Oil Painting on Canvas of Petunia Flowers

Art Instruction on Flower Painting via a Demonstrations with Oils

Sep 18, 2009

Learning how to paint flowers such as the petunia plant, particularly in their natural setting is likely to yield satisfying results for the artist.

Flowers are full of contradictions. As well as being dainty and delicate, they can also be robust. The heads of the sunflower or the clematis, for instance, seem more like sculptures than living objects. The delicate shapes offered by the petunias sharply contrast against hard surfaces such as brick walls and glass, as this painting shows.

Oil Painting Materials Required

This demonstration was completed from life, but a suitable photograph of petunias will suffice. Painting flowers in a still life setting makes an ideal composition, particularly in sunlight. Additional materials needed are:

Oil Painting Tips for Preparing a Canvas Oil Painting

Applying a thin layer of paint will kill the off-putting white surface of the canvas. In this case, a mixture of diluted acrylic paint had been applied onto the canvas surface first and was allowed to dry. This consisted of ultramarine, permanent rose and white. This pinkish under layer serves to compliment the overlying warm colours. The sketch was then carefully drawn via a soft pencil.

Floral Oil Painting in the Garden

This demonstration was completed from life, so the shifting sunlight had to be accounted for. Since the container and the brick wall were subject to the quickest change in light, these were completed first. The intricate moulding on the container was simplified into three areas: light, medium and dark. With a thin sable, permanent rose, pthalo blue and white were mixed in various ratios. The pale areas were completed prior to the darks. Half closing the eyes will cut out confusing detail and encourage the artist to record only what is fundamental (fig 1).

Painting the Petunia Heads

With a clean sable, the lightest areas of the petunia heads were implied via the application of permanent rose and white. Pthalo blue was added for the shaded areas. In some places, the colour was almost black. Pure colours were dabbed here and there to make the petals appear to glow (fig 2).

The Joy of Painting Petunias via Expressive Brush Strokes

The background was blocked briskly in via a bristle brush ladled with pastel colours. This added contrast to the density of the petunias. Allowing the paint to skim over the canvas surface serves to bring out its texture (fig 3).

The final touches were supplied by reinforcing highlights and shadows, for instance on the steel support of the containers. A thin sable was used and neat paint was dragged across the surface. Care is required here, but if mistakes are made, it can easily be wiped off with a rag and done again (fig 4).

Oil Painting Tutorial on Flower Art

In order to learn to paint flowers, one must use careful observation. The petunias, for instance, possess heavy dark colours. Using sunlight adds interesting shapes and contrasts to any floral oil painting or even one with fruit. This can be done indoors or via a setting in the greenhouse. Half closing the eyes will cut out irrelevant detail. This may encourage the artist to loosen up and use expressive brushstrokes. Contrasting the background colours with the flowers themselves will retain the flowers’ focal point.

The copyright of the article Oil Painting on Canvas of Petunia Flowers in Still Life Painting is owned by Rachel Wills. Permission to republish Oil Painting on Canvas of Petunia Flowers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.