Watercolor Hellebore: Realistic Flower Step by Step

1. Introduction: Hello, and welcome to this alibar tutorial. In this class, I'll guide you step by step through painting this gorgeous flower full of deep purples and rich lush greens. This project is a bit more on the advanced side, but no matter your skill level, you're very welcome to give it a try, especially if you're in the mood for a gentle challenge. Be exploring beautiful color combinations and learning how to mix those deep dark purples alongside other bold, vibrant tones that bring this flower to life. You'll also get plenty of practice with the wet on wet technique which we'll use throughout the petals to create soft transitions and depth. It is a more demanding painting that asks for patience, a bit of precision and some courage with color. But if you take your time and stay with the process, I'm sure you will feel really proud of what you create. There are so many beautiful details to enjoy along the way, the delicate veining on the petals and that lovely contrast between the light stamens and the darker center of the flower. It's one of those paintings that takes time, but is incredibly rewarding to see it slowly come together. Show you step by step how to approach a more complex subject like this. Of course, it could be simplified, but in this tutorial, we'll slow down, observe carefully, and focus on building our painting with intention. We won't rush, take it one layer at a time. To make things easier and more relaxing, I've divided this tutorial into smaller parts so you can move through it comfortably and at your own pace, gradually building the painting section by section. I hope you're feeling inspired and excited to begin. Gather your supplies, take a deep breath, and let's start painting together. 2. Project and Resources: I've prepared a selection of helpful resources for your project available in the project and resources section. You'll find a PDF file with the supply list I used for this painting, along with a reference photo and an image of my finished artwork for guidance. Line drawings in various sizes are also provided so you can print and transfer them onto your watercolor paper in the size that best fits your needs. Additionally, there working progress photos to help you follow the process and focus on specific areas. Feel free to explore these materials and use them to create your own unique and beautiful painting. Please share your final painting in the projects and resources section. I also encourage you to take the time to view each other's work in the student project gallery. It's always inspiring to see what others create, and the support of your fellow students can be incredibly comforting. Don't forget to like and comment on each other's work. Lastly, I highly recommend watching each lesson before you begin painting. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect at each stage of the tutorial. If you find this class helpful, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave an honest review. Your feedback will help me improve my content and assist other students in deciding whether to join this class. Thank you in advance. 3. Painting Plan: Before we jump into the painting process, let's take a moment to look at the subject as a whole and talk through the plan. I think we can all agree that the color palette in the reference photo is absolutely beautiful, and that's what immediately drew me to this flower. The combination of deep purple, soft pinks, and those juicy vibrant greens is just stunning, and I knew it would translate wonderfully into a watercolor painting. Dark purples are especially striking. Even though achieving rich deep colors in watercolor can sometimes be challenging, in this case, I felt quite confident about it. I immediately thought about using mixes with paints gray, especially combinations of magenta and Alizarin crimson with Pains gray to create those deep velvety tones. I've been wanting to explore these color combinations for a while, so this felt like the perfect opportunity. Lighting in the reference is also lovely with bright highlights and strong shadows. This kind of contrast makes it an ideal subject for watercolor. When I looked more closely, I noticed there are quite a lot of intricate details. At that point, I had to decide how much I wanted to simplify. Simplification can mean not only painting things in a looser way, but also removing elements that aren't essential. This case, I chose to keep quite a lot of the detail because I felt it would really be worth it. I wanted this to be a more detailed study, something where we can slow down and really enjoy observing and painting all those beautiful structures. At the same time, I still wanted it to feel like a painting, not a photo. So while I didn't simplify much in terms of detail, I did simplify the composition. You compare the reference photo with the finished painting, you'll notice that I removed the out of focus flowers in the background and also the dried stamens resting on the petals. I felt these elements weren't necessary, but of course, if you like them, you can absolutely include them in your own version. Help visualize the final composition, I opened the reference photo in the Adobe Fresco app on my iPad and experimented a bit. I removed the background and painted a simpler one digitally. I tried a few options, including lighter backgrounds, but in the end, I chose a darker one. Darker background really helps bring out the light in the petals and it creates a stronger contrast with both the flowers and the leaves. Repeating some of the main colors from the flower in the background also helps to keep the color composition harmonious without distracting from the main subject. Next, I thought about masking fluid. I often use masking fluid around the edges of the main subject so I can paint the background more freely, but not always. In this case, I filled the negative spaces in my line drawing with a flat color first just to clearly see the shapes. This helped me notice that the background areas between the petals and leaves are actually quite simple. Because of that, I decided I could comfortably paint around them without using masking fluid. However, the stamens in the center are a different story. If we tried to carefully paint around each tiny shape, it would interrupt the flow, especially when working with soft wet on wet washes on the petals. So here using masking fluid makes perfect sense. It allows us to paint the petals freely and confidently without worrying about preserving those small details. So in this painting, the stamens are the only area where I will apply masking fluid. After making these decisions, I spent some time planning the entire process. What to paint first, what comes next, which colors to use and how to build the layers. This planning stage can sometimes take quite a while. And in this case, it took me a few days. Once I have a clear plan in my head, the painting process becomes much more relaxed and enjoyable. So here is how we will approach this painting step by step. We'll begin by applying masking fluid to protect the stamens and then start with the background. Next, we'll paint the leaves in three stages, an initial layer, a second layer to deepen the colors, and finally the details. Then we'll move on to the sepals, following the same three step process. After that, we'll switch from greens to purples and paint the buds in two stages. Then we'll begin working on the petals. First, we'll apply a base layer to all of them. After that, we'll deepen the colors working in two rounds so we can paint alternate petals without disturbing previous layers. Once we have a solid base, we'll add the beautiful veining and finer details. Finally, we'll remove the masking fluid and focus on the statements, the most delicate and intricate part, and bring the whole painting to completion. As you can see, there are quite a few steps involved. So this is a wonderful opportunity to practice patients. Take your time, and I promise it will be worth it. Intentionally divided the process into smaller parts so you can follow along comfortably and take breaks whenever you need. You don't have to finish this painting in one sitting, and most likely you won't that's absolutely okay. This is not a race, and there is no pressure to rush. Let this be a calm, enjoyable experience, a chance to slow down, focus, and spend some meaningful time with your paints. Try to think of this as a longer, more immersive project, a chance to practice your techniques, build confidence, and simply enjoy the process of painting. And just for this time, allow yourself to step away from everything else. Let go of distractions, let go of pressure, and focus on this quiet creative moment. I hope you're ready now because in the next part, we'll begin by applying the masking fluid. 4. Applying Masking Fluid: Before we begin applying masking fluid, I like to gently lighten the pencil sketch using a kneaded eraser. A kneaded eraser is soft and flexible. You can shape it into a roll and lightly move it over the drawing. It lifts excess graphite and softens the lines without removing them completely. Especially like to do this when I'm painting lighter areas, and here I'll focus mainly on lightening the stamens. For masking, I'll be using Windsor Newton masking fluid, which has a yellow tint. Instead of working directly from the bottle, I pour a small amount into a cap from an old bottle from masking fluid just enough for what I need. Also keep a small piece of soap nearby, which is very important when applying masking fluid with a brush. For this step, I always use an inexpensive brush. Masking fluid can be quite harsh on bristles, so I usually keep a few cheap synthetic brushes just for this purpose. Also use a separate small container of water for rinsing the brush. I never use my main painting water. I start by pouring a small amount of masking fluid into the cup and then immediately close the bottle. This helps prevent it from drying out and keeps it usable for longer. I also avoid dipping my brush directly into the bottle as it's less convenient and exposes the fluid to air for too long. Before picking up the masking fluid, I dip my brush in clean water and gently rub it on the soap. This creates a protective layer on the bristles and helps prevent them from sticking together. And don't worry the soap won't affect your paper or paint later on. Now I can dip the brush into the masking fluid and begin applying it. Take your time here and try to stay within the pencil lines. This is a small area with intricate details, so it does require a bit of precision. It's worth being careful because once the masking fluid is removed, the edges will be very visible, especially since the stamens will be surrounded by much darker tones. The class materials, you'll find an illustration showing exactly where I applied the masking fluid, which should be helpful as a guide. There's no need to rush this step. It's the only place in this painting where masking fluid is really necessary unless you decide to also mask the edges of the petals and leaves. If you would like to do that, this is the moment to apply it. Once you're finished, rinse your brush thoroughly in water and clean it again with soap. This will keep the bristles in good condition. Without soap, the masking fluid will dry and stick them together. Now leave the masking fluid to dry completely and naturally. Once it's dry, we'll move on to painting the background. 5. Background: The masking fluid is now completely dry so we can move on to painting the background. Before I start and also from time to time during the painting, I like to lightly mist my paints with clean water using a spray bottle. This helps to soften them and makes it easier to pick up more fluid workable color. Let's begin by preparing our mixes. For this, I usually use a flat brush, just a simple inexpensive synthetic one. It makes it much quicker to pick up larger amounts of paint from the wells and transfer them to the mixing area. The first mix we'll prepare is quinacrodon magenta with paints gray. I'd like to mention that my quinacrodon magenta is made with PR 122 pigment, which is a very bright version. Some paints from different brands have the same name of this color, but they are made with P V 19 pigment. And this one tends to be slightly darker and more muted. So if you would like to achieve similar results, make sure that you have the pigment PR one, 22. This mix already gives a deep purple, but I would like to shift it slightly. So I will add a touch of permanent lazaren crimson. This moves the color a bit toward the red side and creates a really rich, beautiful purple. For the greens, I will use a mix of green gold, paints gray, and Windsor green yellow shade. This will be my base green. I can easily adjust it, adding more green gold for a warmer, lighter tones or more paints gray for a deeper darker green. I'll start painting in the upper section where we have two small background shapes. Then I will move down along the left side, and after that, we'll paint the right side from top to bottom. I'm going to rotate the painting slightly to make this first area more comfortable to reach. It's a small adjustment, but it really helps with control, especially in these tighter spaces. For this part, I'll be using Size six brush. I'm painting wet and dry here, simply filling in these small areas with a dark green. Now, I'll switch to a si ten brush and move on to the larger background section on the left. I'll begin with the green and then gradually transition into purples. You might notice that I'm continuing to work wet on dry, which isn't my usual approach for backgrounds. Normally, I prefer wet on wet for softer, smoother transitions. And if you enjoy that technique, please feel free to use it here. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. This time, I chose wet and dry for two reasons. First, I knew that the flower itself would take quite a long time to paint because of all the details. I wanted to keep the background relatively quick and simple. Wet and dry is faster because we don't need to apply an initial layer of water. And the second reason is that it's easier to achieve darker tones right away. When we paint wet on wet, the additional water layer dilutes the pigment and once everything dries, the colors may appear lighter than expected. That can mean adding another layer later. Here, I wanted to reach those deep tones in one go. Of course, the trade off is that wet and dry can result in less smooth transitions. You might notice some slight inconsistencies, and that's perfectly okay. I don't mind that here because the flower will naturally draw most of the attention. On the left side, I transition from deep green into a rich purple and then into a cleaner quinacredon magenta. Even though the colors look quite dark, I'm still using a good amount of water in my mixtures. This helps keep the paint wet for longer, making it easier to blend and create smoother transitions. Today is quite warm here where I'm painting, so the paint is draying quickly. I know that might create a few uneven areas, but I'm happy to embrace that. Also using purples and magentas in the background to echo the colors of the main subject. This creates a nice connection between the flower and the background, making the whole painting feel more cohesive. The purple in the background can also sadly suggest other flowers in the distance without needing to paint them in detail. Next, I'll paint the smaller sections at the bottom, and then move on to the upper right area. Here again, I begin with green and then transition into purple. I try to place some purple between the leaves, so later we'll have a beautiful contrast between the green shapes and the background. Once all the sections are filled in, we'll leave everything to dry completely. And when the background is fully dry, we'll move on to painting the leaves. 6. Leaves - Initial Layer: The background is now completely dry so we can begin painting the leaves. I'll start by cleaning the left side of my palette so I can prepare fresh colors and so you can clearly see what I'm mixing. For this stage, I think a size eight brush will work very well. For the greens, I've decided to use a mix of transparent yellow and Windsor blue green shade. The reason for this choice is that the leaves contain a range of hues from warmer yellowish greens to cooler, more bluish tones. You can even notice hints of blue in the sepals, so this combination helps keep everything harmonious across the painting. I like to create a small color range on my palette, a balanced mix of the two colors in the middle. More blue added on one side and more yellow on the other. This way, I can easily pick up the exact shade I need at the moment. I'll start with the leaf on the left. You can see that it has two distinct color areas, a more yellow green on one side and a cooler bluish green on the other. To keep these colors clean and fresh, I'll first paint one side and then come back to the other side once it's dry. I'll begin by picking up a mix with more yellow and applying it wet on dry. While it's still wet, I'll drop in a bit more of the middle green to create a soft variation. Now I'll move on to the next leaf, and here I'll apply a similar color on one side and gently introduce a slightly richer green along the central vein. At this stage, we are simply establishing the base colors. There's no need to focus on details yet. We just want to cover all the leaves with their general green tones. Here I'll start with the middle green and then introduce more transparent yellow along the edge. Transparent yellow is a beautiful, glowing color that mixes very well with other colors. If you have it, I highly recommend using it. If not, you can create a similar effect by mixing a cool yellow with a warm yellow, keeping the mixture slightly on the color side. For example, you could mix Windsor yellow with Windsor yellow deep. As I paint, I'm trying to leave the central vein unpainted for now since they are quite prominent and we'll define them more clearly later. To create a darker green, I'll mix transparent yellow and Windsor blue green shade with something darker. Here I'm using a bit of purple, but paints gray would actually be an even better option. I'll continue applying these base colors across all the leaves always observing the shifts between warmer and cooler greens and trying to preserve the main veins. This is a wonderful exercise for both observation and color mixing because there's such a variety of greens in the leaves. But remember, color accuracy is less important than tonal values. Even if your greens don't match the reference perfectly, what really matters is whether they are light or dark enough in the right places. When working on this initial layer, whether it's leaves, sepals, or later the petals, it helps to imagine that there are no shadows and details yet. You can even squint at your reference to simplify what you see. We're just looking for the overall general color. Think of this layer as a foundation or a color map. It doesn't need to be dark. We'll build depth gradually in the next layers for now focus on identifying whether an area leans more toward yellow or blue and adjust your mixes accordingly. Once the first layer is dry, I will come back to the initial leaf and paint the second site with a cooler more bluish green. I'll also paint the small leaf at the bottom. I just needed to wait a moment for the area above to dry slightly before continuing. To speed things up, I'll gently dry this layer with a hair dryer and then finish the last remaining sections. One of them is more yellow, and for the final area, I'll mix a lighter green with a subtle touch of purple. Now we have the base layer applied to all the leaves. Let everything dry completely, and in the next step, we'll begin building the second layer. 7. Leaves - Deepening the Colors: This part will be very similar to the previous one. We'll be using the same colors, but the goal is slightly different. Now we want to deepen the colors. That means making them more intense, more saturated, and in some areas darker. You might be wondering why we didn't do this in the first layer straightaway, and that's a very good question. Of course, we could try to achieve everything in one go. But the effect would be different, not dramatically different, but enough that I much prefer building color gradually in layers. Because watercolor is transparent, a single layer always allows some of the white paper to show through. This can make the color appear lighter and less deep. But once we have a base layer, adding another transparent layer on top increases the richness and depth because we're no longer painting directly on white paper. This is why building color with layers is so effective. It takes a bit more time, but it's truly worth it. Another advantage is control. With each new layer, we can gently adjust both the color and the tunnel values, making small refinements instead of trying to get everything perfect at once. For this stage, I'll be working wet on wet. And I will explain why as we go. I'll start by applying a thin layer of clean water to a section, and then I'll drop in the color. There are a few reasons why I chose this technique here. First of all, it's gentler on the previous layer. By working on a damp surface, I can softly introduce color and let it spread naturally without disturbing what's already underneath. If I work to wet and dry, I would need to move the brush more, which increases the risk of lifting off or disturbing the previous layer. The second reason is that it creates smoother transitions. The colors blend more naturally on a wet surface, which helps unify the area and soften any edges. And finally, it helps refine the overall look. This layer not only deepens the colors, but also subtly smooths out any small imperfections from the first layer giving a more cohesive finish. The difference between the first and the second layer might feel quite subtle, but that's completely normal. We're building everything gradually, depth, color, and form step by step without rushing. Once you finish, leave this layer to dry completely. You can use a hair dryer if you would like to speed things up, and when everything is dry, we'll move on to the next step and finish the leaves. Y. 8. Leaves - Painting the Veins: This part will take a little more time because now we'll focus on adding the veins and making final adjustments to bring the leaves to a finished stage. I'll begin with a size four brush. Take a moment to look at each leaf again and ask yourself if there is anything you can refine or improve. For example, in this first leaf, I feel the bluish green could be a bit deeper, so I'll quickly apply another layer wet-on-dry to strengthen that color. Now moving on to the next leaf, we'll start working on the veins. First, I like to clean and refine the central vein. I do this by running a damp brush along that vein to gently reactivate the paint and then lifting it out with a paper towel. This helps to smooth the shape and make the vein more defined. For the smaller secondary veins, lifting would be very time consuming, especially since we're using staining colors which are harder to remove. So instead, we will use a much simpler and more controlled method. But first, I'll quickly clean the central vein on the next leaf as well. Now, I'll mix transparent yellow with a tiny touch of Windsor yellow deep to create a slightly warmer yellow, and I'll use this to tint the veins so they don't remain pure white. While I'm here, I will also add a small subtle shadow between the leaves. Next, we'll move on to using guash. I'll be using Windsor Newton permanent white guash. I'll squeeze out a small amount just a little is enough and place it on a colored surface so I can see the color more clearly. To this white, I will add a bit of Windsor yellow deep and burnt sienna, creating a very light warm yellowish brown. This will be the color for our veins. I'll start with my round size four brush, but I quickly realize it's a bit too large for such fine details. So I'll switch to a size zero liner brush. A liner or a rigger brush has very fine pointed bristles, which makes it perfect for painting delicate lines like veins. Working with gouache at this scale can be a little tricky. Finding the right consistency takes some practice, and it's also worth remembering that gouache dries slightly darker and more transparent than it appears when wet. Because of that, you may need to go over the veins more than once to make them visible. Usually adding a bit more white to the mixture helps them stand out. In this painting, the contrast is quite subtle, so the veins won't be extremely bold, but you can gently build them up. Take your time here. There's no need to rush. This stage really benefits from patience and precision. After painting the veins, you can also enhance them by adding very subtle shadows alongside them using a slightly darker green. This not only makes the veins more visible, but also gives the leaf a more three dimensional feel. You'll notice how fine this brush is. It almost feels like painting with just a few bristles. It's perfect for this kind of detail work, and we'll use it again later for sepals and petals. I'll repeat the same process on the next leaves. First, refining the central vein, then painting the smaller veins with the gouache mixture. On this leaf, I'll first use burnt sienna to paint the veins and then go over it with the lighter gouache mix. I also notice a touch of red at the tip of the leaf, so I'll add a bit of quinacrodon red. Well, I will actually exaggerate it slightly to create a subtle pop of color. And Now I'd like to deepen the bluish green here. I'll apply the color between the veins, which will also help the veins stand out more. For this, I will switch back to my size fush and then add soft shadows along the veins as before. I'll repeat the same steps on the remaining leaves. You may notice that as gouache dries, it becomes less visible, so I continue layering lighter tones to gradually build up the effect. At this stage, we can also introduce a bit of extra texture. I'll use a slightly darker green to add a few irregular organic marks, very subtle just to give the surface more interest. On the small leaf in addition to the veins, I'll also deepen the shadow with a darker green. Now, I'll use a scrubber brush in my case, a size four Windsor Newton galeria brush to gently soften one of the edges. I dip the brush in water, remove the excess, and slightly rub that area. Then I leave the paint with a paper towel. This creates a softer, more natural transition. Next I'll add a brighter yellow, and this time, I'm using Windsor yellow. I can also see a few reddish accents, so I'll again use quinacrodon red to enhance those. I would also like to darken the leaf below the stem a bit more. I'll begin with a mix of green and purple and then deepen it further with a darker green. Finally, we have two small leaves at the bottom. On the heart shaped leaf, I'll start by painting the central vein. Then add a touch of quinacradon red, at the tip and soften it. Since this leaf sits in the shadow, I'll deepen it using a mix of green and purple. Here, I'm not too concerned about matching the exact colors. My thinking is very simple. It's green leaf, so I use green. It's in the shadow, so I make it darker and I add purple to connect it with the surrounding colors and to naturally mute and deepen the green. On the last leaf, I'll create an interesting texture using simple irregular brush strokes. With a darker green, I'll paint small organic shapes, leaving the gaps between them. This creates a subtle but beautiful texture. To finish, I will apply one more layer on the curled side of the leaf, nothing complicated, just slightly deepening the tones using the same greens and purples. And with that, the leaves are finished. And 9. Sepals - Initial Layer: In this part, we're going to paint the sepals. They are truly beautiful elements, especially the one at the bottom with its lovely range of colors and intricate veining. It may look complex at first, but you will see that it's actually more manageable when we take it step by step. For this step, I'll be using a size six brush to apply the initial layer to all the sepals. I'll begin with a yellowish green, a mix of