When we start a painting the worst fear is just taking out that paper and have that white page just staring back at you. How are you going to approach it?
It’s always a good idea to start out with a sketch on a different paper. Cheap copy paper will do. And then you just sketch the ideas you have in your head. In this case I want to paint a Posy.
The sketch will help me position the flowers next to eachother and I will be able to catch the flaws before they happen on the good paper.
I have a few tips for you when you paint bouquets. Let’s have a look at them.
Different sizes of flowers
When you choose your flowers you want to make sure you have 3 sizes of flowers.
Statement flowers
These flowers are the focal point of your posy. You want to keep these to a few so they don’t overpower each other. A focal flower could for example be Roses, Hydrangeas, or Peonies.
Medium Flowers
Have flowers in the medium range to fill up the space and give the posy character. This could be Daisies, Tulips, and a ton of other flowers.
Detail flowers
In between the big and medium-sized flowers you want to add details. This will give your bouquet some texture and give it that extra pop of interest. Choose small flowers or flowers with a lot of texture like Queen Annes Lace, forget me not’s, or maybe even Berries when we get closer to fall.
Placement of the Flowers
When you sketch your flowers you want to consider a few things.
Start big
Start out with the biggest flowers, then add the medium-sized and fill up the empty space with detailed flowers for texture.
Odd numbers is your friend
When it comes to compositions odd numbers is your friend. I always choose to have 1, 3 or 5 of a flower in my bouquet. For some reason 2 or 4 flowers just ruin everything. So let’s not go there.
Different angles
Make sure to show of your flowers from different angles. It’s the combination of a subtle side view and a full-on frontal portrait that creates a beautiful combination. Also, try to include a bud and a withering flower. That way you honor the flower’s life and at the same time give your posy interest out of the normal perfect posy.
Think of the rythm in your piece
put on some sweet tunes while doing this exercise. The music will get to your pencil and help you sketch with music in mind. All beautiful art has a rhythm that you can almost see in the brush strokes and in the lines. See if you can create that. And it is totally up to you if it is Mozart or Beoncé – it’s all a styles choice.
Now that you have your sketch all ready you can go on sketching on your nice watercolor paper with no fear. You can totally sketch on there as well with your pencil, just make sure you don’t press too hard. You want to be able to get rid of the lines afterward.
If you want to see this whole process from sketch to final posy you can check out the Class 5 Flowers in Watercolor and ink right here:Camilla Damsbo Art School
