Technique Class - Watercolouring

Watercolour Daisies

It's time to dig out your watercolours - ink pads, felt tip pens, kid's paint... whatever you've got! We are going to paint ourselves some daisies.

Requirements:

Watercolours in blue and yellow - ink pads, felt pens, paint (anything that is water based. I used "Tumbled Glass" and "Mustard Seed" distress inks.)

Water brush (or round brush with a container of water)

Water colour paper

Water based black fine point pen

1. Prepare your watercolour paper by liberally brushing it with clean water, or by dunking it into a shallow dish of water. Allow to dry.

2. Start by painting a small circle with the thinned yellow ink.

3. Strengthen the colour in the centre and at the bottom of the circle to give the impression of a shadow.

4. Load your brush with some blue ink and paint in your first petal. Start by pressing down firmly on the brush to open the bristles and create a round tip to your petal. Bring the brush up to it's point as you near the yellow centre to create a thin point. Do not allow the brush to touch the yellow centre or your yellow ink will bleed into the blue ink.

5. Add evenly spaced petals around your flower centre. Turning your paper as you work will make it easier to paint - you should always pull the brush towards yourself. Allow the ink to dry thoroughly - you can speed up the process with a heat gun if you wish.

6. Add a second layer of petals between the first. You can continue adding layers with longer or shorter petals until you are satisfied with the result. Ensure the ink is dry between layers to prevent the colours from travelling.

7. Add some little dots of "pollen" to the flower centre with your fine tip black pen. Don't forget a few in the middle.

8. Use your pen to outline each front petal. Keep the line nice and fine and add a break here and there - but not on every petal.

9. Now do the same with the back petals and you have a completed daisy!

You can get different looks by altering the size and shape of your paint brush. Try using a short, thick brush for very broad petals or an angle shader for very choppy looking blooms. All that's left to do now is create a card or paper project for your watercolour flower. Have fun!

Copyright Beccy Muir 2011