Easy to follow steps for a vase with magenta sunflowers perfect timing for spring!

I paint flowers so they will not die.

Frida Kahlo

First get your materials ready! Find the list here and check out my supply guide for the basics that any beginner in acrylic painting should have here.

• 12×16 wrapped canvas
• acrylic paints in primary colors
  • white
  • black
  • blue (ultramarine is a nice shade for this for the vase, use cobalt or primary to mix leaves)
  • yellow
  • red
  • ADD MAGENTA
• paint brushes
  • large square (flat wash)
  • medium round
  • small round
• Also have a cup with water!
• A plate or pallet
• A rag or papertowel

Let’s paint! In step one we will cover the whole canvas with a pale mint green using mostly white, add a small amount of yellow and a tiny bit of blue. Keep it thin and very pastel! I used a lot of white in this one. Next lightly sketch out the the vase and the flower centers and a few leaves and stems using the medium round and light blue . Space your centers away from each other, and make sure the vase goes half way to the center from the right horizontally and up about 1/3 of the way vertically.

Next use the medium round to block in the center of the sunflowers with a dark purple (blue and red mixed with NO white). Clean your medium round brush and mix a medium pink (white and red or white and magenta). Then begin to add the petals pulling from the centers out.

Let the petals dry and while they do begin the color in the vase with blue and white mixed using the medium round brush. Make the colors lighter to the left and darker on the right I used stippling (tap and dab the tip of the brush to create a blotted texture.) Next add yellow to your mix and layer the green to your stems and leaves (using the same medium round brush and mix colors blue, white, yellow) Play with your ratios of white, blue & yellow to create various shades of green and make sure your using at least 3 shades!

Next let the leaves and vase dry if your loosing control of the paint. While they dry clean the brush and use the medium round to add another layer to the flowers petals with a slightly lighter shade of pink.

Last you will be simply layering on more shades to all your objects, the sunflower centers, petals, leaves and the vase. Switch between the medium and small round to find what works best for you. Use the magenta paint to pull brighter pink (use less white and more magenta) from the center edge base of the petals and wisp out toward the center of the petals (don’t go too far!). Layer more white at the tips of the petals and move the strokes in the direction of the petals. Layer more dark green toward the bottom of the stems and leaves and lighter shades toward the tops.

Dab in more stippling on the vase using white toward the left edge and pure blue to the right side. Dab in some magenta and different shades of blue for color balance.

Last add some stippling to the sunflower centers in a donut ring using magenta with a little white, light blue for color balance, and white for a highlight contrast pop.

You can keep adding more details if you like and I hope you had a blast painting this! Share with me if you did. Special note I will be teaching this inside my new offering “Easy & Fun Acrylics” my new online course where I will be diving deeper with course members into the process and the why behind some fo the basic principles of acrylic painting and visual art. To find out more check out my course page.