Flower Watercolor Painting Tutorial – Orange Anemone
I chose the anemone for this tutorial because I simply love this flower. I put positive thought and energy into my process and the result is totally enjoyable to me. I found this painting to be very therapeutic for me. I hope you enjoy it!
In this tutorial I will use time lapse video to show you how to paint this gorgeous flower. I used wet on wet technique for this painting. It produces soft effects which I like for floral paintings.
Watercolor Painting Supplies
Paper
I used midweight Arches Watercolor Paper Pad, 140 pound for this painting.
Typical weights I use are:
- Lightweight: 185 gsm / 90 lb.
- Midweight:300 gsm / 140 lb. or 440 gsm / 200 lb
- Heavyweight: 640 gsm / 300 lb.

Brushes
I use round brushes for my flower painting. For this painting I used these brushes:sizes 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5.

Paint
I prefer using professional-grade watercolor paints because they have more pigment, which makes the colors more bold and vibrant. These paints are more expensive but if you’re careful with your paints the results are worth it and over time they can make you more efficient, getting more done with less paint.
For this painting I used:

My Watercolor Painting Procedure
Protocol
[Sketch light, simple lines]—–[Clear water]—–[Drop paints]—–[Dry]—–[Clear water]—–[Drop paints]—–[Dry]—–[Clear water]—–[Drop paints]
Sketch
For my pencil sketch I like to draw light, single lines. I used a mechanical pencils but I also use sharp 2B pencils as well. I always use light pressure so the paper is not damaged and so the pencil lines do not appear through the transparent watercolor paint.

Step 1
Colors
Ultramarine Blue
Cad Yellow Med
Wet each petal with water while still wet and add Ultramarine Blue for darker shade and Cad Yellow Med for lighter shade. I leave the clear part for the brightest areas.

Step 2
Colors
Naples Yellow
Permanent Rose
Perinone Orange
For the mid tone make sure the first wash is dry before you wet each petal. I mix Naples yellow with Permanent Rose in the palette then add the mixed colors to each petal. In some petals I add Permanent Rose or Perinone Orange while the mixed is still wet. Allow those pigments to blend in the flow.

Step 3
Colors
Nickel Azo Yellow
Opera Pink
Imperial Purple
Moonglow
Permanent Rose
Perinone Orange
Permanent Brown
I wet in the center part of the flower and add Nickel Azo Yellow and Green Apatite. Allow pigments to blend. Make sure the center part of anemone is dry then wet the center again and drop Opera Pink, Imperial Purple, and Moonglow.
You might need to add stronger pigments of Permanent Rose and Perinone Orange for the darker shade of each petal. Make sure each petal is wet before you apply. I load Permanent Brown with brush size 0 to create the lines on the tip of the petals to pop them up. Use small brush to create details in the center of anemone

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