Watercolor Botanicals (2 Books in 1): 20 Prints to Paint and Frame 9781419734328, 9781683357513, 1419734326

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Meet Nikki
Getting Started
Being a Better Artist
Watercolor Pans & Inks
Equipment
Color
Ways of Working
Botanical Projects
Palm Leaf
Monstera
Banana Leaves
Barrel Cactus
Mini Orange Tree
Eucalyptus
Spotted Begonia
Inch Plant
Snake Plant
Purple Shamrock
Succulent
Chinese Money Plant
Rubber Plant
Dried Flowers
Fern Frond
Calathea
Anthurium
English Ivy
Palm Leaf & Abstract Background
Decorative Wreath
Index
Credits

Citation preview

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ABRAMS The Art of Books 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 abramsbooks.com ISBN: 978-1-4197-3432-8 eISBN: 978-1-68335-751-3 For Abrams: Editor Ginny Dominguez Art Director Diane Shaw Production Manager Alison Gervais Conceived, edited, and designed by Quarto Publishing plc, an imprint of The Quarto Group 6 Blundell Street London N7 9BH

MEET NIKKI From a young age, I was often found at the kitchen table, scribbling and painting away, inspired by the ferns, wild daisies, and thistles I had collected while walking in the countryside close to my home. I went on to study textiles at university, and I remained drawn to natural flora and tropical details for my design work. Inspiration naturally came from classic designers such as William Morris, but also from my vacations in Goa, India, an area I was lucky enough to visit often to see family and the small villages where my grandparents had grown up. I was frequently taken aback by the dense jungles and vast canopies of trees that coexisted alongside villages and larger cities. I was bewildered that palm trees were as common as oak trees, and that beautiful, ornate banana leaves could be found thriving next to even the most rundown and abandoned buildings. Since then I have continued to travel to places with stunning wildlife and gardens, including Morocco, Cambodia, Indonesia, and California. These travels have inspired me to no end with my paintings and design work. The places I have visited have also informed the way I decorate my space. I now live in an apartment in urban East London, but my home is embellished with plants and paintings of plants that remind me of these trips and give a fresh and natural energy to my metropolitan environment. Working with watercolor to visually capture the organic forms of plants is rewarding and unpredictable, particularly when you allow yourself to give up control of the paint and let it and the water work their magic. In this book I want to share my experiences of painting with you, and teach you techniques and easy ways to paint botanical prints for your own home, starting with just a few colors and brushes. I have designed twenty projects based around some of my favorite plants, from an out-ofthis-world-looking begonia to a cute spiky cactus. The projects detail which watercolors to use and how to mix them to create the shades I used. The step-by-step instructions and photography guide you through my methods, so you have everything you need to create your very own botanical paintings, even if you do not have plants around you that you can draw on from life. An added bonus is that these projects don’t take very long to reproduce, and make a perfect Sunday afternoon or weekday after-work activity.

Getting Started

BEING A BETTER ARTIST This book shows you how to paint a range of fabulous houseplants, from glossy exotic palms to spiky cacti. Following the step-by-step instructions, including color mixes, you can create beautiful artwork for your home or to give to friends. When you want to experiment with painting different plants, you’ll find the next few pages are packed with hints and tips for going solo. CHOOSING A SUBJECT To some degree, your choice of subject will depend on what is available as your source, whether that be plants you already have in the home, those that you can buy at your local market, or photographs you have taken or sourced from books or online. You may want to paint the whole plant, or you might choose a single specimen that you can study in-depth. When you are just starting out, it is a good idea to choose a simple subject, like a palm or monstera (see this page and this page). Leaves vary in size, shape, color, and arrangement. You will soon come to recognize particular shapes or configurations and how they are set on the stalk in a particular pattern. Leaves can rise in a single blade, like the banana leaf (see this page), or be wonderfully intricate, as is the fern (see this page). They can have a smooth or serrated edge and be placed on the stalk singly, alternately, in opposite pairs, or in whorls.

CHOICES ON THE PAGE As you complete the projects I have prepared for you in this book, you will soon learn what looks good on the page. It does not have to be symmetrical, but it must look natural. When you start painting your own compositions, you will get used to editing with your pencil or brush by leaving out leaves that complicate the painting, or by rearranging them. It can be a good idea to simplify what you see, since you don’t need to include every minute detail. What you do need to do is search for the characteristics that distinguish your plant and consider how to reproduce them on the page. With paint, you can suggest detail rather than reproduce it photographically. This means, for example, that you can suggest the rough texture of a teazle with sporadic brushstrokes (see this page) and the impression of spikes on a cactus with masking fluid (see this page). Changing your viewpoint can drastically alter the composition of your painting. Try out some different views to see how they affect your perception of the plant. You can view from above, below, at an angle, or close up.

EXPLORING COMPOSITION A sketchbook is a good place to explore compositional possibilities for finished paintings. Try out thumbnail sketches, looking at dominant lines and compositional pathways, cropping options, shape and pattern, negative and positive shapes, as well as color temperature (see this page) and backgrounds. You can plan a pathway that leads the eye around the painting, perhaps along dominant lines or plotted with highlights or splashes of color. The Western eye reads a composition from left to right and can easily be directed around a painting. For example, in a painting of three stems of eucalyptus (see this page), the eye could be led along a shorter stem on the left and then directed to one in the middle in an opposing direction, and finally to another stem lower down, taking the eye on a circular tour via a strong compositional line. You can create a natural composition by considering the rule of odds, meaning that you have an uneven number of elements on the page. This forces the eye to travel and not settle on even groups. You might also consider the rule of thirds, which can help you to decide where on the page to position your focal point. In a grid of two sets of vertical and horizontal lines there are four points that intersect. Any of these makes a good place for your main point of interest.

CROPPING OPTIONS Try out various cropping options with a viewfinder made from two L-shaped pieces of card. Your subject will usually suggest the shape—portrait or landscape—but it is a good idea to try both. Cropping will allow you to focus in on any part of a plant for a dramatic view, or to pull back to take advantage of more complicated shapes and patterns. Any element of the composition cut by the frame of the painting will be brought forward into the picture plane, so a row of plants cropped on either side will dance across the foreground of your picture.

NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE SHAPES Look at not only the positive shapes of the plant—the stalk, leaves, seeds, and flowers—but also the negative shapes in between. These are very important in watercolor painting and can be manipulated by moving your viewpoint or through cropping. The “positive” edge around a pale leaf can be found clearly against a contrasting background (the “negative” space).

CHOICES ABOUT LIGHT If the purpose of your paintings is to help you gather information about different plants, you need to represent them in an adequate but not-too-bright light. You do not want to be confused by the darkest of shadows and the brightest of highlights if you are aiming to depict true colors accurately. A bright light, however, will help you to polarize the tonal range, making it easier to divide up your tonal approach to dark and light, with a midtone in between. When you are painting from life it is important to be aware of the direction of your light source in order to accurately capture the shadows, highlights, and midtones of your plant, and ensure it looks three-dimensional on the page, and not too flat, particularly when painting

individual leaves. To indicate the areas where light is shining on a leaf or subject, use warmer, lighter colors, and use cooler colors to show where parts are in shadow.

Interesting viewpoints When painting your own compositions, choosing a viewpoint is an important consideration. Viewing the succulent shown here from an overhead perspective allows you to see the natural, impressive symmetry and intricate structure of this plant, while also helping you to study the plant’s changing colors and depth of shadows.

WATERCOLOR PANS & INKS The projects I have created for this book are painted using either watercolor pans or watercolor inks. The decision on which to use is based on the subject and the effect I want to achieve. WATERCOLOR PANS Watercolor pans are true to life in terms of color, and produce natural colors. You may prefer to use pans to capture the more realistic greens of your plants. Pans are dry, so you may need to spend a little time practicing mixing them with water to achieve the correct consistency (see Paint Mixing). It’s worth buying a beginner set of pans to get started, since these are reasonably priced and allow you to experiment with color mixing to see what other options are available to you. The palette makes them easy to store and travel with.

WATERCOLOR INKS Watercolor inks are transparent, easy to layer, and, being liquid, easy to mix. They are also extremely fun to use because they are vibrant and saturated in color, giving you fresh and vivid hues. Be aware that some watercolor inks are not lightfast, so check the labels. There is an incredible spectrum of colors to choose from, which can be overwhelming, so it’s important to use your knowledge of color theory to select colors that can be mixed to give you lots of choice (see this page–this page). Watercolor inks are quite expensive, but they last a long time. It’s worth purchasing these separately, starting with a few colors that you can mix, and adding to your collection as you go.

PAINT MIXING Both pans and inks need to be mixed with water, to a greater or lesser degree. When using pans, dab a wet brush onto the dry pan to move the pigment to the palette. Mix the pigment in the palette with enough water to make the paint puddle wet, while remaining as vibrant as it is in the pan. Watercolor inks require less water because they are already wet, but by adding water you can make the color less intense.

From left to right, No. 10, No. 1, No. 00, ½-inch oval wash brush, No. 4, No. 5

EQUIPMENT The pad of watercolor paper attached to this book means that to get started the only extra equipment you need are brushes, palettes, and jars for water. You can expand on your painting kit as you widen your painting practice. BRUSHES Typically, I use round sable watercolor brushes with soft, natural bristles that can hold a large amount of water without flopping. In this book, I’ve kept brush choices limited to show how much you can do with just a few brushes, which you can build on once you’re more confident in watercolor work. When buying brushes, you will notice that the lower the number, the smaller the brush tip. Shown above from left to right are a No. 10—the largest size I use—No. 1, No. 00—the smallest I use—½-inch (12 mm) oval wash brush, No. 4, and No. 5.

