Wild Daisies Watercolor Painting Demo

Posted by Vinita on July 7, 2010 in Free Lessons | 21 comments

In this floral watercolor painting demo video, I paint some wild daisies using a negative painting technique. The method involves painting the background around the white areas of the flowers.

The size of the paper I’m using is 5.5″Wx15″H. This is a quarter sheet that has been torn in half lengthwise to make a tall narrow piece. This is a nice format for the tall daisies.

To begin I did a simple sketch of the flowers. It’s important to decide on which flower or two are going to be your focal point. Then I am ready to paint! In the video, I begin by mixing a neutral color using ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and yellow ochre. I paint around the white shapes of the daisies, varying this neutral color as I continue. When I get closer to the focal area, I use a darker, more violet color. It is very important to paint quickly because you don’t want to have lines or brushmarks in the background. You can use a fine mist spray to help with the moisture: spray the air above the painting, not directly on the paper.

I continue in this manner to the bottom of the paper. I want the bottom to be looser than the top half, so I flick some water and some paint into the area. Then I can let the background dry.

Because of the negative painting technique, the shape of the daisies are already there. I just need to add the yellow centers and add light shading on a few of the petals. The final step is to place in a couple of delicate stems and throw on some paint splatters here and there.

This is a good exercise in negative painting. This technique can be applied to any light-colored subject. I did this watercolor painting in about 10 minutes, so set your timer and give it a go!

Paint colors used:

• Aureolin (Cobalt Yellow)
• Quinacridone Gold
• Yellow Ochre
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson
• Cerulean Blue
• French Ultramarine Blue
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson