I’m looking for a reason to like the winter season these days but the title of this painting does it for me: February Florals. The friend that brainstormed the title of this post is artist Craig Ritchie. Go see his work!
Every day has been a bit overcast over the past week, casting unwanted shadows indoors so I struggled to get a good picture of the painting. But, here it is nonetheless.
I started by creating layers of similar brush strokes, starting with the darker colors first.
Acrylic Painting
The great thing about acrylic paint is that it will dry quickly. This helps your colors not become muddy and helps create a quick painting process. I started painting at about 7:30 am and finished around 11:30 pm (with breaks to eat breakfast, of course, the best meal of the day).
I’m usually not a morning painter, but I dreamt of this image and woke up wanting to put it on a surface. It’s quite satisfying to paint it out in physical form.
However, visions are far and few between. The best trick I can give for creating paintings like these is to find an assortment of flowers (real vs. a photo is ideal). Then, squint your eyes while looking at the flowers and paint what you see.
Pay careful attention to darks and lights. Take your time and try not to think too much. If your flowers are arranged in a nice composition, chances are your painting will be too.
I used to teach this trick to adults with disabilities and their paintings were always strikingly raw, emotive, and aesthetically pleasing.
It’s always best to be striking over beautiful, in my opinion.
Happy creating!
~Alexandria