For many of you, spring has sprung; for some of us, spring is just around the corner.
After the final remnants of snow have melted, you’ll soon find vibrant spots of color as Mother Nature shakes off her winter shawl and dons her springtime finest.
If you’re ready and raring to paint nature’s first blush of spring but aren’t quite up to the task, there are tons of tomes that can get you started capturing the beauty of flowers with your brush and paints.
Whether you’re a watercolorist, paint in oil or acrylics or even dabble with colored pencil or pastel, here are some great books that focus on painting flowers just in time for spring’s blooms.
A-Z of Flower Portraits
This popular English artist takes you on a journey of learning. Through her book, you’ll develop your watercolor painting skills by painting all sorts of colorful flowers.
She includes a brief explanation of composition and follows it up with advice on keeping a sketchbook, positioning subjects, and the importance of proper and adequate lighting. Ms. Showell also discusses materials, equipment and gives tips on techniques. She includes her palette of colors for each painting and explains where and when to use each color.
Radiant Oils
There are tons of books that show you how to fling paint to create impasto or alla prima oil paintings, but if you love the rich, glowing depth the Old Masters created in their paintings, this book is for you.
Ms. Pech has been teaching painting for three decades and has developed a truly masterful style of painting radiant florals with her glazing technique. This book gives you all you need to know about glazing, including the colors to use, and when and where to use them.
The Acrylic Flower Painter’s A-Z
Painting 40 of the most popular and beautiful flower varieties, Lexi Sundell shows you everything you want to know about painting acrylic florals. This book is geared for the painter who has already learned the basics of painting with acrylics, but who wants to focus on how to paint floral compositions.
Using plant-specific instructions, you’ll learn to analyze the shape and structure of each bloom to create a composition. You’ll then learn which colors to use, how to blend shades and tones and then how to use various techniques to create effects that bring your flowers to life.
A Complete Guide To Drawing Florals
This guide to drawing flowers in colored pencil is great for the beginner as well as a student who’s had a little experience. Ms. Knox first goes over the basic requirements such as paper types, pencils, tools, and then proceeds to help us hone our colored pencil skills.
This book includes a total of 11 step-by-step demos of both warm and cool flowers and four floral still life demonstrations. Instructions also include additional elements needed for a floral portrait like how to create the texture of porcelain, glass, wood, wicker, as well as textured and multicolored backgrounds.
