Simple subject

Supplies

• Artist tape
• Brush set
• Drawing pencils
• Hot press watercolor paper (one sheet)
• Kneaded eraser
• M. Graham artists’ gouache set
• Porcelain mixing tray
• Tracing paper (one sheet)
• Transfer paper (one sheet)
• 1–2 glasses for paint water
• Paper towels
• Q-tips

Instructions

1. Print out the reference photo. Print one black-and-white copy at 100% size on regular paper to trace and transfer. Then, print one color copy at 100% size on photo paper to use as a reference while painting. The full-resolution version can be downloaded from the Course Materials tab. An alternative is to keep a laptop or tablet on your painting table with the photo open as a reference.
2. Trace and transfer the major lines of the subject to the watercolor paper. You should have already completed this step in Module VI.
3. Be sure to remove any excess lead from the watercolor paper. Any lead that you leave on the paper will be fixed during the painting process, so be sure that you like the lines that you’ve created or plan to paint enough layers to hide them. Note that lines will show through any transparent washes.
4. Tape off the border of the painting. If you have the 7.9 × 7.9 block of watercolor paper, you should have 1.4 inches of white border on all sides of the image you’re going to paint. Make sure that there are no bubbles in the tape and that the edges are firmly down so that paint can’t get underneath.
5. Set up your workspace. Be sure to grab paper towels, Q-tips, and 1–2 glasses for paint water. Some artists like to keep one glass for clean paint water and one glass for dirty paint water.
6. Paint the background wash first. Try using the wet-in-wet technique to drop the various colors into the background. Let it dry completely.
7. Block the yellow in the center of the flower. Let it dry completely.
8. Paint the petals. Try painting every other one, letting those dry, and then painting the rest. Try using a wet-on-dry technique for the first layer of the petals. Let them dry completely. Leave the details for later.
9. Once you have the petals blocked in, build up the details. Zoom into the photo and study the details you want to include. Use varying yellow strokes to build up the pattern in the center of the flower. Add streaks to the petals. Paint the dark spots in the center of the flower after you’ve built up the other colors.
10. Add the highlights and darkest shadows. Study the tonal range of the photo. Add highlights to the brightest points. Add depth to the darkest colors by adding complementary colors. Let it dry completely.
11. On completion, remove the tape gently. Pull up the tape slowly so as not to rip the paper.
12. Sign your work. Below the bottom border, put the title of the work in the lower left and sign your name in the lower right. Practice before you do it for real to see how long each will be and to better aim for where to start so that the text all fits on one line.

Assignment

1. Upload a photo or scan of your finished painting. Files can be .pdf, .jpg, or .png format.
2. Upload your work into the artist forum for peer feedback. Remember to only give thoughtful and constructive feedback.