Painting flowers with gouache is easier than it might seem at first glance. To create a realistic and bright drawing, beginning artists only need to read several master classes, where the creative process is described step by step, and also select pictures to copy.
What do you need to paint flowers with gouache?
List of materials and tools for painting with gouache:
| Tools and materials | Purpose |
| Paper | We need sheets with a rough surface that will absorb excess moisture without deforming. |
| Palette | You can buy a plastic palette at a craft store. You can also use a ceramic dish or a sheet of thick cardboard. |
| Container with water | Needed for rinsing brushes. You can take several containers at once so as not to change the water very often. |
| Hard-soft simple pencil | To create a sketch. |
| Eraser | It is important that the eraser removes graphite from the paper well without smearing it. |
| Cloth napkin | Needed for drying brushes. |
You will need brushes of different hardness and different shapes for the work. The larger the area to be painted, the larger the brush should be. You can use watercolor brushes. Tools with very soft bristles are not suitable for gouache. They make it difficult to shade the paint correctly, it lays down in an uneven layer, and as a result, the drawing turns out sloppy.
Step by step instructions on how to draw flowers
More experienced colleagues advise beginning artists to first draw sketches with a simple pencil. Flowers can only be drawn with gouache, but this requires a lot of experience. Further in the article, you can look at several instructions, which describe step by step how to draw different flowers correctly.
Lilies
To draw lilies you will need gouache in 7 colors:
- purple;
- hot pink;
- white;
- orange;
- brown;
- dark green;
- light green.
How to draw:
- Using a simple pencil, draw 3 blossoming flowers one under the other.
How to paint flowers with gouache - beautiful lilies. - Draw 1 unopened bud.
- Label the leaves and stems.
- Mix pink paint with white in equal parts. Draw petals.
- Paint the bud.
- Mix light green paint with white in a 2:1 ratio. Paint the stems and leaves.
- Using a thin brush, outline the petals. The lines should be smooth, and in some places they should be interrupted so that the flowers look more natural.
- Mix pink paint with white in a 2:1 ratio. Darken the bases of all the petals. This color should smoothly transition into the main color, so you should only take a little paint on the brush bristles. It is enough to dip the tool into the gouache by 1/3.
- Mix orange paint with brown in equal parts. Draw the flower cores.
- Mix purple paint with white in equal proportions, draw the veins on the petals with a thin brush, and also darken the base of the bud, and mark the shadow under the petals.
- Using a thin brush, outline the stems and leaves with dark green gouache.
- Draw veins on the leaves and also paint over the maturing buds.
Use white paint to highlight the ends of the petals and the tops of the stamens.
Rose
We draw flowers with gouache, step by step (for beginners it is advisable to outline the contours of the flower with a simple pencil) following the instructions.
For work you will need paint of 7 colors:
- pink;
- purple;
- bright pink (fuchsia);
- black;
- white;
- green;
- dark green.
How to draw:
- Wet the paper with a wet brush. Draw the oval base of the flower, applying random strokes of pink paint.
- Add a few small strokes of purple.
- Paint the bottom and left side of the rose with bright pink, leaving small light areas in the center.
- Add a few strokes of purple paint at the bottom and base of the flower, adding a drop of black.
- Mix equal parts pink and white paint. Highlight the top and left side of the flower.
- Using a dry brush, highlight the outlines of the petals using a bright pink color and a thin brush. Apply strokes of purple under the highlighted areas.
- Mix green paint with white in a 2:1 ratio. Draw leaves with jagged edges.
- Use a dry brush to show highlights using white gouache.
- Using dark green paint, draw the sepals under the rose using cone-shaped strokes. Add a small bud on the left.
Draw thin veins on the leaves.
White calla lilies on a dark background
Let's draw flowers with gouache step by step (for beginners, a photo of the finished work is provided at the end of the article), starting with a pencil sketch. First, you need to draw 2 large flowers with twisted buds, then depict the stems. Use an eraser to remove all unnecessary lines.
For work you will need gouache of 6 colors:
- black;
- white;
- green;
- yellow;
- blue;
- purple.
How to draw:
- Carefully paint the background with black. You need to use brushes of different thicknesses to fill the space between the colors with paint.
- Paint the buds with white paint.