SKETCHPAD AND PAPER When you are ready to start on a project, use my color mixes and instructions to guide you. When you want to move on to making your own compositions, experiment with both hotand cold-pressed watercolor papers to see which you prefer. I like to use hot-pressed paper since it has a smooth finish that makes it good for painting fine details, and it doesn’t absorb water too quickly, meaning you can layer up and move your pigment more than with cold-pressed paper. Cold-pressed paper has an obvious tooth and texture to it, which means it absorbs water quickly and gives a more textural and undefined finish overall.

PALETTES The projects in this book highlight the paints to mix to make the colors I have used. I mix in ceramic palettes, because they are sturdy, easy to clean, and allow paints to stay wet for longer than plastic palettes. A palette row allows you to easily mix a large amount of color so you don’t have to keep making more, while a singular palette is great for washes and when you’re using only one or two colors to cover a large surface area. I recommend a palette of twelve sections for when you are color testing or using small amounts of lots of different colors.

EXTRA EQUIPMENT When I am sketching my own compositions, I like to use a mechanical pencil. If I need to remove pencil marks I use a kneaded eraser that won’t scuff the paper and spoil the surface for painting. By using masking fluid you can retain an area of white on the paper, since white is difficult to replicate in watercolor. Keep an old brush for use with masking fluid. I recommend collecting glass jars at every opportunity—you will need them for rinsing brushes so you don’t contaminate colors on the page.

COLOR The idea of learning about color theory can be off-putting, with many beginner artists seeing it as a technical exercise that can take the fun and spontaneity out of painting. However, a basic understanding of color relationships is easy to learn and can lead to stronger, more creative paintings. It can also be particularly useful when it comes to creating the different shades of green used for the plant projects. The first colors to identify are the “primary” colors, which are those that cannot be created by mixing other colors together—so yellow, red, and blue. By mixing pairs of just the three primaries, you can create a huge number of “secondary” color combinations. For example, by steadily adding small amounts of Phthalo Blue to a solution of Gamboge Yellow, you can produce an amazingly full range of greens. “Tertiary” colors are those that occur between the primaries and secondaries. For example, between blue and green you will find blue-green, which is a “cold” shade of green, and between yellow and green you’ll find yellow-green, a “warmer” green. Neutral colors are created by adding a color to its complementary color—the color opposite it on the color wheel (see this page). For example, the complement of blue is orange, and by adding a little orange to blue you can create a pleasant, grayed-down, neutral blue. Browns can be created by adding red to green. The results of these mixes are usually more harmonious than ready-made, manufactured mixes. To help me see what colors are available from a range of paints, I often make a chart, detailing the colors and shades that can be created when different ratios of pigments are mixed. This can be particularly helpful when wanting to know quickly and easily which colors will make, for example, an olive green or a warm brown.

COLOR TEMPERATURE Colors can be warm or cool. For example, Sap Green is a very warm green, leaning toward the yellow part of the color wheel, while Phthalo Green is a much cooler green that leans toward the blue part of the wheel. A cool green can be warmed with the addition of a little yellow. By using warm colors you can create the impression that what you have painted is in the foreground, while through using cooler colors you can indicate that something is farther back and more distant. When painting plants, you can show the cascading of leaves and placement of stems by making use of color temperature. Just look at the English ivy project (see this page), which uses blue-green for the more distant leaves at the top, with yellow to olive for the closer leaves cascading toward us in the foreground.

MAKING A COLOR WHEEL Any discussion on the subject of color will lead to mention of the color wheel. The color wheel has been used for centuries as a way of demonstrating the relationships between colors. A good exercise is to make your own color wheel, since by doing so you will really understand how to mix colors and begin to understand why colors are warm or cool.

1/ From your central point, draw one vertical and one horizontal line so the circle is separated into four quarters. Find the halfway point on each of the four quarters and draw lines through these to make a grid of sixteen boxes. Draw diagonal lines from the center point to the edge of the circle, aligning with the relevant grid line, to make twelve sections.

2/ Erase the relevant grid lines so twelve segments remain. Using watercolor inks, paint one segment with Red Rose, then four segments later with Yellow Light, and four more segments later with Phthalo Blue. Apply the pigment at the edge of the circle, wash the brush with water, and drag the pigment across the segment to achieve a change of value.

3/ Mix equal amounts of the red and yellow to make the secondary color orange, and paint in the middle segment between red and yellow on the wheel. Repeat with yellow and blue to make green, and blue and red to make violet.

4/ In the spaces that are left sit the tertiary colors. There are six of these: yellow-green, bluegreen, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, and yellow-orange. To mix your tertiary colors in the palette, mix equal parts of one primary and one secondary color.

Complementary colors Each primary color has what is known as a complementary color, created by mixing together the other two primaries, which sits opposite it on the color wheel—so violet sits opposite yellow, orange opposite blue, and green opposite red. Dynamic color schemes can be created by adding a small amount of a complementary. For example, the leaves of a lush green plant will stand out more if they are painted against a red terra-cotta pot. Analogous colors Colors that sit close together on the color wheel, such as blues shading through to greens, create a harmonious or analogous color scheme. Because they are closely related, they work well together.

MIXING GREENS Green leaves are rarely just green; they usually have areas of highlight that tend toward yellow, and shadowy parts that tend toward blue. Although I detail all of the color mixes to use in the projects, this is something you can look for when you study your own plant reference. In this case you will need to decide what hue of green it is, whether yellow-green, red-green, bluegreen—in a nutshell, decide which primary color it leans toward—as this will help you choose your paint colors. It is sensible to have some ready-made greens in your palette, such as Phthalo Green (a blue-green) and Sap Green (a yellow-green). These can be combined with yellow to make them lighter and with blue for shadow areas.

Wet on Wet and Glazing In order to keep greens vibrant and clear, avoiding muddy colors, it is preferable to do less mixing in the palette and more on the page. Therefore, where possible, choose hues that are transparent and will mix well on the paper, either by combining colors wet on wet or by glazing one transparent hue over another (see this page). Working wet on wet you can make color mixes on the page at the same time as developing form. The wet-on-wet technique allows you to move pigment on the page, which can create unexpected results, partly because you are relying on the water to move the pigment, which gives you limited control. Glazing involves building up washes superimposed one over the other. You can start with a wash of yellow—a combination of a cool and warm yellow will help with the vibrancy— leaving areas of white paper for the brightest highlights. Once this wash is dry, add a glaze of mid-green or blue to form the midtones. Finally, add a darker blue for the shadow areas.

WAYS OF WORKING A successful watercolor looks surprisingly spontaneous, which is one reason so many people are attracted to the medium. Behind the scenes of this apparent spontaneity, however, the artist has usually done a fair amount of careful planning. Luckily, I have done the planning for you for the projects in this book, and over the following pages you will learn how and why I use certain techniques. MAKING INITIAL DRAWINGS For many artists, a blank page can be a very frightening thing. Any drawing of a composition need not be detailed—in fact, a simple outline is best. If you want to work from a physical subject or photograph, or want to work on a larger scale, as I sometimes do, drawing an outline will help you to hone your composition and give a guide as to where to place your first wash.

Keep it simple A guiding sketch for your watercolor paintings should be a simple outline. Avoid shading, since pencil can show through lighter watercolors.

MAKING COLOR MIXES Mixing in the palette is a straightforward method of mixing color: just add one color to another to produce a third. The color mixes used for the projects in this book are clearly detailed; however, it is worth remembering that when you are mixing colors in this way, it is usually best to limit yourself to just two or three, to avoid your wash turning muddy. It is also wise to start with the color that is less likely to dominate. For example, if you want to mix a light green from a blue and a yellow, have a dilution of yellow prepared and then gradually add the blue in small increments. You will need only a small amount of blue to make a light green, so doing it this way avoids wasting paint. Conversely, if you want to make a darker green, begin with a solution of blue and then add small amounts of yellow.

1/ Dip the brush into the first, mixing well to pick up a small amount of pigment.

2/ Dip the brush onto the second well in the palette and mix thoroughly.

3/ Pick up some more of the first color and add it to the mix to make a deeper color. You can continue the process by adding small amounts of blue to the yellow and recording on scrap paper how the shades change from light green to dark green. You can also experiment with adding more or less water and recording how this changes the shade of color produced.

BRUSHWORK Knowing which brush to choose for the task at hand, and how to handle it, can make the watercolorist’s job that much easier—and ensure greater success in the finished work. There’s a common belief that brushwork is important only in oil painting. Watercolors are painted in gentle, flat washes with no obvious brushmarks, aren’t they? Well, yes and no. You can paint entirely in washes, as with wet on wet, where you certainly can’t see any marks. But the marks a brush makes can be quite expressive, so it seems a pity not to make use of this resource. Some watercolorists build entire paintings by drawing with their brushes, using few, if any, flat washes, as in classical Chinese painting with its almost calligraphic brushstrokes. Watercolor brushes come in many sizes, and it is worth exploring what kinds of marks individual brushes can make.

Use a small No. 00 brush to create flicking, vertical brushstrokes, to re-create the spikes at the top of a cactus.

Use a larger No. 10 brush, working wet on wet, to drop spots of pigment that diffuse and bleed with the existing paint, but maintain a specific shape.

A No. 00 brush can also be used to create tiny, repetitive linear marks, such as those on a snake plant.

WET ON WET Working wet on wet is a very expressive way of mixing colors together, because you can change colors on the page. It is a very useful technique to use when creating the different shades of green found on a leaf. If you look closely at a single leaf on a banana plant, for example, the greens are variable, changing from almost yellow to a dark, shady green and then back again. Mixing colors in the palette will produce a flat, overall color, but by mixing yellow and blue on the paper you can create a variety of greens, ranging from dark to light, as your brush travels across the page. Mixing colors on the paper is the ideal method for any area where a gradual change from one color to another is required.

1/ You should be able to see a shiny wet layer on the page.

2/ While the paper is still wet, pick up the lightest shade from the palette and apply it over the whole leaf. You can see it creates a soft-edged area of color.

3/ Add the next, darker color to the top edges and center of the leaf. You will see a third color being made where the two pigments meet, creating a soft bleed effect.

WET ON DRY The wet-on-dry technique allows you to make crisp, accurate marks and lines with the brush, because the previous layer of pigment has been allowed to dry first. Usually, artists layer washes one on top of another, allowing each layer to dry in between. The method allows you greater control than wet on wet, when you need it, because the layer beneath will not move and the colors won’t bleed.

1/ Apply the first color to all the sections of the leaf. Let dry.

2/ When the first layer is dry, paint alternating sections of the leaf with the second color. Notice how these sections are darker and the color is consistent and nicely even. Let dry.

3/ Add more of the second color to the edges of the layered sections to begin to shade them. Notice how you are able to retain control of where the pigment goes, while adding darker tones. Because the colors don’t bleed, you can use this method to paint details that you want to keep neat and definite.

GLAZING Another method of creating new colors on the page is by glazing—laying a wash of transparent watercolor over another that has been allowed to dry completely. Glazing is a type of wet-ondry work (see this page) that relies on the brilliance of the white paper and the transparency of the colors used. For example, if you lay a wash of yellow onto white paper and wait for it to dry, applying a second wash of transparent blue will create a green where the two colors overlap.

1/ Let dry.

2/ Once the first layer has dried fully, apply a wash of the second color. Where the two colors overlap a second color is made. Unlike working wet on wet, the colors do not mix and bleed together.

3/ You can add more of the second color to the edges of the shape to make its form look threedimensional. These areas will make a third, darker color.

MASKING Masking is a useful technique for reserving areas of a painting, especially where those areas are particularly fine in shape. If over-used, masking can detract from the spontaneity that we associate with watercolor, but it is a method that can be used creatively, giving exciting effects that cannot be obtained by using the more classic watercolor techniques. I use masking fluid in a few of the projects because it allows the negative space of the paper to come to life, giving a brilliant, pure white color to the design that can’t really be achieved with watercolor pans or inks. Using a blue fluid is helpful when painting because I can see where it is in contrast to the white of the page.

1/ Keep a dedicated old brush for use with masking fluid, because it can damage the bristles. Put the brush in some soapy water before dipping it in the fluid to help stop the fluid clinging to the bristles.

2/ Once the fluid is completely dry, paint the plant as normal.

3/ When the paint is dry, remove the mask by gently rubbing with a finger or an eraser. The beauty of liquid masking is that it is a form of painting in negative—the brushstrokes you use can be as varied in shape as you like, and you can create lovely effects by using thick and thin lines, splodges, and little dots.

Botanical Projects

PALM LEAF This project focuses on painting a singular tropical palm leaf, capturing its linear leaflets to create a statement art piece. We will use the wet-on-wet technique for fluid, loose texture.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 5 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Yellow Light

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

COLOR MIXES

Base colors Sap Green + Yellow Light

Sap Green

Midtone Phthalo Green

Dark tone Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue

1/ To draw your own palm leaf, start by drawing its slightly curving stem in the centre of the page, then let the shape of each leaflet flow as you draw it, creating relaxed lines.

2/ For the leaves’ base color, make a mix of Sap Green and Yellow Light for a yellow-green. You will also need Sap Green on the palette. For the midtone, use Phthalo Green on its own and for the darkest color mix Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue.

3/ Dip the No. 5 round brush in clean water, then into the base yellow-green mix. Make sure there’s not too much pigment on the brush so that you apply a very diluted wash of color. Paint each leaflet and the stem. Use diluted Sap Green as well for a varied tone that you can build on. Don’t worry too much about staying true to the drawn outline.

4/ While the paper is still wet from the first wash, use the No. 1 round brush and the midtone color mix to add the shadows to the top edges of the leaflets and where they join the main stem. Using this brush size ensures you don’t put down too much pigment and can gradually build up your layers through working wet on wet.

5/ Repeat step 4 with the darkest green, working into the darkest parts of the leaf and adding more pigment to water. While the paper is wet you can achieve a lovely bleed effect – the latest layer of paint will interact with the other colors. Always add just a small amount of mix each time: You can easily add more, but it is harder to take away pigment if you have applied too much.

6/ Use the darkest green to indicate where each leaflet’s stem meets the main stem, in a curved line. This will blend and bleed into the main stem, joining the whole leaf together. Let dry, then work wet on dry to define the tips of each leaflet with the darkest green.

MONSTERA This project uses the wet-on-wet technique to capture the distinctive perforated leaves of Monstera deliciosa. You will practise changing the value of the paint by adding water, creating some dramatic results. This project is unusual in that you start with the darkest paint mix. This is known as working dark to light.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

COLOR MIXES

Dark tone Sap Green + Phthalo Green

Light tone Phthalo Green

Midtone Sap Green + Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue

Stems Phthalo Green

COLOR TESTS Test the color mixes on scrap paper, and use the wet-on-wet technique to see how the colors fuse together (see this page).

1/ If you are drawing the plant, from life or a photograph, aim to stagger the formation of the leaves so that the eye follows them down the page. Draw the largest leaf in the top half of the page and three leaves below getting gradually smaller. My reference only has one leaf with the unique perforated edges, but I’ve decided to draw a second one, with two younger, complete leaves at the bottom. Add in the perforations once the outer edge is drawn. It’s important to be aware of the negative (white) space with these leaves. You want the leaves to face in different directions to add interest to the painting and give it an organic feel.

2/ Starting with the large leaf, in your mind’s eye divide it into quarters. Starting with the topleft section, from the spine to the edge, use the No. 10 round brush to paint an outline using the darkest mix. Use lots of pigment with just a little water on the brush, concentrating on the areas near the spine and edges. Leave the middle section of the leaf blank.

3/ Rinse the brush, then dip it in clean water. Use the wet brush to drag the pigment you’ve just applied, working from the spine to the outside edge, across the top section of the leaf, creating the areas of midtone. The more water you add, the more the pigment will move and the less control you will have, which can be quite exciting! Be careful not to go over the leaf’s holes and perforated edges. You can use the lightest mix in the pale area under the hole for greater contrast.

4/ Repeat steps 2–3 on the remaining three quarters of the leaf. Remember to work quickly, since you don’t want the paint in the darker parts of the leaf to dry, but want to be able to easily drag this pigment.

5/ Use the same technique with the midtone green mix to paint the middle and lower leaves, changing to a No. 4 round brush as necessary. Do not add too much pigment when first applying color to the spine and edge areas of these smaller leaves, since there is less surface area for you to drag the pigment across to create the lighter tones.

6/ While the leaves are drying, paint in the stems with the smaller brush and Phthalo Green. Add more detail to the leaves if necessary, as the paint dries and you have more control.

BANANA LEAVES For this project I used a small banana plant as reference, but exaggerated the leaves to make them look more like the kind you would find in a tropical paradise.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Yellow Light

Ultramarine Blue

Phthalo Green

Gamboge Yellow

COLOR MIXES

Base color Yellow Light + Ultramarine Blue

Midtones Yellow Light + Ultramarine Blue + Phthalo Green Make two mixes, one with more yellow (top) and one with more

Dark tones Ultramarine Blue + Phthalo Green + Gamboge Yellow Make two mixes, one with more yellow (top) and one with more

1/ Make a pencil drawing of your composition, thinking about how you want to lay the leaves out on the page. An uneven number of leaves will ensure the design doesn’t look too symmetrical. My design features a large leaf in the centre with another leaf on each side, and two small ones below.

2/ Working one leaf at a time, mainly wet on wet, add your layers of pigment quite quickly. Use the No. 4 round brush to wash over the first leaf with water so you can see a layer of it on the paper. Apply the base color mix to the bottom of the leaf. Use the water already on the page to help drag this pigment across the whole of the leaf shape. Next, working from the outside in, add the yellower midtone color to the edges, tip and base of the leaf to create depth and shape.

3/ While still wet, drop in the second midtone mix (the one with more blue), adding it to the same areas and color mixing on the page. Spread this mix gently so you don’t disturb the color already on the page. The two colors will merge together to create a beautiful, textured bleed.

4/ For this step you want the page to be wet, but not as wet as at the start, so the colors don’t bleed as much. It should feel slightly wet to the touch, but without much moisture coming off on your finger. Add more of the bluer midtone color and move the pigment in the direction of the ridges of the leaf – the veins that branch diagonally out from the main leaf stem. Even though you’re not directly painting in each ridge, by brushing the paint in that direction you can imply the mark in an impressionistic way, so the leaf doesn’t look completely flat and has some texture.

