Fearless Friday, Watercolor Pansy
I love pansies
but we don’t plant them any more
because the pesky squirrels always dig them up
They are so pretty, so let’s paint one today
I used this photo from Pixabay as a model
I like to begin with a simple pencil sketch
to establish the shapes of the subject
Once I get it the way I want it,
I erase it until you can just barely see it
This way I can see it as I paint
but the pencil won’t show in the painting
I began with the light purple part of the petals
Then came the deep purple
I switched to a liner brush to get crisp edges
I realized the petal on the left was too large
so I used a brush with clear water to “erase” part of it,
and the rest will be part of a petal behind the front petal
I filled in the rest of the petals
When I went to paint the yellow
over the pale part of the center petal
it didn’t really show up, so I used yellow gouache
Next came some abstract leaves and a background wash
Little lines were added to the petal center with a fine liner brush
Splatter is the final touch
“Pansy” 5″ x 6″ watercolor on mixed media paper
I’m not much of a gardener,
but I do love to paint flowers!
I hope you’ll have some fun gardening or painting!
Be Fearless!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Happiness is Homemade
Between Naps on the Porch / Turn About Tuesday
Wednesday Linky Party / Karin’s Cottage Linky Party/ Creatively Crafty
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Good morning, Jenna. I love all the colorful faces of pansies. Your pansy is beautiful. My EK would love it because purple is her favorite color. EM spent the afternoon with me yesterday and we spent a couple of hours drawing with colored pencils. It was so much fun! I attempted drawing my arbor with the Lady Banks Rose climbing on it. EM was complimentary of my attempt ☺️
Happy Friday, stay warm!
Thank you Pam! I’m so glad you had fun drawing with EM! I love colored pencils, I need to do a Fearless Friday with them soon!
I adore pansies, and often will plant some in pots on the veranda.
I love them too 🙂
Very pretty. The squirrels vandalize your plants because they’re mad about not being fed. Easy fix is to get a big bag of cheap in-shell peanuts to give as an offering every day.
My yard backs up to woods, there are a zillion squirrels!
Pansies are such endearing flora. They remind me of little faces💜
They do don’t they!
Pansies are the cutest, and I plant mine in a half pot that is attached to my lamp post.
That’s what I need, good squirrel protection!
So pretty! Makes me yearn for spring.
Me too Dorothy, hurry spring!
I enjoyed seeing your process for painting the pansy, Jenna! Such a happy flower as is your painting! 🌸
Thanks Jill!
This is so pretty – my grandmother always had pansies, and do you remember they’d sometimes show REALLY old Cartoons in the afternoon and there was one with dancing pansies? Such a happy flower!
Haha, I kinda do remember! I heard you are supposed to get snow next week!!!
Well, here in a warm-to-temperate part of Australia I plant hundreds and hundreds of these favourite flowers for each winter season from March to October . . . every year seems to bring new and exciting varieties . . . 🙂 !
They are such pretty and happy flowers!
Jenna, I LOVE this! My pansies have been buried under snow for two weeks now. I can wait for the snow to melt so I can see their happy faces again!
Thanks Rita! I know it’s been terrible weather for you, we are expecting more cold temps and snow next week, hurry Spring!
Pansies–love ’em!!!!!! I may even take a stab at replicating your fabulous talent. Hope you and your family are staying well and warm over there in Bama. I am watching a lot of Turner Classic Movies, reading my way through the books I bought and hanging with my laptop and cat till I see daffodils! Georgia Gal
Thanks Georgia Gal, I hope you have fun with the pansy painting! Brrr, I am ready for daffodils too, and also basically hibernating!! Stay cozy!
Simple lovely – we Southerns do like are pansies!
Thanks Mary!
I love pansies and purple. Pansies are popular in my neighborhood and don’t seem to be bothered by the squirrels. I don’t have much in the way of plants because we are so seasonal between two states. Your tutorial is great, and I love the way you show your “mistakes” and how you fix them.
Thanks so much Linda!
I never cease to be amazed at your wonderful instructions and step outs. I haven’t painted in so long I feel like I need to start at the beginning. And this is a good place to start again!
Thank you Jeanie, I’m a little rusty myself 😂 I haven’t painted in a while either!
Oh, how I love pansies! They always have such happy faces.
You always amaze me with your talent. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thank you Nancy, they do have happy faces!
I’m sorry to be so late in commenting Jenna – I seem to have fallen behind again. Your watercolor pansy is just beautiful and such pretty colors! They are such a sweet looking flower and a smile bringer in the awful weather everyone has been having. I hope you are staying warm and cozy down there!
Hi Kim, the pansy was fun to paint! We are still freezing, and it snowed at the beach yesterday!!!
So pretty Jenna! ♥
Thank you, I am so ready to see flowers in my yard, hurry spring!