Every year, in Spring, I feel like painting a few flowers. Here is my latest mixed media on canvas: Green chrysanthemums, acrylic and pastels, 24 x 24 inches.

Green Mums, acrylic and mixed media flower painting tutorial

I started by making a pencil drawing on my canvas. I didn’t try to get all the details as my drawing won”t be visible after a few layers of acrylic anyway.

I like to start with opposite colours as those will show and make interesting edges. So as my background will be on the cold side, I apply a hot red/brown for my first under-painting layer.

I go on painting with opposite colours, here orange for light green and black for white.

I paint a layer of yellow on the background.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

​

Amsterdam Expert Series Acrylic Sets The well-balanced sets are chosen from Amsterdam’s full range of 70 genuine artists’ colors, formulated with high concentrations of authentic, non-fading pigments. These heavy body paints are exceptionally durable and flexible due to their 100% acrylic resin formulation. – Expert Series Set of 12

Then blue and 2 stripes of brown for variety and rhythm. I also paint some Turquoise blue on places where I see a hint of blue in the light on my reference picture.

I start to introduce white where the light is stronger. and a few darks on my flowers.

Now I will start applying layers with my local colours, mostly different shades of green and yellow.

I like to mix layers of thick paint with layers of very watery diluted paint. Here for the background a layer a white acrylic, very diluted.

Adding different shades of green and yellow and blue.

I found my background a bit too uniform so I scrub some paint off with a sponge and lots of water.

Here is my “scrubbed” background.

Next I am working with pastels to add details, outlines etc… I fix them with Krylon workable fixative.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Krylon Workable Matte Fixatif Gives lasting protection to pencil, charcoal and chalk, yet erases easily. Clear, matte fixative is easy to work with. Dries in seconds, doesn’t wrinkle, smudge or smear. Spray can.