Sunflowers are everywhere right now and they are easy peasy to paint!
When you want to paint something take a few minutes to really look at your subject.
Look at the proportions of the different parts and study the color.
Do a couple of practice flowers. This is not a realistic technique so don’t over think it. Fast and loose brings the best result
Start with a large round brown dot and let it dry. I used a piece of parchment paper and a canvas bag for this demo. An easy way to make a large dot is by making a C and then a backwards C to form the perimeter. Adjust the shape and fill in the middle. The shape on the bottom right is for the center of a flower who’s petals are down turned
Dip a fat round brush, like a #8, into yellow, then orange, then yellow. This allows the paint to mix on the surface and gives the color instant depth. Make petal shapes by making short, quick strokes outward all around the brown center. Adjust the color as you go if it gets too orange or too yellow. Variation equals interest
Dip a clean smaller round brush, #6 into a dark green, then into yellow. Make a long stroke from the bloom downwards. Do this quickly for the straightest result- BUT it doesn’t have to be straight, a gentle curve looks good too.
Once the stems are painted add a couple of leaves. Dip brush in green, then yellow and make a quick stroke by placing the brush along the stem. Push down at the beginning of your stroke, then lift the brush off the surface to form the leaf tip
I actually sort of twist the brush tip as I lift it off the finished leaf to get a little attitude 😉
When the bloom is dry, use the other end of the paintbrush to paint random black dots on flower’s center and let a few stray off onto the petals and around the flower
This is an inexpensive canvas bag from the craft store. Put a paper towel or piece of paper or foil inside the bag before you paint it to make sure the paint doesn’t seep through to the other side
Black checks look great with sunflowers so add those if you like, using a flat square brush
Sunflowers make a cheery centerpiece for a Sunflower Table
You can get a lot of bang for your buck by using small necked bottles and grouping them together
I like to use sunflowers in my early fall decor too
Real, faux, or painted, Fall means sunflowers to me~
Won’t be long now~
If you would like to see the tutorials for some of the things pictured here just click on the links below:
Note: I used acrylic gloss paint for this demo but you can use any acrylic craft paint. You don’t need special fabric paint to paint on cloth either, this textile medium can be added to regular acrylic paint to make the texture of dried paint softer on fabric and to keep it from cracking. You can get it at Hobby Lobby and probably anywhere that sells crafting supplies
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