Watercolour Poppy Painting Practice

A project from our live show CATCH UP with Toni for a WATERCOLOUR PAINTING CLASS in the HTCN studio broadcast 13 Oct 21 · 13/11/2021 · watch it from 16:45

Learn the fundamental technique for painting poppies using the heart shape method. This practice piece teaches you how to layer red and black watercolours to create depth and dimension in a single large poppy head.

You will need

Carta - Traditional Watercolour Paper - A5 - WCPA501SEE IT 943382 TV - 100268 - HTCN - Stamps By Me Standard Paintbrush Set - 061121ASEE IT

DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE (PDF)

Step by step

1. Wet your brush and activate your red watercolour paint on the palette, creating a puddle of colour. ▶ watch 16:45
2. Paint a heart shape on its side onto your watercolour card, keeping it loose and organic. ▶ watch 17:00
3. Paint another heart shape inside the first one, still using red paint. ▶ watch 17:30
4. Take a clean, wet brush and run it around the edge of your design to create a soft halo of water. ▶ watch 18:00
5. Drop more red paint into the darker areas of your heart design whilst the paper is still wet. ▶ watch 18:15
6. Mix black with red to create a burgundy colour on your palette. ▶ watch 19:30
7. Paint a crack or line down the centre of your heart using the darker burgundy mixture. ▶ watch 20:00
8. Fill in one side of the cracked heart with the darker colour to create shadow and dimension. ▶ watch 21:00
9. Allow the piece to dry slightly, then add more black detail to define the centre of the poppy. ▶ watch 26:00
10. Splash clean water around the poppy to soften edges and create a natural bleed effect. ▶ watch 27:00

Tips from the show

• Never leave your paintbrush sitting in water as it will rot the fibres.
• Take the water out of your brush by dabbing it on a cloth to control how much moisture you're adding to the paper.
• If you add too much colour and it becomes muddy, let it dry slightly before adding more detail rather than continuing to work on wet paper.

More from this show

• Watercolour Poppy Bud
• Watercolour Poppy Composition with Multiple Blooms

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