How to Paint Sunflowers in Watercolor

A sunlit sunflower against a dark background makes a dramatic picture.

A sunflower makes an especially good subject due to its large size, regular structure, bright colors and boldness of its leaves. Van Gogh used oils in his extraordinary renditions of sunflowers, but many contemporary artists often find that the spontaneity and freshness of watercolor also renders an intriguing botanical portrait.

Things You'll Need

• Pencils (B, 2H)
• Eraser
• Drawing tablet
• Drawing board
• Cold-pressed or rough watercolor paper
• Workspace (drawing table, desk or horizontal easel)
• Watercolor brushes (small and large pointed round, medium filbert)
• Watercolor paints (yellow ocher, cadmium yellow medium, sap green, ultramarine blue, burnt orange, hooker's green light, burnt umber, raw sierra, Payne's gray)
• Sponge
• Water jar
• Acid-free masking tape

Instructions

1. Put cut sunflowers in a jar, place the jar in the center of a table and use the flat surface for drawing and painting the sunflowers.

2. Tape watercolor paper to the drawing board with acid-free masking tape. Then make a very light sketch with the 2H or 4H pencil. Take special note of the long yellow petals, the green bract-like sepals and the large dark brown composite head.

3. Wet the area of yellow petals with water and apply some yellow paint while the paper is still wet. Use yellow cadmium for the highlight and place the yellow ocher at the base of the corolla as a darker shade. It is okay if the colors run together. Use a pointed round.

4. Apply water to the dark center of the flower with a filbert brush. Next, add a highlight color (yellow ocher is a good choice) to the wet area, followed by a darker base color, like burnt umber or raw sierra. Botanists refer to the central portion of the sunflower as the head. If you look closely, you will see the head is filled with tiny individual flowers. Try to recreate the rough, dark texture created by all these tiny flowers when you paint the head.

5. Wet the leafy area and apply a combination of the two green colors, sap green or Hooker's green light. A touch of of raw ocher or raw sierra can be added for toning. Use a pointed round brush to complete this part of the picture.

6. Let the flower part of the painting dry and then wet the surrounding area and paint the background.

Tips & Warnings

• For a watercolor with more vivid color and irregular forms and shapes, try soaking the sheet of watercolor after a light sketch has been made. Then tape the wet sheet of paper to the drawing board and start painting right away.

• Beginners might want to let one area dry before they begin painting an adjacent area.

References

• Watercolor Painting Tips: Watercolor Brush Types
• Waynesword: The Sunflower Family

Resources

• Hilary Page: Sunflowers and Trumpets
• Wetcanvas: Demonstration of Sunflowers on Yupo Paper