Red Tulip watercolour with layers of pink hues
The Red Tulip was painted at the same time as painting other Tulips in the garden. Starting with an upturned plant pot and a roof tile as a makeshift table for palettes and water-filled jam jars. It was a gorgeous dry sunny day, as I sat under the shade of the Serviceberry Tree painting the Tulips. Then quickly working from one painting to the next as I waited for layers of watercolour to dry. Also taking time to enjoy the lovely sunny views of the Shropshire hills, from the garden too!
The Red Tulip caught my eye, not just for it’s dramatic fiery red tones, but for the hues of a vibrant pink, blending beautifully with the strong warm red tones. The tulip will make a bold colourful watercolour.
Painting layers of red watercolour
First I created three palette watercolour mixes, a red, a green and a blue/ grey mix. I used a very pale red watercolour mix for the vibrant pink tones on the petals. The Red Tulip had pink hues from the centre of each petal and again on the edges of the petals. These washes were very pale and built up in layers to achieve a deeper pink tone to the watercolour painting.
Once the pink layers had dried I added more pigment to the red mix. I used the deeper red mix to paint the curved areas of the petals. Lots of layers were added to create a stronger colour to the Red Tulip. I kept adding more pigment to the red mix and applying to the red areas of the petals, leaving the pink tones untouched.
Painting subtle shading
When painting the shading I tend to add an initial wash and then decide how dark the shading needs to be. If you paint the shading too dark, the petals can look confusing lying against each other. So I used the light blue/ grey mix for the shading. It gave a softer tone to the Red Tulip. The base of the petals had a slight blue tone to them. As a botanical watercolour artist I am always observing the balance between warm and cool tones.
Red Tulip watercolour painting available to Buy ready framed
Finally I painted the green stem using the green mix. Again I applied layers of watercolour to create a smooth look to the stem.
The Red Tulip watercolour depicts the pink hues blending into the fiery red tones, layers and layers of watercolour washes blending together. I used St Cuthberts Mill Bockingford 425gsm paper, to cope with the heavier washes.
The completed Red Tulip painting is now available to buy ready framed, with a choice of off-white or oak frame. You can also buy a ready framed Giclée print. Click on the link to see the lovely choices available.
