Flowers naturally lend themselves to the creation of luminous, glowing paintings. Light shining through translucent petals or reflecting delicately within the flower creates a magical glow. Dawn light accentuates deep shadow and radiant highlights in the freshly opened flowers. Attention to light and colour allows you to capture this luminosity.
1. ESTABLISH YOUR LIGHT SOURCE
A direct and even light looks rather flat and unexciting, so use a strongly angled light source for maximum interest. Look for shadow patterns that enhance the form of the flower. Rotate the flower and tilt it in the light until you see the best view to paint.
2. USE STRONG BACKLIGHTING
As an alternative to angled lighting, look at the flower with a light behind it to determine if the backlit effect is what you prefer to paint. Rotate and tilt the flower to find the most attractive composition.
3. MAINTAIN THE DIRECTION OF LIGHT
As you paint, maintain the established direction of light throughout the painting.
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Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration