How to Paint a Watercolour Rose – A beginner’s guide

Painting roses can be more difficult than it seems at first. There are so many petals and so many details you need to pay attention to. This is not to say that as a beginner, you cannot master the art of painting a watercolour rose. You just need to know how to go about it.

Most beginners want to begin with painting a watercolour rose, but they don’t get one thing right: the white spaces. Getting the white spaces between the petals right makes all the difference. Once you fit the white spaces in between the petals, you can work on getting the centre darker than the outer petals.

It’s okay if you don’t get it right the first time; every beginner makes mistakes, which is part of the process.

You need a few supplies before you can start painting. Watercolour paper, watercolour paints, brushes, clean water, and a cloth. Don’t worry; none of these supplies is expensive; besides, if you want to turn watercolour into a serious hobby, these will be an investment.

If you’ve visited Sri Lankan Art Gallery, you’ll see that most Sri Lankan artists like to use cadmium red, ivory black, and sap green for painting flowers, especially roses. But you can come up with your own combination of hues as you go along.

The colour black is usually mixed into green and red to make the colours look harmonious.

Beginners are advised to sketch out the shape of the flower with a pencil. This will help you get the shape right. Advanced painters don’t really do that; they like to experiment with the shape of the rose with watercolours. But for now, you should begin with a pencil sketch of the rose.

Paint curves with your brush; use thick dark red. Start at the centre with C shapes and move around in a round shape. Shapes should be small and curvy, and there should be white spaces in between.

With a lighter colour, paint more petals and turn them into a ring – you can make the colour lighter by adding more water to it. Remember, outer petals should be longer and less curved. Create loose edges by wiggling your brush and taper the petals into pointy tips.

Keep making the colour mixture lighter as you paint your outer petals. You can create a darker edge to the petals by adding a darker hue to the inside edge of the petals.

For the final touches, make a mixture of muted green. You can do this by adding black and white to green. It’s important that the colour is muted so that the leaves don’t overshadow or outshine the petals.

You should make the tips of the leaves curvy to make them look like they are hanging; also, leave white spaces in the centre of the leaves. You can also add stems if you want; they will bring a realistic look to your painting.

There are many psychological benefits to painting watercolors. Painting helps you find your creativity, which is the most obvious benefit, but they are other benefits.

Painting is excellent for your emotional wellbeing; it also improves your memory and builds your problem-solving skills. What’s more, you can achieve mindfulness through painting.