- Mix green and white in equal parts and apply the color to the stems.
- Take a little yellow on a dry brush and use it to mark the shadows inside the bud. Paint the bases and the core. The paint should be well shaded so that the transition from yellow to white is smooth.
- Paint the sepals light green, slightly extending beyond their edges.
- Add a few light green strokes to the flower centers.
- Mix blue paint with white in a 2:1 ratio. Darken the areas where there should be shadow: inside the buds and under their base.
- Dip the tip of a dry brush in purple gouache and paint over the darkest areas. Blend well so that the purple smoothly transitions to blue.
- Use yellow paint to highlight the highlights on the stem. On the opposite side, use dark green to mark the shadow.
Apply white gouache to a thin brush and whiten the edges of the petals.
Lilac branches
Use a simple pencil to outline the shape of the inflorescence and draw in the branches and leaves.
You will need 8 colors of gouache:
- purple;
- blue;
- pink;
- fuchsia color;
- white;
- green;
- brown;
- black.
How to draw:
- Using a medium sized dry brush, use a dabbing motion to outline the shape of 1 inflorescence.
- In the same way, draw 2 more flowers: blue and purple.
- Dilute the base shades with white in equal parts. You should get light tones. Now apply them over the previous layer with dabbing movements so that darker spots are visible between the light ones.
- Take a smaller brush and lighten some areas of the flowers with white paint.
- Mix purple with a drop of black. Use a thin brush to mark the shadows on the bottom of the bouquet.
- Use brown paint to paint on the branches.
- Mix green with white in a 2:1 ratio. Draw leaves.
Dip a thin brush into green paint, draw veins on the leaves, and also mark shadows.
Orchid flower
Use a simple pencil to draw a flower, and also add a few branches and 2 unopened buds.
For coloring you will need gouache in 7 colors:
- yellow;
- white;
- pink;
- red;
- black;
- purple;
- brown.
How to draw:
- Paint all the flower petals and buds with white paint.
- Using a thin brush, apply several strokes of pink, moving from the center to the edge of each petal.
- Apply strokes of purple and red in the same way.
- Add a few pink and red strokes at the base of the buds.
- Use yellow paint to mark the center of the flower.
- Use black to highlight the shadow of the petals, and also make several strokes from the base of the largest petal to its upper edge. The paint should smoothly transition from dark to light shade.
- Paint the background halfway with brown.
- Mix brown and pink in equal parts, paint the second part of the background so that the paint is lighter towards the edge of the sheet than in the middle. Blend the gouache well to get smooth transitions of shades.
- Mix brown with a drop of black. Paint all the branches.
- Dry the drawing.
Using a thin brush, highlight some branches with white gouache, draw stamens in the middle of the flower, and also highlight the edges of the petals and buds.
Pansies
Draw flowers with gouache step by step (for beginner artists, drawings in the style of "realism" may seem complicated, so you can reduce the number of details and depict flowers schematically) following the instructions. With a simple pencil, draw 3 flowers with thin stems and wide leaves.
Prepare gouache in 7 colors:
- light green;
- green;
- yellow;
- purple;
- orange;
- red;
- white.
How to draw:
- The picture will show 3 flowers: purple, orange and yellow. The petals of the yellow and orange flowers need to be completely painted.
- Paint the last flower as follows: darken the lower petals with purple, then mix the paint with white in a 1:1 ratio and paint the upper petals.
- Mix red with a drop of purple. Using a thin brush, apply a few strokes from the base of the flowers to the edges of their petals.
- Draw several red veins inside the orange and yellow flower, closer to the core.
- Paint the stems and leaves with light green gouache.
- Use purple paint to draw veins on the flower petals of the same color.
- Mix equal parts red and orange paint. Draw veins on the orange flower.
- Mix yellow and red, add veins on the yellow petals.
- Highlight the core with yellow. Draw small orange stamens.
- Add a few strokes to the leaves and stems to simulate highlights.
- Outline the leaves and stems with green and draw the veins.
The background can be made colored. After the drawing dries, carefully wet the paper with a wet brush and blend a thin layer of orange, yellow and green paint so that the shades smoothly transition from one to another.
Poppies
Using a simple pencil, draw 6 poppy heads: 3 at the top and 3 at the bottom. Draw stems to the top heads.
Prepare gouache in 5 colors:
- red;
- pink;
- dark green;
- black;
- white.
How to draw:
- Mix pink with white in a 2:1 ratio. Paint all the petals.
- Using a thin brush, mark the borders of all the petals with red.
- Apply a few strokes of red to the base of each petal and blend well.
- Use pink paint to highlight the middle of each petal and paint the tops.
- Dip a dry brush in black gouache and use dabbing motions to mark the cores of the flowers.
- Draw the stems in dark green.
Using a thin brush and white paint, highlight the stamens inside the cores of all the flowers.
Sunflower
Using a simple pencil, draw a large center of the flower, add curved petals, a thick stem and leaves.
For work you will need gouache of 7 colors:
- yellow;
- orange;
- brown;
- white;
- light green;
- dark green;
- black.
How to draw:
- Paint the entire flower head yellow.
- Paint the stem and all the leaves with light green paint.
- Mix orange and brown paint in equal parts, outline some petals along the contour with a thin, smooth line.
- Draw a few veins in orange, color the tips of the petals. You can also darken them a little at the base.
- Mix brown paint with white paint in equal parts. Draw seeds inside the sunflower core.
- Add a 2nd layer in brown. Light "seeds" should be visible.
- Mix brown with a drop of black. Darken the right side of the core.
- Use dark green paint to outline the right side of the stem.
- Apply shadows to the leaves. Draw veins.
Use white paint to highlight the veins on the leaves and add a few white dots in the center of the flower.
Snowdrops
Let's draw flowers with gouache step by step (for beginner artists, experienced masters give advice: do not draw the leaves and buds of plants the same, they should differ in shape and size, as in nature), following the instructions presented further in the article.
Make a sketch with a simple pencil and prepare gouache in 5 colors:
- blue;
- white;
- brown;
- green;
- black.
How to draw:
- Mix blue and white in equal parts. Paint all the buds.
- Mix green paint with white in equal parts. Paint the leaves.
- Mix green with a drop of black and outline the stems.
- With blue paint, using a thin brush, darken some petals on the buds.
- Use dark green to highlight the veins on the leaves and also darken the areas that should be in the shade.
- Use black to highlight the stamens sticking out of the buds.
Wet the bottom of the leaf with a wet brush. Blend the brown paint under the flower, imitating the ground.
Iris
Using a simple pencil, draw the shape of the petals and mark the stem.
For work you will need paint of 6 colors:
- green;
- yellow;
- dark green;
- pink;
- purple;
- blue.
How to draw:
- Paint the stem and leaves green.
- Mix pink paint with white in equal proportions. Paint all the petals.
- Paint the base of each petal pink.
- Add some yellow strokes to the center of the flower and also apply some paint to the leaves.
- Outline each petal at the bottom with purple.
- With blue gouache, using a thin brush. Draw the veins on the front petals, as well as closer to the core.
- Add a few small strokes of yellow to the top of the flower.
- Darken the sepals and the right side of the stem with dark green.
- Draw veins on the leaves.
If desired, the flower petals can be outlined with purple paint diluted with water in equal proportions.
Examples of images for copying, tips for beginners
Tips for aspiring artists:
- It is not recommended to apply gouache to paper in a thick layer. After drying, the paint may crack and crumble.
- Gouache is quite thick, so brushes need to be washed thoroughly. You can use a soap solution and a special plastic board with relief ribs.
- You need to mix paint and make test strokes on a palette, otherwise you can ruin the drawing.
- Despite the high density of gouache, the pencil sketch should be thin and light. The grooves and dark lines pressed into the paper will be visible even after coloring, which will make the drawing dirty.
- To avoid going beyond the contours, they should be colored moving from the edge to the center.
- All lines should be broken. This will make the drawing look more natural.
- When drying, gouache becomes 2-3 tones lighter. This should be taken into account when selecting shades.
- Gouache drawings should be stored in a straightened form. They cannot be folded or rolled into tubes. The paint may crack and crumble.
It is not difficult to learn how to draw different types of flowers with gouache. Beginning artists will be helped by step-by-step descriptions and photographs of finished works that can be used for copying.
Video on how to paint flowers with gouache
How to paint flowers with gouache: