Fearless Friday, Sunflower in Different Mediums

I have been experimenting a bit with gouache paint
and decided to paint a sunflower
Gouache is a paint similar to watercolor, but it is opaque
rather than transparent like watercolor
You don’t have to worry about leaving white areas for highlights
as you do with watercolor,
because white gouache can be applied on top of other colors
when it is applied with minimal water

Then I painted the same sunflower with watercolor
Let’s compare them, watercolor on the left
and gouache on the right
They are quite similar except for the center dots,
which were done with black in the watercolor painting
and white in the gouache painting

Then I decided to try the same flower with Tombow dual brush pens
These markers can be used alone or blended out with water

I started by drawing the petal shapes with the marker tip
then applied more yellow where I knew I wanted deep color,
where the petals meet the center

Next I drew the stem and added orange

I added dark brown for the center and blended it out with water

More water and more blending

It is hard to make sharp lines disappear with this type of marker
The finished flower


Next I decided to do it one more time with alcohol markers
I am currently using a set of Ohuhu markers
I like them very much and
they are much more affordable than pricey Copic markers
You can get a set of 72 with case for $60 on Amazon right now

Let’s compare the 2 sunflowers done with markers
Alcohol markers on the left and watercolor markers right

All 4 of the sunflowers below look very similar~
I like the alcohol marker version the best,
mainly because I think the shapes and placement of the parts are better
than the the other versions

Last year we did a sunflower in pastel

It’s fun to try the same subject using different mediums
The sunflowers below were done with colored pencil

If you’re a beginning artist, try sunflowers,
they are an easy and colorful way to build your confidence
I have several tutorials here, here and here
Have some sunflower fun and
Be Fearless!
I have sunflowers in my Society 6 Shop too
Each design is available on many different items
When you click on one of the links above
it will take you to one of the items pictured
and if you scroll down to the bottom of that page
it will show you the other items available in that design

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I like the water colour the most. Happy Friday, Jenna.
Thank you Angie, have a wonderful weekend!
I love doing sunflowers. You’re right — they’re a wonderful thing to paint — colorful, easy shapes. I couldn’t pick a favorite here, for they all have some unique characteristics. I do like the blue paper on the pastel, though. Adds depth and the colors pop all the more.
Thank you Jeanie, I like the pastel one too, I need to use pastel more often, it’s really a great medium, have you ever tried it
Wow Jenna! I love to see the same subject in all the different mediums – you did a fabulous job with all of them. And even though I’m not an artist, it was fun to hear about the attributes of each one. Fascinating!
Thanks so much Barbara!
Amazing–and who doesn’t love a sunflower in any medium?😀
Sunflowers are hard not to love!
I love the alcohol version, Jenna. It seems to appear sharper. But, I love them all, really.
Thanks Rita, have a great weekend!
I love sunflowers and I have a few that are blooming, with more on the way, yay! All mediums are beautiful, but I choose the alcohol version because it is vivid! Enjoy your weekend!
Thank you Pam, I would love to have sunflowers growing in my yard!
Marvelous sunflower art!
Thank you 🙂
I have once again learned something new today! I had no previous knowledge of gouache paint! Beautiful!
thank you Alycia 🌻
So pretty Jenna! I love the alcohol markers too! 🌻
Thanks Mary, I love painting with markers 🙂