Dahlia

Having chosen just one medium, watercolour, (of course only the best!) for my creative journey does not mean I am limited for variety.

I enjoy painting both in a loose expressive style, often with minimal drawing and also in a more considered approach.

When viewing a collection of Dahlia images by photographer Nancy Waldock, I was immediately drawn to the challenge of painting an intricate flower centre.

I could have chosen to paint this floral in a loose way but thought it was a perfect choice for using glazing.

My Process:
After a careful drawing of the flower, I spent time choosing my colours.

Holbein:
Shadow Green, Bright Violet, Quinacridone Red, Opera, Horizon Blue,  Aureolin, Perm. Yellow Orange.

1. I started by painting the background first wash. I wet around the flower and then added pigment, allowing it to flow and mix on the paper. This was allowed to Dry.

2. I would normally paint from big to small shapes but as I was a bit apprehensive about the tricky centre,  I decided to do it first. This meant I was not invested too much in the painting if it went wrong. Luckily the start was going in the right direction.

3. The petals were then painted one by one from back to front, top to bottom. Each with a few thin glazes of pigment, allowing each to be thoroughly dry before adding the next.

4.  A couple of extra thin washes of blue were added to the background, to push it back and help with depth.

Dahlia are long lasting flowers and as this flower was my muse for six whole days the title
Here for a While, seemed a perfect choice.