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"Painting White Flowers" by Birgit O'Connor

Directions
Step 1. Painting the white flower is mostly water and a little pigment. I start with a basic line drawing to break up the space and simplify the composition. Then by using a large 4” Bamboo Hake Brush, I apply a clear water wash focusing on the largest shapes first. 
Step 2. Mixing small amounts of pigment I apply brush strokes of color to the clean water wash where I want to suggest the illusion of a bend and let it blend into the drying paper.  Lifting and rolling my paper will help me to allow the paint to flow evenly and have more of a natural look. If your paper is drying faster than you are working, simply add more clean water and move you paper around so it is evenly disbursed. Before I work on my next flower or add any details to the first one the paper must be dry. 
Step 3. After my first flower is dry I can repeat the same process to the next flower or petal. In this next flower I want it be behind the first one. So I will need to use more pigment to help to create a contrast next to the lighter flower in the foreground. To define the first flower I will apply the darker pigment to the edge of the dry flower then allow it to wash out into the receding flower's clean water wash. The colors that I will use for the shadows are French Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna.  I will use this same combination of colors throughout the shadows but with different degrees of water, depending on the values that I am looking for. 
Step 4. Let it dry.  During the drying process the pigment will dry lighter.  When it is completely dry, I can reevaluate where I need to enhance the color and details. When applying a darker color I sometimes like to apply it to dry paper then use clean water and pull out one of the edges. 
Step 5. To help to give it depth and pop the whitest areas out I start to look for my shadow areas.  I am looking for the different values. (If you have a problem defining the values squint your eyes so it becomes a blur - this way you are not looking at the details only color). 
Step 6. Finally to define the entire flower I work on my background, here I will create whatever contrast I want. I can create white on white, a landscape, moody sky or drama to help push the whites forward.  Which one depends on the colors you place next to them. 
For more information you can visit my web site at http://www.birgitoconnor.com 
 

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