Realistic Poinsettia Petal with Gradient Watercolour Technique

A project from our live show STUDIO 3 - INDUSTRY NEWS - Join Toni for her latest updates and a project - Broadcast 8th June 22 · 08/06/2022 · watch it from 31:45

Paint individual poinsettia petals with a more controlled, realistic approach using concentrated pigment and a wet brush to create smooth gradients from dark to light. This technique gives clean, defined colour without the abstracted look.

DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE (PDF)

Step by step

1. Mix a concentrated amount of pigment on your watercolour palette—the colour should be quite bright and saturated. ▶ watch 31:45
2. Drop the concentrated colour into the tip of a petal on your embossing folder. ▶ watch 32:00
3. Wet your clean brush and remove excess water by dabbing on tissue. ▶ watch 32:15
4. Connect your wet brush to the colour drop and drag it outward towards the base of the petal. ▶ watch 32:30
5. Continue cleaning your brush and dragging the colour further, creating a light-to-dark gradient from base to tip. ▶ watch 32:45
6. If desired, add a second colour down the side of the petal for extra dimension. ▶ watch 33:00
7. Blend the second colour using the same wet-brush technique, dragging it through the existing colour. ▶ watch 33:15
8. If the colour becomes too dark, wet your brush, remove excess water, and drag it through the area to lighten and blend. ▶ watch 34:00

Tips from the show

• Use quite a bit of pigment on your brush to achieve bright, clean colour.
• Keep your brush clean between strokes to maintain control over the gradient.
• You can layer this technique by letting the first layer dry and adding another layer on top for extra depth.

More from this show

• Watercolour Poinsettia Embossing Folder Card with Wet-in-Wet Technique
• Black Embossing Folder Card with White Pigment Highlight
• Poinsettia Embossing Folder Card with Red Base and Snowflake Word Topper

Written up from the show itself. See every guide from our shows · free how-to guides · watch live on My Telly