BOTANICAL APPROACH
This rose was painted on Arches hot press 140 pound paper, treated with lifting preparation to make it easier to lift color when necessary.
Begin by making two mixes of greens using colors you've already used in the flower itself. Here are the colors I've used this time clockwise from top left: Hansa yellow light (use a lemon or pale yellow); French ultramarine blue; rose madder (use a red you've used in the flower); and cerulean blue. (you can use pthalo, but it doesn't lift; or any blue with green bias)
On the left I've made a puddle of bright green with yellow and cerulean.
On the right I've taken some of the bright green and added French ultramarine and a touch of red to create a dark green color. Keep them side by side as you work on the leaves, having a bit of each color nearby to add to the basic mixes.
If you look at the top flower picture, you can see the steps going clockwise. The first leaf on the left is step one and two. The next one is step three and four. And the top leaf is step five and six. I suggest as you paint you have actual leaves in front of you instead of a photo reference. It really helps.
WORKING ON HALF OF EACH LEAF AT A TIME PREVENTS YOU FROM WORKING ON ONE WHEN IT IS TOO WET. By the time you are done with half of all four leaves, they are dry enough to work on the other half.
Step one: Wet the leaf and stem with clear water. Apply a watery layer of dark blue, leaving highlights unpainted or wipes out with clean brush.
Step two: While that is still wet, use the tip of a fine brush to apply dark green mix to create the serated tips of the leaf. Dry.
Step three: Use the bright green mix to carefully paint betwen the raised veins and the center of the leaf, leaving fine lines and avoiding highlights.
Step four: Use alizarin crimson, burnt orange, or other red to go over some of the leaf tips, and carefully blend it into the rest of the leaf. Also add some red into the stem areas.
Step five: using a fine tipped brush, paint some of the dark veins that come from the heavy veins using the darker green mix with extra French ultramarine in it. Dry completely.
Step six: When that is dry, use the bright green mix to cover all the leaf, including some of the veins. That helps to blend the blue veins into the leaf and to unify the entire leaf. Lift out highlights if you have lost them.
What I like about this method: I can take my time and just putz with each leaf if I want. I like that leaf color is consistent throughout the painting, and I don't have to worry that the colors look like they don't belong together.
NEGATIVE PAINTING APPROACH
This rose is painted on Arches cold press 140 pound paper.
Here is a looser approach to the leaves, and one I am more likely to use in my own style of painting.
You will need a red, blue, and yellow that you've already used in the flower petals. Then get out the pthalo blue because that is one strong color. My object was to make the muted grays in the flower stand out by making a background of brilliant colors.
Before painting MAKE THREE puddles of water in small cups: phthalo blue, a red, and a yellow. Your choice. You might want to work over a sink, paper towels, or "doggie diaper" to absorb excess paint and water that drips off.
Step one: WORKING ON 1/3 TO 1/2 OF THE PAINTING AT A TIME, carefully wet the paper around the roses and right over the leaves themselves. I used a 3/4 inch flat as it holds a lot of water, yet makes crisp edges.(I don't work on all the background at one time...too difficult to keep a wet edge and prevent unwanted hard edges)
Step two: tilt the paper away from the roses and apply pthalo blue (or your favorite blue). I always apply the color right up next to the dry edge (in this case, the rose petals) where it will be darker, and let the color run out onto the background. As it runs, use a dropper to drop in yellows, especially where the leaves will be, and some reds. Backruns (blossoms) are welcome here, as are other interesting things that can happen. As the paint is drying, you can spritz lightly for more texture.
WHEN DRY mix a dark blue/blue green and begin "finding" your leaves using negative painting. This means you paint around the leaf shape and soften the paint into the rest of the background. You can continue to "find" leaves and stems as much as you like. You can see that I have done two on the right, and you can see the ones on the left are not touched yet.
What I like about this method:
A: The background is bright, interesting, and energetic in stark contrast to the roses.
B: I have a lot of freedom to use the textures that occur to invent a completely different background if I want to.
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