transparent yellow with some leftover green from my palette. I like to start with the lightest, brightest color, and then gradually move into greens and finally into purples. We'll follow the same approach as with the leaves. This first layer is simply about creating a color map, placing the main colors in the right areas. There's no need to worry about strong contrasts or deep tones yet. We can gently suggest them, but the main focus should be on establishing the overall color relationships and preserving the lighter areas. For the next seple, I'll start with burnt sienna and then transition into green and purple. At the tip, I will return to transparent yellow. This sepal catches a lot of light, so I'll keep the overall tunnel value quite light. Now moving to the sepals at the bottom, I'll begin with a green mixture made from transparent yellow, windsor blue, green shade, and paints gray. There are actually two sepals here, but I will treat them as one larger shape for now. This area is a bit more complex in terms of color, so take your time observing. Green is the base, but there are also beautiful blue tones, so I will introduce more windsor blue in those areas. I'll also bring in some purple, mainly quinacrodon magenta and let these colors blend softly on the paper. When the purple meets the green or blue, it becomes more muted, which works very nicely here. I especially like adding it along the central vein. Don't worry if the purple seems to disappear at this stage. The green layer is still very light and will dry even paler. So we have plenty of opportunity to strengthen those colors later. That I think this is enough for this section for now. While we are here, let's also quickly apply base colors to the stem on the right. Since it's a small area, I won't create a separate step for this. I notice a bit of red, so I will use quinacrodon red on one side, and then a touches of dark purple and green to complete the base. Remember, this initial layer is just a foundation. If you know you'll be adding more layers later, there is no need for this one to be perfect. The next layers will refine and improve everything. What matters is that we cover the white of the paper and establish a base for richer, deeper colors. Now, let everything dry completely. You can use a hair dryer if you'd like, remember to let the paper cool down before moving on to the next layer. 10. Sepals - Deepening the Colors: In this part, we'll apply the second layer adjustment layer. Now we'll deepen the colors and strengthen the shadows. The goal here is to prepare the sepals for the final stage, which will be the veining. Before we add those final details, we want to make sure that the tonal values and shadows are already well established. Begin with the first sepal using the same colors as before and the size six brush, I'll start at the top with purple, then gradually transition into green as I move downward. What I'm focusing on here is the shadow, so I'm shaping it based on what I see in the reference. Within the green areas, I can also introduce slightly more bluish tones to add variety. And in the darkest shadow areas, I'll deepen the color with a richer purple. Now I'll move on to the next sepal. Here the shadow is stronger on one side of the central vein, so I'll begin by placing the darker shape first. Then I'll gently build up the surrounding shadow areas. As I apply the green, I'll soften the lower edge so that only the upper part of the shape remains more defined. This helps create a more natural transition. And here a quick note and apology, my camera stopped recording for a moment. So what you see now is after a few minutes of work. I've added more green shapes and also painted the central vein with purple. I'll continue by adding a bit more burnt sienna at the top and a few additional green shapes. These simple soft shapes help suggest the ribbed structure of the sepal. I'll also drop in a few darker green accents to reflect what I can see in the reference and finish this area with a touch of yellowish green at the tip. Next I'll mix more of my base green, transparent yellow, winds are blue, and pains gray, and use it to add a small shadow nearby. I'll also go over the stem again to deepen the colors. On the left side, I will reinforce the quinacridon red, and on the rest, I will build up the green. Near the base, I will add a deeper darker purple to strengthen the shadow. Now for the final seple, I'll begin with a darker green on the left side where the deepest shadow is. This time I'm adding more paints gray to my green mix to achieve that depth. I'll leave a small gap for the lighter vein area, which we'll refine later. The edges may look a bit sharp for now, but we can always soften them afterward with a damp brush or a scrubber brush. As I continue, I'm using the same colors as before. But because we now have multiple layers, the tones appear richer and more intense. The white of the paper is no longer influencing the color as much, which gives us that deeper look. While painting, I keep in mind that there is a shadow cast by the flower across the upper part of the sepal. So in that area, I'll make sure to use darker color green. I'm also introducing a bit more windsor blue and quinacredon magenta in this layer to enrich the color variation. For the deepest shadows, I will mix green with some of the dark purple already on my palette and apply it selectively. I'll finish this seple by gently balancing the greens in the lower area. Now I'll zoom out for a moment and look at the painting as a whole. I notice that the shadow on the first sepal is still a little too light, so I'll go back in and deepen it slightly with another layer of green and purple. Since the surface is already dry, this is a good opportunity to make that adjustment. And that completes the stage. In the next part, we'll focus on the beautiful final details, the veining on the sepals. M. 11. Sepals - Painting the Veins: This is my favorite part of the entire painting. Now we're going to add those beautiful delicate veins to the sepals. There is something really special about this stage, the way the purples interact with the greens and blues and how these fine lines suddenly bring everything to life. They add so much character and elegance. For painting the veins, I'll be using assize zero liner brush. These lines are very thin, so having a brush with a fine, sharp tip is essential. Whatever brush you're using, make sure it comes to a really good point. Try to keep your lines delicate. If they become too thick, we can lose that refined intricate effect. For the colors, I'll mainly use purple tones, but I will also introduce a bit of green here and there so the pattern doesn't feel too uniform. I'll be looking at the reference photo for general guidance, but I'm not trying to copy every single line exactly. Instead, I aim to recreate the overall feel of the pattern. There are three key things to keep in mind while painting these veins. First, keep the lines very thin. Use a brush with a fine tip and start with light delicate strokes. You can always thicken certain areas later, but it's much