Demo Monday ...Painting Daisies in Pastel

'Garden Delight I'      4x6       pastel    sold

'Garden Delight II'       4x6      pastel     $40

It's Demo Monday!  Today I decided to do two small pastels that are meant to be displayed together. They are only 4x6 painted on scraps of white Wallis Museum paper. I don't want to waste any paper so why not paint some small florals!  I chose to do a watercolor underpainting. I love using watercolor on a white surface. The colors just glow on the white paper!

Demo photos from top left across

I decided to work on both of these little paintings at the same time. This way I could help them relate to one another. They make a great pair!

1. Sketch my design and block in darks with watercolor.
2. Add more darks and hints of orange and green. Let darks start to dry.
3. Add more yellows and bright greens.
4. Start adding pastel beginning with darks. Complete the background shapes before starting flowers.
5. Block in cool blue and purple petals.
6. Work on centers of flowers layering yellows.
7. Now I add the pale yellow and very light yellow (almost white) to the petals.
8. Put in some stems and more hints of golden yellow in the background (these are black eyed susans)

 These little paintings are a good example of doing quick daily studies. They took me under an hour and the time limit helped me to be more painterly with my flowers.