We’ve learned a lot from Lowell while watching him paint “A Red Vase of Daisies.” Today we get to see him paint the main event! He makes it look so easy! If you break the steps down, and practice, practice, practice the individual strokes, it will become easy. This is one of our all-time favorites of Lowell’s. If you are new to floral painting, daisies are the perfect place to start!

Key Points to Consider:

• Lowell is painting on a wet canvas.
• He originally used Magic Clear® to coat his canvas
• He uses the Alexander Small Red Sable Brush to create the daisy petal centers.
• He uses Orange for the daisy centers.
• Lowell faces the centers of the daisies out of the picture in different directions.
• He pays attention to floral placement to create balance and harmony.
• He uses the Alexander Filbert Brush to create the petals.
• Usually, he wipes his brush off on a paper towel after each stroke to keep the petals bright.
• Sometimes he doesn’t wipe the brush and uses the paint he picks up from the canvas to create variety.
• He leans the brush towards the center of the flower.
• Lowell starts with hard pressure to remove more and thicker paint on the outside of the petals and lightens his touch as he approaches the center.
• He varies the length and direction of the petals
• He always begins where he wants the petals to be the brightest.
• When he is painting the petals that we see from the side, he uses the full width of the brush.
• The green he uses for the stems and grasses (and some leaves) is a mixture of Yellow Ochre, Phthalo Green, and Ivory Black thinned with Magic Clear
• He uses the same technique as he did before to connect the flowers to the bouquet.
• He double-loads his brush to add dimension to the center of the flower. Amazing!
• Make sure the dark part of the brush is towards the outside of the center.
• Black and Orange make a good Burnt Umber.
• End with a touch of a lighter color indicating where the light is hitting.

If any of you have painted this painting, please send us a photo. We love to see what you are doing. Show us your other paintings too if you want.

Happy Painting!

Laurie and Dawn

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