28 JUNE 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
Inspiration
Step 3
1 Once the first layer is dry, use
the same method (with your brush
and water) to add another wash over
the flower head, this time with a mix
of cadmium yellow and yellow ochre.
Focus on the shadows of the flower
head as you can see in this
illustration.
2 Mix ultramarine blue with
cadmium yellow and continue
to place a wash on the stem
and the teeth of the flower.
3 Continuing with the same
method, wash the second flower
stem with cobalt violet.tStep 2
Dip your brush into the water
jar and add a small amount
of pigment and start to paint
a wash on the flower, moving
down to the stem, filling the
whole area of the plant. You
should see a translucent
colour. Leave to dry.tStep 1
1 Add a small amount of cadmium yellow and yellow
ochre onto your palette or saucer. Next, add a small
amount of ultramarine blue and cobalt violet.
2 Lay your watercolour paper flat on your board or
table and draw a dandelion (or two) with the pencil.
Use photographs or images from the internet
as reference material.tTechnique used: Wet on dry
Dandelion is an English corruption of the French
dent de lion, meaning ‘lion’s tooth’, a reference to the
tooth-like serrations on the plant’s leaves. It has toothy
leaves that are hairless and grow 5cm to 25cm or longer.
The plant can grow as high as 25cm to 30cm and
is the most common broadleaf weed in most lawns.
It is found in virtually every kind of habitat, from
deep woods to cultivated fields, from rocky hillsides
to gardens and lawns.
Its edible parts are the leaves, root and flower.
Dandelion leaves can be added to a salad or cooked.
They can also be dried and stored for the winter or
blanched and frozen. Flowers can be made into juice,
or added into many recipes. The root can be roasted
and made into a coffee substitute and the leaves
can be dried, stored and made into tea.
Seedlings emerge in spring and may flower in
their first year. Established plants that bloom in spring
can flower again in autumn. The time from flowering
to seed ripening is nine to 12 days. The fruiting period
is from April to June. The flower opens in the morning
and closes at night.EXERCISE 1 Dandelion
You will need
nSurface
lFabriano 300lb
watercolour paper
n Brushes
l Winsor & Newton Round
No. 4 or 6
n Watercolour
l Cadmium yellow
l Yellow ochre
l Cobalt violet
l Ultramarine blue
n Miscellaneous
l Palette and saucers
l HB or 2B pencils
l Faber-Castell waterproof
pens
l Jar of water
l Paper towelsDandelion Study, watercolour and pencil on
Fabriano watercolour paper, 28^1 ⁄ 2 x 141 ⁄ 2 in. (71.5x37cm)t