harder to fix a line that is too thick from the start. Vary the line with subtly. Let the lines taper towards the ends almost like her lines, so they feel soft and natural as if they gently disappear into the surface of the sepal. Emphasize some intersections. Slightly thickening a few intersections, make the pattern look more organic and visually interesting. While working here, I will also make a few small adjustments. I'll deepen a shadow on the left sepal and soften the edge using a scrubber brush. I'll also use the scrubber brush to gently soften a few hard edges and lift some paint to create subtle highlights. These small refinements can make a big difference. On the left side, I feel that the area is a bit too light, so I will quickly glaze over it with a warm light green and dry it with a hair dryer. This is a good reminder that we can always adjust and refine things as we go. Now I'm ready to begin the veining. I'll start with a very light purple, just to map out where I want the lines to go. Once I'm happy with the placement, I will go over them with a stronger color, reinforcing selected areas and slightly thickening some intersections. At this point, my pencil guidelines have mostly disappeared under the layer of paint. If you prefer, you can lightly redraw the veins before painting. But I actually like working without them. It allows for more freedom, and the lines feel cleaner without visible pencil marks. On the right side, I will begin with the central vein and then at the smaller branching veins. Notice that the main vein isn't perfectly straight. It has a natural, slightly irregular flow which adds to the realism. For the main vein, I'm using pure quinacrodon magenta. It creates a beautiful contrast against the greens and blues. I'll also vary the tunnel strength of the veins. Some sections are darker, especially at intersections while others remain lighter. The lines also vary slightly in width. All of this helps avoid a flat uniform look and instead creates a more lively organic pattern. Once the veins are in place, I like to zoom out and look at the painting as a whole. This helps me spot any areas that might need adjustments. Here I noticed a small area that needs a touch more green, and I also added a bit more burnt sienna to the sepal on the right. This is one of the advantages of working in transparent layers. We can always refine and improve as we go. And with that, the sepals are finished. In the next part, we will move on to painting the deep purple buds. And. 12. Buds - Initial Layer: In this short part, we'll apply the initial layer to the buts. I'll be using a size six brush, and I will start by cleaning my palette so I can mix fresh clean colors, and so you can clearly see what I'm using. For the main mix, I will combine quinacrodon magenta with paints gray and then add a touch of permanent lazarin crimson to shift the hue slightly toward the red side. This will give us a rich deep purple. I'll also play some pure alizarin crimson and pure quinacrodon magenta on the palette so I can easily reach for them when needed. And at the bottom, I will keep a bit of Windsor blue green shade as well. I'll begin by applying Windsor blue in the middle of the but where I can see a subtle highlight. Then I'll switch to the main purple mix and paint around that area. Since the blue is still wet, the colors will blend softly on the paper. Toward the tip of the bat, I'll introduce more Azaren crimson to bring in a slightly warmer reddish tone. Once the main colors are in place, I'll pick up a more concentrated, darker purple and add it to the deepest shadow areas. Here I like to use a gentle dabbing motion with the brush. This allows more pigment to be released exactly where I place it rather than spreading it out with a regular brush stroke. It's a very useful technique when you want to build depth and intensity in specific spot. On the bat on the right, I will also introduce some yellow. I'll start with transparent yellow at the top, then transition into Alizarin crimson and finally into purple at the base. You might notice a small detail I missed here. Just below the sepal, there is actually a darker section of the bad that I didn't paint at this stage. I only noticed it later while working on the petals and ended up treating it as a part of the flower instead. If you prefer to stay closer to the reference, you can include that darker purple area now. But honestly, it's such a small detail that it won't affect the overall result, especially since it becomes less noticeable in the finished painting. For the final bad, I'll begin with lazarin crimson and then at purple in the shadowed areas. Overall, these buds are quite dark. So even at this initial stage, we can aim for relatively deep tones. The layer will dry a bit later, but it will give us a strong base, and the final colors will appear richer and more vibrant. 13. Buds - Adding Shadows: After applying the initial layer, we now have a nice base to work on. In this part, we'll deepen the dark tones and finish the bats with a few small adjustments and details. You can already see that even though the colors looked very dark when wet, they appear lighter once dry. That's because the white of the paper still shows through. To achieve richer, deeper colors, we need to build them up in layers. So now I'll go back in with the same dark purple mix and focus on strengthening the deepest shadows. Try not to overwork the surface here. It's best to use as few brush strokes as possible. This particular purple mix is not highly staining, which means it's easier to disturb the previous layer even when it's dry. So work gently and place the darker tones with intention. I'll also add the darker purple to the bad on the right. First, I lightly suggest the structure with a few lines, and then I deepen the shadows. On the bottom bat, I'll begin by painting a few lines to indicate the separation between the petals. Then I'll apply a darker tone this time with a bit more Alizarin crimson toward the lower part and finally deepen the shadow just beneath the sepals. I'll briefly return to the previous bat and apply a thin layer of lysarin crimson over the yellowish area. This warms it up and shifts it slightly toward the red. But in a moment, I will lift a bit of paint to bring back some of that yellow. Now I'll dry everything thoroughly. Once the layer is completely dry, we can make a few final adjustments. For lifting highlights, I will use my regular size six brush rather than a scrubber brush. I dip it in clean water. Remove the excess on a paper towel, and then gently activate the paint before lifting it with a paper towel. This creates very soft subtle highlights. Now, I prefer using a regular round brush here because these colors lift quite easily, so there is no need for a stiff scrubber. A softer brush is more gentle on the paper and creates more delicate natural looking highlights, which is exactly what we want in this case. I'll repeat this process on the other bats as well. After that, I'll zoom out and take a look at the whole painting. I noticed that one of the sepos looks a bit too pale compared to the others and feels slightly unfinished. Even though it's similar in the reference, I decided to add some veining to bring it more in line with the rest of the painting. Now I'm much happier with how everything looks. Take a moment now, take a deep breath, and maybe take even a short break. And when you're ready, we will move on to painting the petals. 