Painting Flowers as Still Life Art
Flowers are a classic still life subject in art. Many of the masters, such as Jan Van Huysum and Georgia O'Keeffe, used flowers as their main subjects in paintings. To make a flower painting interesting, the artist has to consider the flowers, props, shapes, composition and colors. These tips will help you to use flowers to create a fascinating painting.
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Instructions
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Decide whether or not you want to use a bunch of flowers or just one spectacular bloom.
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Take into consideration the colors of your flowers. Some artists like to do monochromatic color schemes with their flowers and others like to add various colors to the palate. If you do not use a monochromatic color scheme, the colors should complement each other or contrast. If a color of flower is not working with the others you should edit it from the still life.
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Set up your background and props. If you chose to paint just one bloom, you may want just a simple vase so that the bloom has no competition in the painting.
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Rearrange the flowers and props for the best composition. Follow the Rule of Thirds for a composition that includes several objects. If you chose one bloom, you may want to zoom in on it and include little else.
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Sketch your composition onto your canvas and start to paint. You may need to refine your composition further, as you paint, to accommodate the direction you feel the painting is going.
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Tips & Warnings
It is usually a good idea to include foliage in a flower still life.
When painting flowers it is important to use speed to capture them before they wilt. Take photographs if you think the painting may take longer than the flowers will last.
Resources
- Photo Credit Alina Bradford
