How to Paint a Vase of Flowers with Watercolours

Using a pencil, with very little pressure, draw out the spring flowers and vase. Don't add too much detail, you just want an idea of composition.

Any hard marks or continuous outlines will show through the painting.

The next step is to paint the shadow beneath the vase. Using just water on a brush wet the area in which you want shadow to be contained.

Then using a deep colour heavily diluted, start painting from the edge of the vase. The already wet area will dilute the paint further, assisting the blending. As this is drying use the deep shadow colour, not so diluted this time around the base of the vase.

Whilst this is drying paint the flower stems in the vase with a light green such as sap green.

It's important to paint them before you paint the glass of the vase because the vase is translucent.

Once the shadow and stems are dry you can start to paint the glass vase.

Mix your most diluted, translucent colour first and cover the area then gradually getting darker for the edges and bottom of the vase.

Next mix up three greens for the leaves; a light green, a mid green and a shaded green.

As in the previous step, sap green is a good colour to start with and you can edit it for the three different tones. Look carefully at the leaves to see where they are light and dark. Then beginning with the lightest colour apply the colour to the leaves.

When the leaves are dry you can start to paint the flowers.

I think it's important to remember that this is not a scientific illustration but a piece of art. You want to represent the flowers whilst still creating a free and expressive image. I've allowed the colours to bleed into each other to create the variegated petals.

Add definition to some parts of the petals with a slightly deeper colour and a fine brush. Paint a few details and define the flowers. Don't try to outline them, just put a little shade or definition in where you see it. Remember looking closely at the arrangement, and not assuming where the detail will be, is helpful.

Tip: This is probably the stage to switch to a very small brush like a no. 1 Cotman round brush, but make sure not to get too fiddly.

Some depth can be created by painting into the petals when they are dry, this will create a three dimensional effect.

The last step is to add any other details such as the centre of a flower or details of stamens.

You may not get it right first time! Watercolour is all about practice because you can't keep reworking the painting as you can with oil and acrylic paint. However, this is the beauty of watercolour - it's flow and immediacy are part of the process so don't get too anxious about getting a specific outcome.