How To Paint a Rose -2

After we have sort of satisfied in loading the brush...chosen the colors..we can start to practise on drawing paper..art-block..choose the slightly smoother type as compared to grainy bços... the paper quality will affect the painting. Especially when we just start out..we tend to drag the brush or hold it heavily as I called what I do... This will transfer too much paint or dry-up the brush.... Best will be to try on basecoated wood material is my preferences... But here goes..

Here's a couple of roses that we can try to paint step by step. If observe closely..what differs will just be the stroke applied and petals positions and quantity. As a beginner... starts with the least numper of petals...learn the stroke ( how to make the stroke right)...its position and also if the colors look right to what you want....

Another easier try outs are these roses by Priscilla Hauser. Altough the full rose requires more know how but with these two worksheets found in her book we can easily start with something.

Methods by Priscilla Hauser

This page shows how you can positioned your strokes/petals in making up the rose.

Methods by Brenda Jansen

Happy painting!! I believe these different methods look softer than Donna Dewberry's. But.. in wanting to know when & how to use shading & highlights trying out DD One Stroke is much easier. Then..take an adventure and find out different ways you can paint your rose. I put up the steps by steps infront of my painting area..I also put up the pictures of roses I would like my rose paintings to look like...

This is free pattern frm Ros Singleton

How To Draw A Rose...My Adventure

I have been crazy for these thorny flowers since forever..their fragrances..colors..texture of the petals..many types and names and all that come with it.... So..since abt 6yrs back after accomplishing decoupage.. I have decided that why not try to learn and paint one..Easier said than done..Not as easy as it seems... but they say..it's a learned skill techniques and not really artistic..u..huh...Believing in this..I stride on.. But I have concluded..although you need not be artistic to know how to paint one.. but you do need to have the artistic flair or creativity in making it look realistic and not too pasted or painted.. to know the fall of lights and structure of the flowers..the shadows..the weight of the blooms in bouquets and so on.... As such..I follow all what they say in the books.. I tried short-cuts here and there but...I strongly believe.. you need to have patience.. practise.. tools of the trade readily available and definitely knowledge on how to go about. Honestly...I am still going about it..I guess..I need to stick to just a type of rose or maybe two.. he..he..and learn how to structure the bloom and paint them with the chosen colors.... So dear friends..if you are just starting out...These tips might help you....

1. Learn the painting terms so that you can easily follow the instructions...Next..after learning how to load the brush....knowing how your brush will look like wet..drying up..enough colors or not enough colors..well blended or half here to there... proceed to...

excerpt : Donna Dewberry

excerpt : Tara Leigh

2. Practise and pracise.....not in painting the flowers but the basic strokes..the comma stroke..wiggle comma stroke..the U-stroke..upside down U-stroke..maybe the C stroke..S-Stroke.. Do for every type of strokes nearly 100..200...times or more..keep the practise sheets and look at when you first do it and when you have done say 200..? Takes a long time ya? But it's worth it.. You will be able to see..a nice stroke..an incomplete stroke..

excerpts : Priscilla Hauser

3. Experiment more on the strokes....do a wriggle stroke or an upturned/overturned stroke...

excerpts : Priscilla Hauser

4. More or less satisfied now...sketch a shape of rose..somesay...sketch a cup & saucer type... or just two circles type... For me..I look at where and how many are the required strokes..how to position them...An image of the steps will be good. Choose the type of rose that you would like to paint...Choose the colors that go with it...Standardized the methods..with background..without background base....What type of brush you gonna use...flat brush or angular bruses... Refer to the many artiste..the ones I know were..Priscilla Hauser..Donna Dewberry..Gretchen Cagle.. Ros Singleton..Ros Stallcup...Jan Fox...Ginger Edwards and locals to Malaysia..Aniza..Zaitun..Nora and Zahir.... Laksmi..Jen... ZuG...to name a few.. These are known teachers.... Love how their work looks like....Am still taking/planning to take lessons from them...

5. Set a time..when you can have the peace or comforts to do it....But finished your strokes first before you embarked on actualy start to paint the rose..Colors choices are important to me too... so that you would love the outcome.. I started mine with a shocking pink and white..urghh.. I don't like its brightness and the jarring mistakes I was doing.... You need to give yourself time.. encouragement and also to analyze your progress.. Doesn't matter if somebody says..oohhh..it's easy..it's easy once you get to know how to do it but..as long as you are still doing them..no matter how bad or how good..give yourself a pat...come a time...suddenly will say..I like your work and the hardtimes suddely left you... But do not savor this too much coz'if you dont practise it will get rusty..coz' remember! This is a learned skill not a natural ability...therefore the ease will only come with practise..emmm..I don't think you can even say that you can do it wit your eyes closed..ha..ha.... Anyway..come a time you will be happy with your work but..if you do not start yourself right..you gonna get stuck with the bad habits I so called it..and these are more difficult to rectify...but it's still possible by blanking your mind out and restart all over again..... So.. I will put up some sampels in a while but I have just got to get the writing out of the way.. Happy trying....

Decorative Painting Books....

It has been a few years since I bought some of these books...the latest ones being the book from Zahir "Decorasi Seni Lukis & Decoupage".. he mailed 2 autograph books to me since I couldn't wait to get them next July. Zahir is an old friend from the Amcorp Mall Saturday Craft Bazaar.. It has been more than 7 years ago... The book by Nora, Aniza & Zaitun "Decorative Painting"was also mailed by sifu Nora and autographed. I am so proud to have these 2 books by our local crafters/authors..Hope one day..maybe I can come out with one of mine..he..he... Before that the only reputable craft book available was Aneka Kraf Tangan by Aishah Kamarudin... There were many crafts lessons given in the local magazines but none was compiled fully.. partial compilation was found done by Karangkraf..I have that too... You see...I am that bit crazy about books...

The other books that I have are Donna Dewberry @ One Stroke Method, Priscilla Hauser "Roses", Ros Singleton "Roses", Ros Stallcup "Grans Series", Tera Leigh "The Complete Book of Decorative Painting", plus various Northlight books. I also have about 3 or so DVD's... so with these and abt 4 classes with sifu Nora.. I manage my learning. I wish..that I have more moments irrespective of available time to improve my skills in decorative painting.....

But...thru all these..one of my designs was appreciated and done for somebody's customer who also do decorative painting. This is my a-ha moment when I was told about it...