Carnation

Flowers are an interesting subject. They are complex, natural shapes defined by the way light reflects off of their petals - and we haven't even added color to the equation. Flower painting is not for the faint of heart.

This painting started out as a sketch of a carnation at my local grocery store. The sketch was moved over to hot-press watercolor paper and traced over with acrylic ink. Once the ink was dry, I was free to apply watercolor without any worry of disturbing the lines I created. I decided to try a few different ways of creating highlights and shadows throughout the painting, resulting in a very uneven look.

Overall, I really like what made it onto the paper - I just need to be a little more patient and stick with one style next time.