5/ Use the No. 1 round brush to add the darker green mixes to the base of the leaf, near the stem, and at the tip and edges. Only a touch of pigment is required, added while the page is still wet to continue the bleed effect. You can decide how much of the darker mixes to use and whether to make the yellowgreen or the blue-green version more prominent. Dip the brush in the dark pigment you’ve applied, and add it to other parts of the leaf. If the area is no longer wet, add water.

6/ Repeat the same painting steps for the remaining leaves. Add more or less of the darker colors. Use less of the darker tones on the smaller leaves at the bottom.

BARREL CACTUS This project makes use of masking fluid to reserve white paper for the plant’s spiky needles. Blue masking fluid is much easier to see on the page than the white variety. Make sure your painting is completely dry before you rub off the fluid, to avoid contaminating or smudging the paint.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper

› Pencil › Old round brush › Blue liquid masking fluid › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush › No. 00 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Lemon Yellow

Hooker’s Green

Raw Sienna

COLOR MIXES

Base color Sap Green

Midtone Sap Green + Lemon Yellow

Dark tone Sap Green + Hooker’s Green

Plant pot Raw Sienna

1/ You can draw your own cactus by starting with the central section and adding sections to the left and right to create the spherical shape. This doesn’t have to be perfect, and any irregularities can create character! Sketch in the plant pot, ensuring the cactus appears to be sitting comfortably in the soil, rather than floating on top.

2/ Use the old round brush to paint small dots and irregular marks of masking fluid to indicate the positions of the needles. Return to the first dot and move some of the fluid already on the page outwards to create a needle. The best way to do this is with a quick flicking motion, so the mark looks sporadic. Only do this with some of the dots, applying more masking fluid if necessary. Let dry fully.

3/ Use the No. 10 round brush to add a thin layer of water to each section of the cactus. Don’t apply too much water, since you need to be able to control where the pigment is going. Apply Sap Green to each section, leaving some patches of white for the highlights. Keep this wash quite diluted. While this is still wet, add the yellow-green midtone mix to the top and bottom of each section, and at the section edges, to give them definition. Let the two colors mix on the page.

4/ While the page is still wet, add in the darkest green mix. The mix should have more pigment than water so that the color value increases while still mixing with the pigment already on the page. Add this darker green at the top of the cactus and where the plant meets the soil to show the curves of the cactus shape and the shadows underneath the plant. Paint curved vertical lines of the dark mix on the ridges where the needles are masked out. Let dry.

5/ Now work wet on dry, using the darkest green and the No. 4 round brush, to go over the ridge lines painted in step 4. Use a mix with less water to pigment to create deliberate, controlled marks. For a more abstract design, use less line work here, adding small marks to suggest where the ridges are. To create extra contrast you can also add more of the yellow-green midtone at the edges of the dark lines.

6/ With the wet No. 10 brush and a good amount of pigment, paint a horizontal line of Raw Sienna along the rim of the plant pot. Rinse the brush, load it with water and use it to drag the pigment down to the bottom of the pot, creating a gradient effect. Use the No. 4 brush to apply a light Raw Sienna wash for the soil. When this is dry, take the same brown but with more pigment to water on the brush and use a dotting motion to paint the rough soil texture. Add definition to the pot by using clean lines of Raw Sienna to indicate the shadows at the edges and base.

7/ Once the painting is completely dry, lightly rub over the masking fluid with a fingertip to reveal the white negative space beneath it. Any areas that are undefined or a little clumpy can be corrected by working back into the painting with a wet brush and pigment to refine and balance any mistakes. Use the No. 00 round brush and diluted Raw Sienna to paint the needles on top of the plant.

MINI ORANGE TREE A mini orange tree is the source of inspiration for this project; however, I have chosen to abstract the leaves and oranges to create an allover pattern, rather than an exact representation.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Cadmium Red

Gamboge Yellow

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

COLOR MIXES

Fruit Cadmium Red + Gamboge Yellow

Gamboge Yellow

Base color Gamboge Yellow + Phthalo Green

Midtone

Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue

Details Phthalo Green

1/ You might prefer to draw your own composition, with oranges of different sizes for variation, paying attention to the rule of thirds (see this page) to help with balance. Draw stems and loose leaves that cascade from the fruit, including folded and flat leaves. Try to create movement through the design, with small leaves creeping in among the larger ones.

2/ Mix Cadmium Red and Gamboge Yellow to create a vivid, vibrant citrus orange. Also mix some Gamboge Yellow on its own on the palette. For the base color of the leaves mix Gamboge Yellow and Phthalo Green to create a green with yellow coming through to capture the tones you can see on the leaves. To add depth to the leaves, mix a blue-green using Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue. Also have a mix of Phthalo Green on the palette for the detail work.

3/ Using the No. 10 round brush, wash water over the whole circle of the first orange. Drop in some Gamboge Yellow, then, while still wet, add the citrus-orange mix to create a bleed around the edge of the fruit on one side, capturing its three-dimensional shape. Use this technique on all of the oranges, varying the ratio of orange to yellow so that some are mostly yellow with just a touch of orange, while others feature more concentrated orange pigment. This will give the design a sense of depth. To add some extra texture, drop spots of water onto the oranges. Let dry.

4/ Paint the first leaf with a light wash of the yellow-green base color, using the No. 4 round brush. While this is still wet, add the blue-green midtone mix in places, creating a mix of colors and tonal qualities. Use the same technique for the other leaves, although for some you can put just one solid color on the page, to create a much denser leaf and give depth to the overall design. Give some of the leaves highlights by retaining a glimpse of white paper.

5/ Paint in the stems as you work on the leaves. Use a smaller No. 1 round brush to drag the pigment of the leaves out in lines, as well as returning to the palette for pigment. When you are happy with the leaves and stems, let dry.

6/ Glaze with Phthalo Green to add extra detail to some of the leaves, using a gentle flicking motion with the No. 1 brush to emphasise the darker areas. Don’t do this to all the leaves since, for variation, you want some to be lighter. Step back from your work to see the whole picture, rather than always focusing on just one area. You can also glaze the darker areas of some of the oranges.

TIP TO KEEP COLORS FRESH When you are using different colors, such as the greens and oranges of this project, use separate water jars for each color. Washing your brushes in different waters will ensure the colors you apply with them stay fresh and vibrant on the page, and don’t become muddied or contaminated.

EUCALYPTUS Commonly used in winter-floral and wedding bouquets, the eucalyptus plant is beloved for its unique teal leaves. This project captures the distinctive shapes of the leaves using the wet-on-wet technique, which creates some really beautiful colors and effects.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 5 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Intense Green

Prussian Blue

Indigo

COLOR MIXES

Base color Intense Green + Prussian Blue + Indigo

Midtone Intense Green + Prussian Blue

Add more blue than green

Dark tone Prussian Blue + Indigo

1/ Draw three stems, focusing on where the stems are in relation to one another. Make sure the stems are of differing heights and not all facing in the same direction. Consider also where they overlap on the page. Notice how the leaves on each stem change in size, from large at the base, gradually getting smaller towards the top of the stem, as well as in shape and their angle to the stem.

2/ Use the No. 5 round brush to apply water to all the leaves on one stem, so that you can see a layer of it on the page. Quickly drop in the base color as a diluted mix. You want it to look translucent and light in color, with more water to pigment, and it should glide onto the page. Spend time pushing the pigment around with the water, letting more pigment collect and sit in some areas. You should not have too much control over where the pigment is going because the water is doing a lot of the work, which can subsequently create beautiful and unexpected color effects. Paint all the leaves on the stem.

3/ While the leaves are still wet, go back to the first leaf and drop in the midtone mix. Mix on the page with the pigment applied in the previous step, so the colors interact with one another and create interesting tones. Try not to overmix, which will result in a loss of tonal difference. Add this darker color to the leaf edges, where there is more shadow, and areas near the stem. At this stage you can also paint in the stem with a diluted mix of the midtone color.

4/ With the stem still wet, return to the first leaf and add the darkest color mix to the areas near the stem and the leaf edges. For added control, use a smaller No. 4 round brush. Use a mix that contains more pigment to water here, so you can visibly see the dark shade contrasting with the colors you’ve already applied. Let dry.

5/ Use the same techniques to work on the second and third stems in turn. Carefully consider how dark or light these stems should be in comparison to the first one, and adjust how much of the mid- and dark tones you use for each one. Here, the stem that is overlapping in the front is darker to show it’s nearest to the viewer, with the stem that is furthest away being slightly lighter and less dramatic.

6/ Return to the first stem. Working wet on dry now means you will have more control and can put in deliberate marks without losing the beautiful layers that were built up by working wet on wet. Work back into the darker sections of the leaves with the No. 4 brush and a diluted layer of the midtone color. This will even out the tone on the leaves so the artwork captures the depth and three-dimensional aspects of where the stems are in relation to one another.

PANS VS INKS Watercolor pans are not as vibrant as watercolor inks (see this page), so they are a good choice when you want to achieve more natural, realistic colors. The colors are beautiful and clean, but a little more subtle and less extreme than inks. Experiment with color tests on scrap paper to see which you prefer.

SPOTTED BEGONIA Originating from Brazil, the rare Begonia maculata has dramatic, dark green leaves with striking polka-dot patterning. This project uses masking fluid to create the effect.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Two mixing palettes › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › Old round brush › Blue liquid masking fluid › No. 1 round brush › No. 10 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

Sap Green

Gamboge Yellow

Cadmium Red

Venetian Brown

COLOR MIXES

Base color Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue + Sap Green Make a dark, inky, turquoise-green mix

Midtones Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue Make two mixes, one with more Phthalo Green (top) and one with more Phthalo Blue (bottom)

Plant pot mixes Gamboge Yellow + Cadmium Red + Venetian Brown Make two mixes, a bright orange mixed with only a touch of Venetian Brown (top) and a burnt orange mixed using more of the Venetian Brown (bottom)

1/ Draw a line down the middle of the page for the stem. Working from the top, draw in big, winglike leaves coming out from the stem, capturing the way each leaf ends in a narrow tip. Ensure the leaves are multidirectional so the plant looks realistic. Draw in the plant pot, giving it a curved edge to make it appear three-dimensional.

2/ Use an old round brush to apply masking fluid with a dotted action, adding spots of varying sizes to each leaf. The marks should be sporadic in nature and not too considered. Add a greater number of spots for a more dramatic end result.

3/ While the masking fluid dries, use the No. 1 round brush and the turquoise-green base color mix to boldly paint in the stems, starting at the top. Work with more pigment to water to create deliberate linear marks that clearly define the structural form of the plant.

4/ Load the No. 10 round brush with the bright orange plant pot mix, making sure there is more pigment to water. Paint a horizontal line for the bottom of the pot. Clean and wet the brush, and use it to drag the pigment up nearly to the rim of the pot, decreasing the value of the pigment as you work your way up. Use a diluted mix of the same color to paint the rim, leaving a subtle white line between it and the main pot. While the page is still wet, add the burnt-orange mix to the edges of the pot to give it definition.

5/ When you are sure the masking fluid is completely dry, load the No. 10 brush with the turquoise-green base color and apply it to the top edge of the top leaf, close to the main stem. Wash the brush and, with a little water still on it, drag the pigment down and around the whole of the leaf shape, avoiding the leaf’s central vein, which should stay white. Use the same technique with the remaining leaves, working from top to bottom.

6/ Working wet on wet, add the midtones to the sections of the leaves nearest the stem to shade them and to give them form. Some leaves can feature a predominance of turquoise, while others can be predominantly green, so there’s a natural variation. Let dry.

7/ When the painting is completely dry, use your fingers to gently rub off the masking fluid, to reveal the striking polka-dot pattern.

DRYING TIME If you are keen to start removing the masking fluid, you can speed up the drying process by using a hair-dryer on a gentle heat.

INCH PLANT For this project we look at the fast-growing Tradescantia zebrina, also known as the silver inch plant. This trailing plant has rich green and purple leaves, striped with a silvery white.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 1 round brush › 12mm (½in) oval wash brush › No. 5 round brush › No. 00 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Cobalt Violet

Venetian Brown

Sap Green

Phthalo Green

COLOR MIXES

Light tone Cobalt Violet + Venetian Brown Go easy on the brown

Midtone Cobalt Violet + Venetian Brown Use more brown

Dark tone Cobalt Violet + Venetian Brown Use even more brown

Green Cobalt Violet + Sap Green + Phthalo Green

1/ Draw the stems and work out where the leaves branch out from them. Draw an uneven number of stems so that the design is organic. Make the leaves oversized, and fill the entire page. Establish which leaves will be striped and which ones will show the solid purple underside.

2/ Dip the No. 1 round brush in clean water and wet the stems, then paint them in using the lightest purple. Use the oval wash brush to apply a wash of water to the first leaf. Drop in the lightest purple at the top and base of the leaf, then use a clean No. 5 round brush to drag the pigment, starting to shade the shape of the leaf and its edges. Drop in the midtone mix at the base and tip to continue building up the leaf. Repeat for the next few purple leaves.

3/ Once the first leaf has started to dry a little, use the No. 00 round brush to drag pigment from either the base or tip of the leaf to create a delicate, subtle vein. Add more pigment if the existing pigment isn’t dragging out enough. Continue building up the leaves wet on wet, adding more pigment to develop the shape. Add the darkest purple mix to some of the leaves for contrast.

4/ To paint the striped leaves, return to the No. 5 round brush and apply a layer of clean water to what will be the green sections of one leaf. Drop in the green at the base or tip and drag the pigment over the shape. Continue working leaf by leaf, making some areas darker by using more pigment.

5/ When all the leaves are painted, return to the No. 00 round brush and the darkest purple mix to go over the stem again, adding definition and making it darker and thicker if necessary.

SNAKE PLANT With this project you will learn how to capture the textured, camouflage pattern of the leaves of Sansevieria trifasciata. You will work wet on wet to create interspersed patches of light, mid and dark abstract shapes, combined with deliberate mark-making with a smaller brush.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › 12mm (½in) oval wash brush › No. 4 round brush › No. 00 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Hooker’s Green

Sap Green

Turquoise

Lemon Yellow

COLOR MIXES

Base colors Hooker’s Green Make two mixes, one very dilute (top) and one with more pigment coming through (bottom)

Sap Green

Midtone Hooker’s Green + Turquoise Use a small amount of Hooker’s Green

Leaf edges Lemon Yellow

1/ To make your own initial drawing, you want to capture the height and shape of the tall leaves, so study how they curve and bend slightly. Draw several leaves, with the most prominent tall leaves in the centre, framed by smaller leaves at the sides, all coming out from the middle point. Check that your drawing is fairly central and use the rule of thirds (see this page) to help you.

2/ Use the oval wash brush to apply clean water to the page, holding the brush flat to the paper. Add the dilute mix of Hooker’s Green to patchy areas on all the leaves. Leave large sections of white as a natural highlight color. Let the color bleed with the water to create abstract patches that aren’t too defined. Let dry.

3/ Apply the second, stronger Hooker’s Green mix to areas between the previous marks, holding the brush upright and working in a downward motion to create the loose, slightly vertical marks of the snake plant. Add some Sap Green to sections of the leaves using the same method.

4/ Use the No. 4 round brush to add clean water to the parts of the leaves that will be darker. Add more pigment to the strongest Hooker’s Green mix and apply to areas where you want the pigment to bleed, adding abstract layers to replicate the distinct pattern of the plant. Add more pigment for more intense areas of color. Repeat the process with the midtone mix, adding this to the areas just painted as well as to new sections. By adding more concentrated pigment to lighter areas you can create dramatic effects that exaggerate the plant’s natural pattern.

5/ Use the No. 00 round brush to paint small, deliberate, linear brushmarks that contrast with the abstract patches. Use both of the previous color mixes with more pigment to water on the brush. Let dry.

6/ Use the No. 1 round brush to apply Hooker’s Green around the edges of the leaves, indicating those in the foreground. Once this has dried, apply Lemon Yellow in broken lines around the edges of the leaves so that some leaves feature more yellow than others.

TAKING OUT COLORS If you need to remove pigment from the page, use a clean, slightly wet brush to scoop up the excess water and paint and move it onto a clean cloth or tissue. Be gentle and try not to rub the page too much, to ensure you don’t disturb the paper fibres.

PURPLE SHAMROCK This project uses vibrant color mixes to recreate the butterfly-like, geometric leaves and small flowers of the dainty Oxalis triangularis. Using wet on wet you will create the delicate leaves that, while repetitive in shape, vary in value.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › No. 1 round brush › 12mm (½in) oval wash brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Cobalt Violet

Venetian Brown

Magenta

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

COLOR MIXES

Leaves Cobalt Violet + Venetian Brown

Cobalt Violet + Magenta

Flowers

Cobalt Violet

Planter Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue

Soil Venetian Brown

1/ To draw your own composition, start with the planter, since this will help you work out how wide to make the plant. Decide how tall your plant will be and, working from the top, draw the delicate, heart-shaped leaves that cascade down from individual stalks. Include some that flow over the top of the pot. Draw small flowers nestled among the leaves.

2/ For the purple leaves, mix Cobalt Violet with a small amount of Venetian Brown to mute it slightly, so it doesn’t look artificial. For the leaf centres, mix Cobalt Violet with Magenta to make a pinkish purple for contrast. The flowers are naturally white, but to see them on the page, dilute Cobalt Violet to achieve a very light purple. For the planter, mix Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue to make a bright, contrasting turquoise. Diluted Venetian Brown is used for the soil.

3/ Using the No. 4 round brush, apply a diluted layer of the first purple mix to four or five leaves, starting at the top. Drop the second, pinkish purple mix into the centre of a leaf and let it disperse gradually. While the page is still wet, add the darker mix again to the edges of the leaf, letting the color mix slightly, but not too much, so you can still see the lighter purple. Repeat for all of the leaves, making some more pink and others more purple. Make the leaves in front of the planter darker to show that they are in the foreground.

4/ Let the page dry a little, then continue to shade the leaves, adding darker purple sections to each leaf. You want the increase in value to be quite dramatic. The drier page will give you more control and ensure that these colors don’t bleed.

5/ Use the No. 1 round brush to add a layer of water to the stalks, then add the deep purple so that it flows along the narrow line of water. Experiment with how much paint you put on the stalks, depending on how defined you want them. Use the same technique, but with dilute Cobalt Violet, to paint the little flowers, keeping them fairly abstract so that they maintain their subtle and delicate appearance.

6/ Use the oval wash brush to paint a horizontal line of the turquoise mix for the base of the planter. Use a clean brush to drag the pigment upwards to fill in the rest of the planter, decreasing in value as you make your way up. Use more pigment to define the base and edges, leaving a gap of white at the top and bottom to give the impression of light and a threedimensional look. Let dry, then add in some dry turquoise marks to define the pot and give it form. Paint in diluted Venetian Brown for the soil.

SUCCULENT I have chosen a bird’s-eye viewpoint for this project, since the distinct circular, symmetrical pattern of the succulent looks especially impressive when viewed from above.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR PANS

Titanium White

Hooker’s Green

Indigo

Lemon Yellow

Rose Madder

COLOR MIXES

Base color Titanium White + Hooker’s Green + Indigo Add more pigment of all three colors to move from base color to midtone

Midtone Titanium White + Hooker’s Green + Indigo

Warm tone Lemon Yellow

Dark tone Hooker’s Green + Indigo

1/ If drawing your own succulent from above, aim to capture its kaleidoscopic appearance. The leaves are small and slightly closed in the very centre, increasing in size and opening out as the circle widens. Start in the centre of the paper and draw the smallest leaves, then work your way out, observing how each circular row is aligned with the next. While you want the overall impression to be symmetrical, don’t worry if each leaf isn’t perfectly even: they are naturally irregular.

2/ I have chosen watercolor pans for this project in order to capture the delicate, milky colors of the succulent, and to ensure that the finished piece doesn’t look too vibrant. White isn’t often used in watercolor because it affects the translucent quality of the painting; however, the opaque, chalky nature of white works well for this subject. For the base color, mix Titanium White, Hooker’s Green and Indigo, aiming for a very light, faint, milky green. For the midtone, use the same colors to make a milky blue. Put some Lemon Yellow on the palette, then make up the dark tone with just Hooker’s Green and Indigo.

3/ Using a wet No. 4 round brush, paint the base color over all the leaves, starting from the middle and working outwards. You want a diluted mix of the base color so it’s light and milky, leaving some negative space between the leaves to keep them defined. You don’t have to cover the leaves completely, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.

4/ While the leaves are still wet, add the midtone mix, dropping in a little more pigment than with the previous layer so it’s more visible on the paper. Start shading the leaves by giving each one slight definition and showing that they are coming out from the middle, with the darkest parts of the leaves at their bases. Let dry.

5/ Create warmer tones by adding Lemon Yellow to the leaves in the centre. With the No. 1 round brush, add the yellow with a good amount of water so it’s not too strong and glides nicely on the page. This will help to show the form and depth of the plant and also the varying colors of the leaves from the inside to the outside. Let dry.

6/ Add the dark tone wet on dry to the outermost leaves. Load the wet brush with pigment and apply to the base of each leaf before dragging it outwards with water. The more water you add, the more the pigment will move. Try to leave lots of the base color to contrast with this darker color. Add dark detail to the smallest, most central leaves to show that they are the most hidden. Let dry.

7/ Work wet on dry to add another layer of the dark tone to the edges of the outermost leaves. To check how balanced the shading is, spin the page around to observe how it looks from different angles. Add dots of Rose Madder to the leaf tips straight from the pan.

CHINESE MONEY PLANT The cute, almost alien-like Pilea peperomioides is the subject of this project, which uses only two colors to depict the plant’s distinctive flat, circular leaves and slender stalks.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 00 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Gamboge Yellow

Phthalo Blue

COLOR MIXES

Base colors Gamboge Yellow + Phthalo Blue Make two mixes, one with more yellow (top) and one with more blue (bottom). Add more pigment to move from base color to midtone, and midtone to dark tone

Midtones Gamboge Yellow + Phthalo Blue Make two mixes, one with more yellow (top) and one with more blue (bottom)

Dark tone Gamboge Yellow + Phthalo Blue

Planter Phthalo Blue

1/ To draw your own composition, use the vertical centre of the page as a guideline for positioning the planter, and draw this in first. Draw the slender stalks from the midpoint of the pot, making sure you draw stalks of different heights and growing out at various angles. Draw a loose circular leaf at the end of each stalk, varying their sizes and angles from the viewer.

2/ Each circular leaf shape is very distinct and will be clearly visible, so it’s a good idea to practise making these shapes with paint. Load the No. 10 round brush with a base color mix and paint onto scrap paper, moving the brush in a circular motion. Working wet on wet, drop in the different green mixes to see how they blend and react with one another through mixing on the page. Experiment with color values, working with more and less pigment to understand how you can change the definition and strength of color of the leaves.

3/ Moving on to the drawing, load the No. 10 brush with one of the base color mixes and, starting at the top, begin to paint the circular leaf shapes. Use the mix that is more yellow on some leaves and the mix with more blue in it on others, since this will help you to develop their depth and form later on. Working wet on wet, drop in the midtones to shade the leaves. Make the edges of the leaves darker to show their curves. We are creating the impression that there is more light shining on the centre of the leaves, something that will be developed in future steps.

4/ Use the No. 00 round brush to lightly paint in the stems by applying water first, followed by varying strengths of the base color mixes, so that some stems appear closer than others, avoiding a flat look.

5/ Use the No. 4 round brush to begin shading the leaves with the midtones and darkest greens. Continue to make the edges of the leaves darker to show there is more shadow in these areas. Use this process to build up the leaves, making sure that some are left lighter, so they appear to recede. If necessary, paint in additional leaves using just the base color, to provide more contrast and achieve a three-dimensional feel.

6/ Use the No. 10 brush to paint a horizontal line of pigment-heavy Phthalo Blue as the base of the planter. Wash the brush, then drag this pigment upwards to fill in the rest of the planter’s shape. You can add more water to create an abstract, marbled effect. Add in darker sections of blue to the edges, rim and base to give the planter its form.

RUBBER PLANT I’ve chosen to paint the variegated version of Ficus elastica for this project. This resilient tropical favourite has an interesting, almost camouflage, painterly texture that can be captured well in watercolor.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › 12mm (½in) oval wash brush › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Yellow Light

Ultramarine Blue

Phthalo Green

Phthalo Blue

Cadmium Red

COLOR MIXES

Base colors Yellow Light + Ultramarine Blue Make two mixes, one with more yellow (top) and one with more blue (bottom)

Midtone Ultramarine Blue + Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue Add more pigment to move from midtone to dark tone

Dark tone Ultramarine Blue + Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue

Stems and flower Yellow Light + Cadmium Red

1/ In the centre of the page, draw a tall stem from the bottom to nearly three-quarters the height of the paper. Draw seven leaves coming out from the stem, with one of the leaves upturned to give some variation in appearance and another angle to paint. Lightly mark the middle stems of each leaf.

2/ Load the oval wash brush with the yellow-toned base mix. Hold the brush flat to the page and lightly paint a wash over the top three leaves, loosely covering the basic shape of each leaf, but leaving some white just around the stem. To replicate the painterly camouflage pattern of the leaves, load the brush with the second base mix and dab this into the previously painted areas, with the brush held upright, creating a subtle texture.

3/ Apply the midtone mix in a linear manner, close to the edge of the white stem area. The contrast in colors should be quite dramatic, so try not to mix the colors too much. Let the paint dry a little, so the next marks will be more defined. Now build up this area by adding the darker green mix, applying it with the brush held upright and making deliberate linear marks.

4/ Repeat this technique with the remaining leaves. You want to make it clear that the upturned leaf is at a different angle with less of the top part showing. Use the midtone for the main part of the leaf, and the darkest mix for shading the top of the leaf, indicating the fold.

5/ Use the No. 10 round brush to paint the main stem with the midtone mix, then use the dark green to shade along the right edge of the stem. Use the No. 4 round brush to paint in the coral leaf stems and the flower at the top of the plant. This vibrant color adds a tropical flair to the finished painting.

DRIED FLOWERS In this project, muted purples and greys are used to capture the subtle, wintry colors and textures of dried poppies, seeded eucalyptus and teasel. A bouquet of dried flowers can translate the delicate beauty of nature in its fragile and decaying form, especially in those winter months when the leaves have fallen and the colors around us are more muted. In this project you will be using a combination of wet-on-wet and dry mark-making to create the unique textures of dried flowers.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › No. 00 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Venetian Brown

Ultramarine Blue

Cadmium Red

Cobalt Violet

Yellow Light

Sap Green

Gamboge Yellow

COLOR MIXES

Eucalyptus Venetian Brown + Ultramarine Blue

Venetian Brown + Cadmium Red

Cadmium Red

Poppy heads Venetian Brown

Venetian Brown + Cobalt Violet

Teasel head Venetian Brown + Ultramarine Blue + Cobalt Violet

Teasel flowers Cadmium Red + Yellow Light

Venetian Brown + Sap Green + Gamboge Yellow

COLOR TESTING For this project it is especially important that you test your colors on scrap paper to ensure you are not mixing muddy, sludgy browns. Judge how the colors work together on paper, and experiment with values to confirm they are not too rich or strong, and that they work harmoniously together.

1/ To draw your own arrangement, start with the most prominent flowers at the top of the page, leaning out in different directions. Position the wild eucalyptus on the left and a teasel head between two poppy heads on the right. Frame these with smaller teasel flowers lower down and coming out on either side to give an even composition. You want the stems to lay across one another as if they are being held in a vase.

2/ Starting with the eucalyptus, use the No. 4 round brush to wash the first, light purple mix onto all the leaves, starting from the top and working down. Working wet on wet, shade the leaves with the second, warm red mix, concentrating on the base and tips of the leaves and the top edges. When the sprig is fully formed, use a clean brush to apply dots of water where the seeds will be, then drop in a diluted mix of Cadmium Red for the seeds. Use the light purple mix and the No. 00 round brush to paint in the stems.

3/ Load the No. 4 brush with dilute Venetian Brown and wash it over the first poppy head. Working wet on wet, add the poppy color mix. The change in value should be dramatic. Move the paint around to create soft shadows and the mottled marks on the pod. Add more pigment to the base of the pod. Dip the brush in more concentrated Venetian Brown and hold it upright to add dots of pigment. The paint will disperse and bleed. Allow the page to dry a little and add smaller dots, which will be more defined. Allow to dry a little more, then add darker, more defined tones to the top of the poppy head and its edges. Use Venetian Brown for the stems and to make the marks at the top of the seed head. Repeat for the other poppy head.

4/ Use the same wet-on-wet technique with the teasel color mix for the teasel head. To recreate its texture, let the page dry a little and hold the brush upright as you dab on the paint. Let it dry fully, then make quick, rushed brushmarks with a little water and pigment on the brush to replicate the leaves surrounding the teasel’s head. Use the No. 00 round brush to paint in the stem with the same mix.

5/ Use the No. 4 brush to put a wash of clean water over the teasel flowers. Drop in a diluted mix of the light, dusty pink teasel flowers mix. Shade these flowers in the same way that you did the poppy heads. They are a similar shape, but have little spikes on top of their heads. Increase the value a little more and shade further until you achieve a lovely tonal, muted shape. Use the second teasel flower mix for the stems.

FERN FROND To paint a fern stem you need to focus on controlled repetition, using deliberate mark-making to depict the intricate leaves of this beautiful plant. A fern frond features pinna leaflets, the secondary stems that branch out from the left and right of the main stem, which in turn hold the pinnules, the little leaves that grow out from either side of these smaller stems.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 1 round brush › No. 00 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Cadmium Yellow

COLOR MIXES

Base color Sap Green + Cadmium Yellow

Details Sap Green

1/ If drawing your own curved fern frond, notice that the pinna leaflets are not positioned directly opposite one another. Mark on the stalk where the leaflets stem from, starting small at the top and progressively getting larger until the middle, where they then get progressively smaller again. Then draw in single lines showing the direction of the pinnules that make up the pinna, so that there are two rows per leaflet.

2/ Practise painting the pinnae on scrap paper. To make a clean, deliberate mark you need a little water on the brush to help the paint move while retaining control. Dip a wet No. 1 round brush in the base color mix so there is enough pigment on it to paint the whole first row of pinnules. Practise painting each pinnule going from large to small, so each one gets slightly smaller with each brushstroke. For each repetition, position the brush at the same angle and make the same stroke. Paint the whole of the top row of pinnules, then move on to the bottom row. The pinnules do not have to match completely in size, but do need to follow the same large-to-small scale.

3/ Working on the drawing, dip the No. 00 round brush in the base color to paint the four small leaves right at the top of the stem. These leaves are the least defined, so you can make them the most abstract. The brush should be a little wet, but with enough pigment to make a deliberate mark on the dry page. Paint from the stem outwards, concentrating more of the pigment at the stem of the leaf and dragging it outwards so that there’s less pigment at the edges.

4/ Pull the paint down the main stem to the first pinna. Paint each pinna one by one, using the No. 1 paintbrush and the same paint mix. Make sure you have enough pigment on the brush to complete one row of pinnules in one go. Make deliberate oval-like shapes with a slight point for the pinnules. You can create some really nice effects using this method, since at the start there is more pigment on the brush and by the end your marks should be getting fainter.

5/ Once all the pinnules of that pinna are painted, dip the brush in a little water and gently run it along the centre of the leaflet, blending the pinna and joining the pinnules. Continue this process, working down the main stem, to complete all the pinnae. Make sure the leaflets change scale, increasing and decreasing paintbrush size as necessary.

6/ Let the leaves dry, then use the No. 00 brush to add details in Sap Green. Work from top to bottom, adding Sap Green near the base and in the centre of each pinnule to give it shadow. Mark in where the pinnae connect to the main stem and add more detail to the stem itself.

CALATHEA For this project, the calathea is positioned in a textured wicker basket and given a painted background that adds depth to the overall composition. A light green and a dark green mix are used to paint the distinctive chevronlike patterning of the leaves.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › 12mm (½in) oval wash brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Emerald Green

Hooker’s Green

Lemon Yellow

Raw Sienna

Cerulean Blue

COLOR MIXES

Light green

Sap Green + Emerald Green

Dark green Sap Green + Hooker’s Green

Basket Lemon Yellow + Raw Sienna

Background Cerulean Blue

1/ Working out from the centre of the page, draw in the main stems. From here draw out seven multidirectional leaves, with larger, more prominent ones at the top and smaller, angled leaves at the bottom. Give the leaves a central vein from base to tip, then draw in diagonal lines on each side of the vein, out to the edge of the leaf. Draw a rough circular shape as the front of the basket, and add a thin lip around the edge to give it definition.

2/ Use the No. 4 round brush to apply the light green mix to alternate ‘chevron’ shapes on each leaf. Make sure the mix contains enough water so the pigment can be easily moved across the page, but isn’t so wet that you lose control, since these sections need to have neat edges. Use the same mix to paint the plant stems. Let dry.

3/ Apply the dark green mix to the unpainted leaf sections, leaving a little white between them to keep them clearly defined. Let dry.

4/ Working wet on dry, add more dark green so there is a clear contrast between the light and dark areas, creating the distinct striped pattern of the leaves.

5/ At the base of the basket, use the oval wash brush to paint a horizontal line of the strawcolored basket mix. Add water to the brush and drag this pigment up in patches, so that it’s slightly uneven and broken. Next, hold the brush in an upright position and draw linear horizontal and vertical marks to create the impression of the textured weave of the basket. Use the same technique to make small linear marks around the lip of the basket to give it definition. Load the brush with more pigment to paint the soil inside the pot.

6/ Use the pencil to draw an outline around each leaf, approximately 3mm (⅛in) from the leaf edge. These marks act as a guide as to how far to take the background wash. Let the painting dry completely, to avoid any chance of contamination when you apply the background color.

7/ Wet the background area with the oval wash brush, to help the paint glide over the page. With a wet brush and plenty of pigment, starting at the bottom of the page, paint a horizontal line of background color and pull the pigment upwards so the value gets lighter. Repeat this process to work over the whole background area. Paint the background in a loose style to produce interesting textures and an uneven, fluid effect. Use the angles of the brush to get into close areas around the leaves, working only up to the pencil marks. Work back into the area beneath the basket, making it darker to give the impression that it is sitting on a surface. Let dry.

ANTHURIUM This tall plant has distinctive waxy flowers and long stems, which I have chosen to paint in a loose, impressionistic style. This is a quick project, working wet on wet and using deliberate brushstrokes to create a modern design that shows off the plant’s bold, colorful flora.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Fuchsia

Gamboge Yellow

Sap Green

Phthalo Green

COLOR MIXES

Flowers Fuchsia

Gamboge Yellow

Greens

Sap Green + Phthalo Green

Sap Green

1/ To draw your own anthurium, start just above the middle of the page and loosely draw three flower heads, two larger and one smaller, and their stems. Draw in five or six leaves with their own stems. You will have the chance to add more leaves in step 5.

2/ Apply Fuchsia watercolor ink to the first flower using a wet No. 10 round brush, dragging the pigment from the top edge down and out, so that the pigment value decreases across the surface area of the flower. Do this quite quickly so the paint doesn’t set. Drop Gamboge Yellow in at the edges of the flower and where it meets the spadix – the tall yellow spike sticking out of the flower. Repeat on all three flower heads. Let dry.

3/ Drop a little Fuchsia on either side of the spadix. Clean the brush, then drop Gamboge Yellow in at the top of the spadix and drag the pigment down to meet the flower. Repeat with the remaining two flowers.

4/ Clean the brush and use the two greens to paint in the leaves, leaving a white gap for the main vein running down the centre of each leaf. Use the same technique of dragging the pigment from the top of the leaf down. Work wet on wet to color mix on the page to produce different shades of green and an obvious change of value. Use the No. 4 round brush to paint in the stems, making them clean and tall, using the green mix and Sap Green on its own.

5/ Paint in some additional, gestural leaves, created with large movements of the No. 10 brush. Create almost heart-shaped leaves that vary in scale around the stems of the flowers. You can choose to add lots more, or keep it simple with less, depending how dramatic you want to go.

6/ With the flowers now dry, use the No. 4 brush and Fuchsia watercolor ink to work wet on dry where the flower curves near the spadix, adding in more controlled detail.

ENGLISH IVY English ivy is recognisable by the distinctive shape of its cascading, trailing leaves. In this project you will focus on the repetition of the leaves and their lobed appearance.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Yellow Light

Phthalo Green

Sap Green

Ultramarine Blue

COLOR MIXES

Base color Yellow Light + Phthalo Green

Midtone Phthalo Green + Sap Green

Dark Tone Phthalo Green + Sap Green + Ultramarine Blue

Stems Yellow Light + Sap Green

1/ To make your own composition, work from the top left to the bottom right and sketch the ivy crawling and cascading down the page. Draw the leaves with three or five lobes, starting with larger leaves at the top and gradually making them smaller further down the stem. They can be abstract and loose.

