth online painting class, so I’m working to have FLOWER CRAZY! ready to start April 9, 2012 (we’ll finish up just in time for the “real” May flowers)!
Watch for details and registration info March 1st (or sign up for my newsletter to get a note in your in-box).
Thanks for visiting!
😀
Susan S. Andersen said:
I don’t even have to read this before I tell you how much I love it. You are definitely amazing.
Serena Mira Asta said:
Oh, yay! Thanks Carla. You’ve made my day. ;-D
Your fan,
Serena
Jeanet said:
I always look forward to your posts and am looking forward to get silly crazy with the flowers too!! Thank you for brightening my day!!! Much love, Jeanet
Adee said:
Did anyone tell you how amazing and generous you are? Oh yea… they did! Fantastic!!
Thanks a bunch!! ❤
Looking forward to your next workshop,"FLOWER CRAZY! "
carlasonheim said:
Thank you!
Jane LaFazio said:
wonderful tutorial! I too, have found myself flower crazy! such fun
ranae baker said:
WOW, thank you so much for sharing this tutorial, you are generous. I’m a newbie to the workd of mixed media and can’t get enough of new learning experiences. Thank you again, I’ll be looking forward to your “Flowers’ class.
Denise said:
Fabulous Carla, thank you for sharing. It’s so interesting to see it all de-constructed. Wonderful Flowers!
waltraut said:
Thank you so much. The flowers are lovely and to see how they are constructed is very inspiring.
Peggy said:
Excellent photos to accompany your directions. THANKS!
Kelly Heggem said:
Carla this was an awesome tutorial!!! Thank you so much for sharing your technique! I can see this being done so many beautiful ways 🙂
ranae baker said:
Do you wet the watercolor paper before putting down all your colors?
carlasonheim said:
No… the paper is dry (but the watercolor is fairly wet and runny).
Tephyr said:
Beautiful! Not only artistically and educationally; but the hint of Spring I need this time of year.
Will be fun to try this.
Thank you!
mixedprairie said:
thanks, Carla. Can’t wait to try this!!!
Kay Hewitt said:
Thank you Carla for this step-by-step painting to create these neat flowers. As soon as I finish working on my income taxes (I itemize), I am going to follow your directions and see how mine turns out. I think I have all the materials – even the gesso.. Thank you again for sharing your creative techniques with all of us.
Luna said:
Fantastic! This catches the eye so beautifully. Thank you for sharing!
Helen Campbell said:
You are amazing, Carla! I love this. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. I’m going to go play NOW. 🙂
Gwen Delmore said:
thanks so much for this tutorial! This looks like so much fun, and I can see that it could go in many directions, I will look forward to hearing about the online class!
joanne said:
Carla you are amazing thanks so much for the tutorial looking forward to the flowet class and i am enjoying silly 5 :0)
Dogwood07 said:
Your latest works are so beautiful, thank you very much for the tutorial and sharing! You are awesome!
Geri said:
Carla – this is gorgeous. Would you mind if I posted one of the photos one my blog with a link back to this? I’d love to share with my readers.
carlasonheim said:
Of course, and Thank you! 😀
Geri said:
Yay – thank you!
Lorinda @ Everyday Endeavours said:
Thanks so much for sharing your tips and tricks Carla!
Sabine (Germany) said:
Thank you so much, Carla, for this know-how. (Seems so easy and most amusing once you know how.)
Best regards from Sabine
Sandy Box said:
Thank you from me too Carla – it is wonderful and I have bought myself some gesso but not used it yet.
Nancy Sanderson Curry said:
Great tutorial, Carla….and neat technique. I love the randomness of the flowers. Kudos.
anna maria said:
How generous of you to share! Thank you, it’s just the kind of loose, whimsical project I can handle right now.
Anny said:
Tjanks fot sharing your flowers. It’s great! And… we are waiting for spring overhere in Holland. And these flowers give me a springfeeeling!
Deb Dugan said:
Thanks so much for this tutorial! Can’t wait to give it a try and I’m looking forward to the online class too! Yay for Carla!
Vickie Altstaetter-Morgan said:
Thanks for the tutorial, Carla. I am going to have to try this!
Tata Roldan said:
thank you carla…this is fun!!!!
marguerite blain said:
Toujours allez plus loin, utiliser sans contraines sa créativité!
Bravo!
Francesca Di Leo said:
so pretty!
reminds me of some of the work by georgia (see link below)
gray…http://georgia-gray.blogspot.com/?utm_source=Ali+Edwards+Newsletter&utm_campaign=108cb3f007-52_Weeks_Week_11_5_2012&utm_medium=email
so gonna give this a try..
xox
andyinstitches said:
Love these flowers Carla, and thanks for a great tutorial!
and just in time to hold us over until Spring officially arrives!
Aloha, Andrea
artexpectations said:
LOVE these! I am posting something about it on my blog. Just so you know… it’s complimentary! I created a piece of art using this technique and give you credit for the “how to”. Thanks for the tutorial!
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englishgrams said:
Well, I can’t wait to go Flower Crazy with you. Sign me up.
Great fun.
Isabel said:
Thank you, Carla!
jennab said:
So beautiful ! Can’t wait for April!
Jo Murray said:
Very generous of you… there’ll be thousands around (including mine) soon.
Jessica Porterfield said:
Thank you for your kind and generous heart. I kept returning to your flower paintings to see what techniques you used but never thought to ask that you do a tutorial. I hope that your generosity is returned to you.
lisamcelroy said:
This is great. Thank you, Carla. I’m making one of these for my friend for a mail art project. It’s so simple yet it looks really beautiful. There’s much joy in your art.
Emma said:
Thank you, thank you, thank you for generously creating this tutorial. I’ve been grumpy and cantankerous the past two days. This afternoon I got out my acrylic paints and gesso and played with this technique. Now I’m happy :-).
Emma
carlasonheim said:
You’re welcome!
😀
Ellen Donnelly said:
It’s 2018, Emma! Just saw this page and your comment. Glad someone else finds doing some art gets them over the grumps!! Ellen (NZ)
Birthe Lindhardt said:
I wonder if you’ll see this, Carla? And I wonder if I can ask a technical question here?
I am in the middle of trying out this tutorial. I am working on two different pieces, and on the first one I have used some gouache pans from Talens and on the other one I have used Ecoline for the flower-ground.
so far so good.
But when I add the gesso it picks up the colour from the watercolours and the white disappears completely. It gives a rather muddy impression!
Have you had the same problem?
And what did you do about it?
This tutorial makes me look even more forward to the five weeks’ course coming up soon.
Love
birthe, DK
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Ellen Donnelly said:
Gorgeous Carla, and thankyou for sharing your technique! Just a delightful image!
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