14. Petals - Initial Layer: Now we'll begin painting the main flowers. In this first step, we'll apply an initial layer to all the petals with one small exception. At this stage, we'll introduce those beautiful warm glowing tones that will bring a whole new quality to the painting. If you look at the work in progress reference, you can see that we'll be covering most of the petals with base colors. While leaving a few small areas unpainted, such as the latest top petal and some of the thin curled edges. Even just observing that image gives you a good idea of the direction we are going in. I will still guide you, of course, step by step and show you exactly how I approach it. First, I'll clean the left side of my palette to prepare fresh mixes. I'll also change the water since we'll now be working with brighter, cleaner colors, especially yellows, and we don't want them to become dull from leftover pigments. Because the petals are larger and we want to work efficiently, I'll switch to a size ten brush. Let's prepare the main colors, quinacredon red, quinacredon magenta, transparent yellow, burnt sienna. I'll keep my purple mixes on the other side of the palette so they are still easily accessible. For the petals, we'll be working wet on wet to achieve smooth transitions and soft gradients. I'll begin by applying a layer of clean water to the first petal on the left and slightly into the next one. There's no need to wet the entire flour at once because by the time we reach the last petal, the surface would already be dry. It's better to work in smaller manageable sections. I'm also avoiding the thin curled edge. This area will remain unpainted to preserve that highlight. I'll start with transparent yellow as it's the brightest and cleanest color. While it's still wet, I'll introduce burnt sienna and then gradually move into quinacudon magenta. Now I'll move into the second petal, and here I will use a mix of quinacrodon magenta and quinacrodon red. This creates a beautiful mid red tone that we can easily shift either more toward magenta or more toward red, depending on the area. As always, I apply a water layer first to keep the surface wet and allow the colors to blend smoothly. The third petal has more brown tone, so I will begin with burnt sienna near the center and then introduce magenta and red toward the edges. This will be much darker later, but for now, we're just establishing a base and covering the white of the paper. On the fourth petal, I'll also begin with transparent yellow, then transition into quinacradon red and magenta toward the edges, leaving the curled edge unpainted. You may notice that I'm treating these petals as one connected area. Even though they are separate shapes, it's perfectly fine at this stage if the colors blend between them. We'll define the individual petals more clearly in later layer. Now let's move on to the flower at the bottom left corner. Here I'll need a clean, pure quinacrodon magenta, so I'll prepare a fresh space for it. I'll also use Windsor blue, which I still have on my palette. I'll begin by applying a water layer over the entire flower, including the stem. The water isn't perfectly clean anymore, but that's fine. It's still okay for this stage. Make sure the surface is properly wet. It's better to have slightly too much water than too little. Now I'll start applying color, beginning with a strong quinacrodon magenta. It's a very vibrant, powerful color. While it softens slightly as it dries, it still remains one of the most intense cool pinks. When combined with Windsor blue, it creates a more muted purple. Because Windsor blue has a green bias, the mixture becomes slightly subdued, which works beautifully here. It also helps us maintain color harmony with the rest of the painting. For the last flower, it's helpful to prepare all the colors in advance. This one includes a wider range. We have here magenta, quinacredon red, lizarin crimson, purple, burnt sienna, and even touches of green. On the side petals, I will use a mix of red and magenta. On the main petal, I'll apply lizarin crimson and burnt sienna on one side and the purple mix on the other. In the green area, I'll use a mix of transparent yellow and windsor blue. There is also a strong white highlight on this petal, so be sure to preserve that area. You can gently suggest a soft shadow if you like. But at this stage, it's more important to keep that highlight clean and light. This is also the moment when I realized something felt slightly off in my painting, but I hadn't yet noticed that I missed a small dark purple area of the bed earlier. If you also left that area unpainted, you can go ahead and fill it now with the surrounding petal colors. I'll correct it in the next step, but it's a bit easier to do it at this stage. And that's our initial layer for the petals. Now let everything dry completely, and in the next two parts we begin deepening the colors and building more depth in the petals. 15. Petals - Deepening the Colors Part 1: In this part, we'll begin deepening the colors on the petals. I say begin because I've divided the stage into two parts. In this one, we'll focus on these four petals, and in the next part, we'll paint the remaining ones. The reason for this is simple. At this stage, we want to create clear separation between the petals. And since we'll be working wet on wet again, the paint will stay wet for a while, so we need to work on alternating petals. This way, we avoid touching areas that are still wet and prevent colors from flowing unintentionally between them. Before you begin, make sure you can clearly see the edges of your petals. If needed, gently redraw them. I focus mainly on the outer edges rather than the internal vein lines, as I don't want those pencil marks to remain visible. Just like with the sepals, we can improvise the veins later. My palette, I still have the same colors from the previous layer. I'll just mix a bit more burnt sienna and refresh my mix of quinacrodon red and quinacrodon magenta. I'll start with the first petal. Looking at it, I can see that it could use a bit more pink and brown, so I'll begin by applying a layer of clean water and then introduce those colors. This petal also has a darker shadow with a sharp edge because I'm working wet on wet, I won't be able to create that crisp edge right now, for now I'll simply deepen the colors with burnt sienna and the red magenta mix and gently introduce a bit of purple in the shadow area. I Now moving on to the next petal. This one is quite dark with strong brown tones and more red and magenta toward the edges. I'll prepare two darker mixes. Burnt Sienna with pains gray for a deep brown, and quinacredon magenta with windsor blue and pains gray for a rich dark