2/ Dip a wet No. 10 round brush in the yellow-green base color mix and work your way from top to bottom, gently painting in the shape of each leaf and leaving white spaces in the centre for the veins.

3/ While the paint is still wet, load the No. 4 round brush with the midtone mix and add this to the middle of the leaves so that it spreads outwards but leaves the edges distinctly lighter, capturing the marbled texture of the leaves. The inside color should be significantly darker than the outer one for a clear contrast. Use less of the midtone on the background leaves and those that are behind others, and for some leaves use no midtone at all.

4/ Still working wet on wet, and starting back at the top of the plant, drop the darkest mix on either side of the leaf vein near to where it meets the stem. Make the leaves at the top of the plant darker and more dramatic, and less so as you move down the plant. Do this by diluting the pigment as you work down the page, adding the midtone to the leaves nearest the bottom. Step back from the painting to judge how the color change is developing.

5/ Use the olive-green stem mix to paint the stems that connect the leaves, working from top to bottom. Keep these quite light, since they aren’t the main focus of the plant.

PALM LEAF & ABSTRACT BACKGROUND An abstract background pattern painted in a warm Sienna and Umber mix adds to the overall Mediterranean feel of this palm-leaf project. Painting the palms at different angles gives the composition interest, while the blocks of color help to retain a modern look.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 10 round brush › No. 4 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Sap Green

Emerald Green

Raw Sienna

Burnt Umber

COLOR MIXES

Greens Sap Green + Emerald Green + Raw Sienna + Burnt Umber Use only touches of Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber Make three mixes, a light (top), mid- (centre), and dark tone (bottom) by adjusting the ratio of water to pigment

Background Raw Sienna

1/ Map where the two palm leaves will be positioned on the page by drawing in their spines. Add in the leaflets. The top palm leaf should cascade downwards and the bottom leaf should curve upwards, with only one row of leaflets visible. When you are happy with the leaves, draw in the three background rectangles, varying them in size, with one roughly at the top, one in the middle and one at the bottom.

2/ Starting from the top of the first leaf, use the No. 10 brush and the lightest green to paint each leaflet. Drag the pigment over each leaflet to achieve a variation in tone. Hold the brush upright and position it at different angles to capture the way each section descends to a fine point. Let dry.

3/ Work wet on dry with the smaller No. 4 round brush to shade the leaf with the midtone green, adding the impression of shadows and depth by defining the edges of each leaflet and where it meets the spine of the leaf. Let dry.

4/ Working wet on dry again, use quick upright motions with the darkest green to add more linear, deliberate shading marks to each leaflet. Make sure the previous greens still come through. Repeat steps 2–4 on the second palm leaf and let dry.

5/ Wet the No. 10 brush and load it with a dilute mix of the background color. Paint a horizontal line of pigment for the bottom line of the first rectangle and drag the pigment upwards. Rotate the brush to use the bristles at different angles to carefully work the areas in between the leaves. Working wet on wet, drop more pigment at the base of the rectangle, and shade the edges so that it doesn’t look too flat. Repeat for each rectangle, working wet on wet and letting the paint mix on the page to create fluid textures, giving the design an abstract feel.

DECORATIVE WREATH This wreath design relies on a considered composition and a balance of elements. The project combines techniques that have been used throughout the book. Made up of flowers, leaves and sprigs, the design would look lovely on a greetings card and can be personalised by adding text inside the circle.

MATERIALS › Hot-pressed watercolor paper › Plate, 20cm (8in) in diameter (optional) › Pencil › Mixing palette › Scrap watercolor paper for color testing › Water jars › No. 4 round brush › No. 1 round brush

WATERCOLOR INKS

Box Violet

Rose Madder

Lemon Yellow

Cadmium Orange

Sap Green

Hooker’s Green

Emerald Green

Raw Sienna

Indigo

COLOR MIXES

Flower colors Box Violet

Box Violet + Rose Madder

Lemon Yellow

Lemon Yellow + Cadmium Orange Use just a touch of Cadmium Orange

Base greens Sap Green + Hooker’s Green

Sap Green + Emerald Green

Dark green Hooker’s Green + Raw Sienna Use just a touch of Raw Sienna

Eucalyptus Hooker’s Green + Indigo

1/ Draw around a plate positioned in the centre of the page, then draw an arrangement of flowers and leaves around the circle. Make two focal points diagonally opposite each other with flowers, sprigs and eucalyptus.

2/ Paint the flowers first. Use the No. 4 round brush to apply dilute Box Violet to the purple chrysanthemum, then, working wet on wet, drop in more concentrated Box Violet to recreate the texture of the petals. Use the Box Violet and Rose Madder mix for the second chrysanthemum and the hyacinth.

3/ While the flowers dry, work on the leaves. Rinse the brush and use it to apply the two base green mixes to give some variation in color around the wreath. Working wet on wet, layer up the leaves with more pigment. Let dry.

4/ Add the dark green to the base of the leaves, working wet on dry, to give them more controlled definition and a sense of depth. You can also layer up with your base mixes if necessary to even out any overly harsh contrast in color.

5/ With the flowers now dry, shade some of the purple petals with more Box Violet, then use the No. 1 round brush to fill in the centres of both chrysanthemums with Lemon Yellow. Paint in the eucalyptus sprigs with the eucalyptus paint mix, and add dotted brushstrokes of Rose Madder to create the texture of wild eucalyptus.

6/ Still working wet on dry, paint Rose Madder at the base of the hyacinth petals to indicate their individual form, so the flower does not look like one solid form.

7/ Layer the second chrysanthemum with the orange mix, so that the colors become more intense and the flower more detailed. Continue layering up each motif in this manner, so that they look more vivid and three-dimensional. Rotate the page to make sure the wreath is balanced when viewed from different angles, and add any additional elements where necessary.

INDEX A allover patterns anthurium

B backgrounds abstract shapes allover banana leaves barrel cactus basket begonia, spotted blue, mixing brown, mixing brushes washing brushwork linear marks

C calathea characteristics, plant Chinese money plant Chinese painting chrysanthemum close-up views cold-pressed paper color analogous colors complementary colors intensity keeping colors fresh mixing neutral colors primary colors secondary colors taking out temperature tertiary colors tests transparency watercolor inks watercolor pans wheel composition

allover patterns avoiding symmetry rule of thirds cropping

D decorative wreath depth, depicting drawing brushwork initial dried flowers drying with a hair-dryer

E edges defining shading sharp soft three-dimensional form English ivy equipment eraser eucalyptus decorative wreath dried exaggeration

F fern frond flowers anthurium decorative wreath dried white focal points

G glazing technique green, mixing

H highlights hot-pressed paper hyacinth

I implied lines inch plant irregularities

L leaf veins implied leaves spotted striped variegated lightfast colors lighting linear marks

M masking fluid mixing paints monstera movement, creating

N negative and positive shapes masking fluid monstera negative space, implied lines

O orange tree

P palettes palm leaf with abstract background paper plant pots poppies, dried purple shamrock

R rubber plant rule of thirds

S shading shadows simplification sketchpad snake plant succulent suggesting detail symmetry irregularities

T teasel texture background paper wet on wet technique three-dimensional form thumbnail sketches tonal range depicting depth varying translucence

U uneven number of leaves

V variation viewfinder viewpoint

W washes background glazing technique watercolor inks watercolor pans wet on dry technique wet on wet technique abstract patches color mixing color tests dried flowers flowers with masking fluid white areas highlights

masking fluid white flowers white paint

CREDITS

AUTHOR’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to the fantastic team at Quarto – Kate, Martina, Phil, Claire and Cassie – who kindly gave me such a wonderful opportunity to make this beautiful book, which I’m so proud of, and whose endless support made this project an absolute joy. Thanks also to Patricia Seligman, author of The Watercolor Flower Painter’s Handbook, and David Webb, author of Complete Guide to Watercolor, for inspiration for the Getting Started chapter. Thanks to London House Plants, Sweet Pea Flowers in Hackney and photographer Andy Donohoe. Thank you to my wonderful family, particularly my mum and dad, Karen and Peter, for always supporting and believing in me to pursue my career as a designer and artist. To my granny Martha, whose love and prayers mean the world. To my brothers, James and Alex, who are my rocks and whose talents have helped my business grow. To my dogs, Mango and Sasha, for 2am cuddles and endless love. So much love to all my friends and studio pals, who are the kindest and most supportive extended family. Big thanks to Harry and Benny for all the home-cooked meals when I need comfort after a long day, and to Becky, my wise soul sister. A massive thank you to Victoria, my amazing assistant, who I’ve watched grow into a confident and creative star, and whose optimism helps us pull through when things are tough. Lastly, a humble big thanks to those that have supported me and my brand over the years, allowing it to grow into something really special. I cannot thank you enough.

FOR QUARTO Designer Gemma Wilson Senior Designer Martina Calvio Photographer Philip Wilkins Editor Claire Waite Brown Editoral Assistant Cassie Lawrence Quarto would like to thank: Sweet Pea Floral Atelier, location for the photograph on this page www.sweetpeaflowers.co.uk London House Plants, location for the photograph on this page www.londonhouseplants.com The following Shutterstock.com photographers: Floral Deco, Follow the Flow, Julia Karo, Kate Aedon, Photographee.eu, Positvt plus Studio, Victoria 43, Wide Awake, Yuri-U Andy Donohoe, photographer of the Palm Leaf project on this page–this page