The Modern Flower Painter Creating Vibrant Botanical Portraits in Watercolour

Learn how to paint botanical watercolor flowers using an award-winning artist’s 6-stage technique in this workbook featuring 6 step-by-step projects!
 
Award-winning floral artist Anna Mason shares her innovative watercolor technique so that you can paint botanical watercolor flowers in her clean, crisp style. Inside, you’ll find:
 
• How to get started, from setting up to workspace to drawing your projects
• How to work with watercolor to achieve the right tones, hues, and color mixes
• How to hold your brush, apply paint, and other useful brush techniques
• How to paint watercolor flowers in Anna’s signature 6-stage process
• 6 step-by-step flower portraits including clematis, violets, tulips, and more!
 
Each of the 6 projects is accompanied by an outline drawing, tonal notes, and useful color swatches so you can compare the tone and hue of your mixes to Anna’s own.
 
Anna Mason’s exceptional floral artwork has won awards from the Royal Horticultural Society, International Artist magazine, and earned her a spot in the prestigious Society of Botanical Artists. Here, she tells you everything you need to know about painting modern botanical-style flower portraits—whether you’re a beginner or a more experience watercolor artist!

Anna Mason grew up surrounded by the lush English countryside and has always been inspired by the intricate detail and colourful beauty in the natural world. Completely self-taught, Anna has developed a true-to-life painting style that she wants to share in order to get as many people enjoying the therapeutic benefits of watercolour painting as well as the results they want. A member of the Society of Botanical Artists, Anna has won numerous awards for her painting. She lives in Surrey and teaches at RHS Wisley & West Dean College.

Introduction 6
About the author 8
Material 10
Getting started 16
Reference material 18
Setting up your workspace 21
Drawing 22
Painting colour 26
Learning to see 28
Working with watercolour 32
Painting tone 34
Painting hue 38
Mixing hue 42
Brush techniques 48
Holding your brush 50
Applying the paint 50
Painting flowers 56
The six stages of painting 58
Flower portraits 70
Step-by-step project: Clematis 72
Step-by-step project: Viola 78
Step-by-step project: Cosmos 86
Step-by-step project: Tulips 94
Step-by-step project: Oriental Poppy 102
Step-by-step project: Dahlia 114
Outlines 124
Index 128