I took many photos of a perfect magnolia blossom and used my favorite one to create my painting. Using a drawing pencil, I sketched in the outline of the flower with as little detailing as possible.
The first painting step was to indicate value. Using a full brush, I added clear water to the areas of the petals that were the darkest in the photograph. It needs to be really wet,
then take a minute or two for it to soak into the paper.
You will notice the sheen leaving...that means it's time to drop in some darks.
I use the word "dark" very loosely here! The paint should be very pale. Don't over do it yet. This will take several layers and is time consuming. Start out with very little color in your brush. But, at the same time, remember that this will dry much lighter.
Continue to add the shaded areas on and around the petals. And...most important...leave plenty of white. We're saving whites, remember. Don't cover the entire petal with shading. You want your whites to be the focal point of the painting. Refer to your photo often. Nature is very good at this.
I continued to add shaded areas to my petals to shape and mold them. The colors used were
fr. ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, burnt sienna and hooker's green med.
Using a heavier wash and the same colors listed above, I began to fill in the background. This gave my petals more definition. Still not worrying about the details.
From here, just continue using the same steps over and over. Creating layer after layer, waiting for each layer to dry. Don't rush it and enjoy the process. Details on the center stamens of the blossom and the tree branches were added with burnt sienna, aliz. crimson and burnt umber.
I continued adding darks to the background and details to the blossom.
The final painting!
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