How to Paint Flowers in Oil

Floral painting

The vibrant colors and pleasing shapes of a floral arrangement have been a favorite subject for artists throughout the ages. As a decorative accent to complement a living space, an oil painting, with the vivid colors and contrasts that the medium provides, is a classic element for interior design. This tutorial will explore a method for painting flowers in oil. The traditional techniques, applied with a little planning and patience, can yield superior artistic results. For our example we will use a water lilly.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Prepared canvas
• Charcoal pencil
• Spray fixative
• Basic oil painting set (See Tips section below for colors)
• Turpentine
• Linseed oil
• Bristle brushes
• Soft hair brushes
• Painter's palette
• Paint thinner
• Damar spray varnish

1. Charcoal sketch

   Sketch the shape of the flowers lightly on the prepared canvas with the charcoal pencil. A common pencil with graphite "lead" is not recommended--it will seep into the paint. When the sketch is completed, use the spray fixative to adhere the charcoal sketch to the canvas and seal the surface.

2. Lay out the tubed paint onto the mixing palette. You will be using mixtures of Alizarine Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Orange for the darker shades of the colors. Ivory Black is used for the darkest shadows.

3. Underpainting

   Start laying in the darker shades of the colors using paint mixed with turpentine. Use the stiff bristle brushes when working with the paint/turpentine mixture. Mix in enough turpentine for the paint to flow smoothly. Fill in the basic shapes of the forms with thicker paint in the shadows and thinner washes over highlighted areas. Painting with a turpentine mix is often referred to as the "underpainting."
   The brighter, highlighted areas of color and final details are painted in later using the soft hair brushes and a mix of linseed oil and the tubed paint.

4. Allow the underpainting to dry for several hours, until it is tacky to the touch. Letting the painting set overnight is recommended. Clean the bristle brushes with paint thinner followed by hot water and soap with a thorough rinse.

5. Lay out the tubed paint colors needed for the brighter, highlighted shades: Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red Light and Cerulean Blue. Titanium White is used for the brightest highlights.

6. Bright highlights

   Start laying in the brighter shades of the colors using a mixture of linseed oil and paint. Use the soft-hair brushes to smoothly brush in the areas of color, gradually adding in white to build up the bright highlights on the forms. Start with larger flat brushes, and finish details and textures with the smaller, tapering brushes.

7. Finished painting

   Add in colors for a background field. In this example, the green algae on the bottom shows through the pond water. Paint in the darker emerald greens with an underpainting using a turpentine mix. Then overpaint with the lighter shade of green, stippling patches of color mixed with linseed oil. Allow a few months for the paint to set, then coat with Damar spray varnish and add your frame.

Tips & Warnings

• The pigments chosen below are very good standards, providing vivid, stable colors that do not fade or darken easily.: Titanium White Cadmium Yellow Medium Cadmium Orange Cadmium Red Light Alizarine Crimson Ultramarine Blue Cerulean Blue Ivory Black For earth tones and soft shadows add: Yellow Ochre Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber

• Keep all paint, turpentine, oil, thinner and equipment out of the reach of children. Read all safety precautions and follow procedures and directions for handling. Many paints are toxic and the mediums are hazardous.