Snowdrop Step by Step

We will be trying this at my group next time, I took the painting not quite finished to show them at the last session so although some of the chaps aren't too keen on flowers there is a lot to learn from this one and it may well take us 2 sessions to complete. I used a composition similar to my previous Brusho snowdrop but to be painted in watercolour.

As this was painted as a workshop piece I did a simple drawing first....not all the group would be confident in painting without drawing and I have to cater for all abilities.  I have used a reference photo but only to give me some flower head shapes, not to provide the composition. I used the new Maimeriblu colours and as usual a limited palette,  Turqouise, purple and cad yellow to start with but thought that was a bit too much so changed to lemon yellow.

The first image show the washes. I have tried to keep things light around the flower heads as I know I want them to be fairly white. By guiding the water around the petals (paint will only flow where there is water) the paint will also flow around and leave areas of white. I start at the top with whichever colour takes my fancy then add paint straight from my palette, (sprayed with water before I start to make them moist and workable) alternating the colours in an irregular way diluting and spraying as I go along so instead of creating a wash in my palette I create the wash on the paper. As yellow and purple are complimentary colours (and could make a grey duller colour) I try not to add them next to one another.

This needs to dry completely and as I was in my studio  and my hair dryer was ready to go, once the shine had gone off (if you dry before, the water moves the paint around too much and if you have any particular effects you see happening they will be lost) I dried off ready for the next layers.

2nd image.....Here I have started to add a bit of detail working around the painting so that I am not working where it is wet, adding the stems and calyx's (think that's the right word?) and a few leaves at the bottom. Everything is still fairly light at this stage and I haven't added any more to the background.

3rd image below......I decided the light was coming from the right so started to darken the bg to that side to emphasize the counter change with the white petals. i worked around the main flower and as I add the intense colour I wash away behind it so that it can blend into the washes I already have.   

4th image below......Here I have started to work around the other flowers and added a touch more detail to the foliage at the bottom. I thought the bg was a bit too harsh behind the top flower so washed the intensity away. 

At this stage the whole piece wasn't "popping" as I would like so I left for a couple of days and then worked on it a bit more.

5th Image below......just a few subtle changes here adding a few more darks around the petals and in the foliage at the bottom. As you add the paint, as mentioned earlier, you need to wash the colour away with clean water into the bg... that way you don't add more wash into the colours you already have and you don't get hard edges where you have added the extra colour. I have also added a teeny touch of white guoache to the stems... not too much as it starts to look too contrived and I wouldn't have added any had I managed to keep more of the white paper.

Please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer.....