Creating detail with paint pens

I haven’t blogged for a while. But with a new workspace and a clearer head I’ve had a few ideas already :)

Let’s start with how I have built up the detail in this beautiful sunflower.

I’ve started with the Center of the sunflower. Created by lots of black dots. I’ve put heavier dots to one side to create some depth.

I’ve then drawn the petals. Lots of long petals with rounded tops. I’ve done this in a darker shade of yellow, drawing the first 4 at north, south, east, west then filled the gaps.

I’ve coloured in these petals, my style is quite sketchy but you could obviously fill these in fully too.

My next step is to add some highlights to the petals to define them a bit more. I’ve done this with a lighter shade of yellow. If you’re mixing your colours you could add some white. I’ve added these at the base and edges/top of the petals.

After this step I add some more colour. I’ve chosen a much darker colour, a mustard brown. This adds some shade at the base.

Finally, to make it all pop, I’ve gone back to the original colour to blend it all in. The great thing about working with wood is the paint seeps in a little. It means you can build up the opacity of the colours which is perfect for flower details :)

For our book on how to get started visit the shop :)