Watercolor Botanical Painting: Peony

Name: Watercolor Botanical Painting: Peony
Rating: 4.6 (94 reviews)

From sketch to painting - 6 different peonies

Created byAudrey Ra

Last updated 2/2019

English

What you'll learn

8 sections • 29 lectures • 4h 25m total length

Welcome1:57
Sketch, ink, trace, and paint peonies using wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, layering, negative painting, and glazing to build watercolor botanical skills. Paint from photo references or freehand, with downloadable sketches and supply lists.

Sketching Supplies1:52
Sketching Peony #1 (pink peony)17:07
Sketch a pink peony by locating the center, using circles as guides to form layered petals, highlight folds and side views, and add leaves later.
Sketching the Peony buds3:43
Sketching Peony #2 (purple peony)16:50
Sketching Peony #3 (coral peony)15:42
Sketch a coral peony by starting at the center and layering petals with concentric circles. Build the flower outward, then clean up sketches and trace with ink onto tracing paper.

Painting supplies2:13
Painting the first layer14:14
Let's paint the pink peony together! If you want to use the sketch I'm using, feel free to download this sketch to paint yourself. Make sure to follow the steps for transferring onto watercolor paper.
Painting the second layer5:06
Painting the third layer4:38
Deepen the peony in this third layer by applying a watered-down pink, focusing on dark centers and petal junctions, with a faint wash on folded areas and color testing.
Painting the fourth layer11:39
Fine details8:15
Leaves and Stem17:34
Final details5:28
Painting the Pink Peony

Basic Watercolor supplies; paint; cold-pressed paper; round brush sizes 4, 2, and 00
HB pencil, sketch paper, Micron pen size 01 (or other fineliner pen)
Optional: Light pad, kneaded eraser, tracing paper

Welcome to my class on how to paint the peony in the botanical style!

I'll teach you overall principles and techniques so that you can apply them to other subjects of your own.
I'll demonstrate exactly how I sketch my peonies. Soon, you'll be able to sketch any peony that you desire!
I'll take you step-by-step to paint three large peonies and three smaller buds. And we'll be using a variety of styles to accomplish this: wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, glazing, negative painting, layering, and more.
We'll use photo references for all but one of the peonies because I want you to have the creative freedom to paint how you want to paint!
Make sure to download my list of supplies in the class downloads. In addition, if you want to use my line drawing sketches for the class, you can find them in the downloads, too.

So grab your supplies, and let's paint together!