Floral & Still Life Painting Lessons

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black eyed susans painted in a watercolor vignette

Daffodils In A Yellow Vase

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Work loosely for and impressionistic scene
  • Using warm / cool contrasts for subtle light shifts
  • Using bright / dull color contrasts for bright light and subtle shade

A CHALLENGING LESSON

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black eyed susans painted in a watercolor vignette

Painting Black-eyed Susans In A Vase

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Painting a group – like a flower bouquet – as a single interesting shape
  • Using and composing a Vignette format
  • Using negative space effectively in a composition

AN EASIER LESSON APPROACHABLE BY EVERYONE

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Lemons in a decorated bowl. Image from a watercolor painting lesson

Painting Lemons In A Light Bowl

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • How to ‘edit’ your scene for impact
  • The value of working from direct observation
  • How to build a strong composition with a simplified scene

BONUS LESSON – HOW TO FIX A BLOOM

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day lilies in a white vase watercolor painting lesson

Day Lilies In A Vase

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Capturing the essence of a subject
  • Discover the expressive quality of the sketch
  • Experience the unique qualities of Hot Press paper

HOT PRESS PAPER MAKES THIS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE

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day lilies in a white vase watercolor painting lesson

Paint A Bouquet Of Summer Flowers

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • The ‘formula’ for backlighting
  • How to simplify a complex subject
  • How to create ‘non-muddy’ darks

THIS IS A MORE CHALLENGING LESSON

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still life watercolor painting on hot press paper

Simple Still Life On Hot Press Paper

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • The unique qualities of Hot Press Paper
  • Capturing direct, filtered light
  • Adapting basic techniques to a less absorbent surface

HOT PRESS PAPER MAKES THIS ONE A BIT OF A CHALLENGE

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Lemons in a decorated bowl. Image from a watercolor painting lesson

Paint A Reflective Transparent Still Life In Watercolor

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Simple effects to capture reflections and transparency
  • How to avoid fussiness and unify a complex subject
  • Create a unifying initial wash

TRANSPARENCY AND REFLECTIONS ARE ALWAYS CHALLENGING

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pink tulips in glass vase watercolor painting lesson

Bouquet Of Tulips

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Learn to create subtle light effects with temperature and value contrasts
  • Learn to work with a limited palette
  • Get experience working on Rough paper

A GOOD LESSON TO TRY OUT ROUGH PAPER

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watercolor vignette painting of irises

High Key Floral Subject

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • How to maintain a narrow value range
  • Using temperature and chroma contrasts for effect
  • Manage fluid washes on “slippery” hot-pressed paper

A CHALLENGING LESSON

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lemons and plums in a watercolor still life painting

Lemons And Plums Still Life

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Painting folds in cloth
  • How to darken light colors
  • Holding value when working with color

BONUS LESSON – CREATE AN EFFECTIVE VALUE COMPOSITION

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yellow irises watercolor painting

Paint Yellow Irises With Control & Freedom

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • How to combine the essential freedom of watercolor with a controlled approach
  • Bring focus with edges and detail
  • Use a vignette composition

THIS IS A CHALLENGING LESSON

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