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Oil PaintingSUPPLIES
- Arches 300gsm Satine cotton rag paper
- Pencil
- Linseed oil yellow paint
- Linseed oil orange paint
- Linseed oil brown paint
- Linseed oil maroon paint
- Linseed oil green paint
- Black China Bristle paint brushes flat/filbert
Overview
Sunflowers are an ideal flower to present in a painting. The traditional color of the sunflower is yellow. The tiny outer florets within the circular head can be maroon, yellow, or orange. Sunflowers face the sunrise in the east and turn throughout the day to the west. Once the sun goes down they turn back toward the east. Painting a sunflower only requires a canvas to paint on, appropriate colors of paint, and a paintbrush. Little painting expertise is required, however, just a love for art and a desire to create.
Step 1
Sketch a sunflower design with a pencil on a large piece of white Arches 300gsm satine cotton rag paper. This paper is appropriate for oil painting and can be purchased at most art supply stores. Create lots of petals, some overlapping, for a more beautiful flower. Design the sunflower with a diameter of 9 inches with an outer ring of florets 3 inches wide.
Step 2
Use a flat or a filbert-shaped Black China Bristle paint brush, sold at most art supply stores, and paint the petals yellow. Dip the point of the brush into the linseed oil yellow paint and begin by outlining each petal. Continue by filling in each petal outline completely.
Step 3
Dip your rinsed paint brush into some dark brown paint and dab the paint in the center of the flower. Start at the outer ring and moving your paint brush up and down, continue dabbing brown paint all through the center of the flower.
Step 4
Add some maroon and orange paint to the center of the flower. Dab your brush up and down throughout the brown paint, blending in the other two colors. The dabs of paint create the tiny florets.
Step 5
Wait for the paint to dry and add dabs of yellow paint to the very center of the sunflower in a 3/4-inch radius.
Step 6
Draw a few leaves on each side of the sunflower and fill in the leaves with green paint.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Add a little orange to the base of each petal near the center, but don't use too much or your yellow petals will become too dark.
Try to keep the paint on the brush thin so as not to add too much paint to the paper at one time.
