The satisfaction of painting a rose is worth the effort.
Capturing the beauty of nature in a painting of one of the most recognizable flowers in the world is a skill that takes some practice. One of the most important things to be aware of when painting the color on a rose that has already been sketched is that the shading of light to dark creates the dimension that gives the rose its definition. You need to mix paints in a variety of colors that you might not expect for a rose. Watercolors will be the easiest paint to use for your rose.
Instructions
1. Dip your flat paintbrush in water and dampen the rose area of the paper.
2. Paint a bit of yellow in the center of the flower and then follow with a touch of red over some of it to create an orangey rose color. Use light strokes to pull the color from the center to the edges of the flower. Notice that the color becomes very light around the perimeter of the flower.
3. Blot the edges of the petals with paper towel to keep them very light in color.
4. Create shadow where inner petals block the light from the outer petals. Dip your larger round-tipped brush into the blue paint and paint the area of the outer petals where they meet the inner petals. Dip your brush into the red and paint over the blue paint in small outward strokes, filling the petals individually with color, but taking care to let the paint lighten towards the edges.
5. Mix some blue and red on your easel and dip your small brush into the paint. Site areas on your painting where the petals go deeply into center of the flower and define them with this paint with gentle small strokes -- not lines.
6. Mix a tiny bit of blue, red and yellow together to make brown. Dot this in the very center of the rose with your small brush.
7. Dampen your brush and, using a small amount of white paint, wash the edges of the petals and wherever the light might hit the strongest.
8. Color your leaves by mixing blue and yellow together. Paint water with your larger brush on the leaves. Dip your brush into the green and wash the leaves with it.
9. Mix your green a bit darker by adding more blue. Use your small brush to paint the lines on the veins of leaves using small outward strokes. Darken the leaves where a shadow might hit the leaf and keep the leaf light in color where the light might hit it.
10. Mix some more brown paint and color in the stem using small strokes to simulate the grain. Use a more solid brown on the side of the stem that is furthest away from the source of the light.