purple. I'll apply a generous layer of water first, making sure the surface is evenly wet. I don't worry too much about getting right up to the pencil lines. I usually leave a tiny gap and then pull the paint toward the edge. Now I'll begin with the brown mix and then introduce the dark purple near the stamens. Where these color meet, they create a beautiful, deep, complex tone. Around the middle part of the petal, I will use a mix of red and magenta, and I can also drop in a touch of transparent yellow for added variation. Keep your paint mixtures fairly fluid so they don't dry too quickly on the paper. Once the entire petal is covered and still wet, we come to an important step. I'll pick up the dark purple and use a gentle dabbing motion to place more pigment near the center. This dabbing technique releases more paint exactly where you need it, allowing you to build those deep rich shadows without overworking the surface. You can see that when I tilt the painting, the paint is still moving. This tells me that the surface is nicely wet. I'll take advantage of that and add a bit more of the dark purple and some additional red magenta mix. Instead of blending with the brush, I will simply tilt the painting to let the colors flow and mix naturally. While this petal is settling, I will prepare color for the next one, a mix of quinacuin magenta with a touch of purple or windsor blue. After applying a water layer, I'll paint this petal using that mixture. Now, let's move on to the last flower in this section. We'll use the same colors as before, but because we are layering, the result will be richer and more intense. Before adding the paint, take a moment to check your water layer. The surface should have an even high shen, no dry patches and no larger puddles of water. If you see water collecting on the edge when you tilt the paper, just use your brush to redistribute it over the whole surface. Now, I'll begin applying color. On the left side, a strong mix of red, magenta, and brown. On the right, more magenta. In the middle, burnt sienna, and at the bottom, some green. I'll also introduce a bit of green in the upper area and gently pull it toward the stem. Again, I will tilt the painting slightly to help the colors blend naturally. Once the paint stops moving, leave everything to dry. If possible, let it dry naturally. It usually results in a smoother finish. But if the surface starts to lose its shen and you would like to speed things up, you can also use a hair dryer. In the next part, we will repeat the same process on the remaining petals. 16. Petals - Deepening the Colors Part 2: Once the previous layer has dried, you can really see how much depth we've achieved. Because we've built up two layers, the white of the paper is no longer showing through, and the colors already look much richer. In this part, we'll focus on the remaining petals. Before we begin, I'll prepare a bit more paint. Let's quickly go over the colors I'm using. Quinacredon magenta and quinacredon red burnt sienna mixed with paints gray. A purple mix of magenta, winds are blue, and paints gray, and I will also add a touch of lysarin crimson to that purple mix. As before, I'll be working wet on wet, so I'll start by applying a layer of water and then introduce the colors. While applying the water, I'll carefully avoid the highlight area on the left side. I will leave a small gap so that I can preserve a crisp edge here. I'll begin with quinacrodon magenta shaping that highlight first so I don't accidentally lose it. Then I'll apply magenta on the opposite side of the petal, gradually transitioning into a mix of magenta and quinacrodon red. As I move closer to the center, I'll introduce a darker purple with a sarin crimson and finally use the deepest purple right near the stamens. So While the paint is still wet, I will build up the intensity by adding more pigment, more magenta and red, a touch of burnt sienna in the center, and deeper purple where the shadows are strongest. The dark area near the stamens is especially important because it creates contrast for the lighter stamens in the center of the flower. As I gently tilt the painting to help the colors blend, I'll also add a small touch of transparent yellow mixed with burnt sienna in a couple of spots just to introduce a bit of warmth and variation. On the next petal, I'll begin with a mix of yellow and red and then transition into magenta toward the edges. This petal also has a sharper, darker shadow that we won't fully define just yet. We'll return to it later once this layer is dry. Moving on to the next petals, I'll continue with the same approach, applying a water layer first and then adding color into the wet surface. Here I'll begin with a darker purple to establish a clear separation and shadow between the petals. On the petal on the right, I want to deepen the color further. I'll add more purple in a couple of areas and introduce a touch of warm orange on the right side. I'll be careful not to cover the blue area. I want to keep that visible. For the deepest shadow, I will use the purple mix. If needed, I will quickly mix a fresh batch using magenta, Windsor blue and pains gray. I also want to strengthen that blue area, so I'll prepare a clean mix of Windsor blue and apply it there, letting it blend naturally with the surrounding colors. So Now moving on to the last flower, here I will start with the side petals. And actually, in this case, I'm working wet on dry instead of wet on wet. This is because I need to preserve a sharp edge, and this area is also small enough that I don't need a full water layer. I'll use red and purples in the darker areas while leaving some lighter unpainted sections near the top. I'll also introduce a bit of yellowish brown there. On the opposite petal, I'll begin with the same warm yellow brown and then transition into dark purple and finally into a mix of red and magenta. This is also the moment where I fully realized that I had missed that small dark area earlier. I ended up painting it as a part of the petal rather than the bad above. But as you can see, it still works visually, so there is no need to worry too much about it. And that completes the stage. Now let everything dry completely and get ready for the next step. We'll be adding smaller details before moving on to the final veining. Who 17. Petals - Adding Details: Before we begin painting the veins on the petals, we need to make sure that the petals are fully prepared. This means finishing all adjustments now because once we add the veining, it becomes much more difficult to go back and change anything without disturbing those fine details. So in this part, we'll go over each flower and complete anything that still needs refining. First, I don't want to leave the upper petal completely white. Now that everything around is painted, we can safely add some soft shadows. I'll apply a light layer of water and then introduce very diluted magenta, reds and purples, mainly along the top and sides and the edges. I'll keep the center lighter as that's where the light hits most strongly. Next, I'll return to the left petal and paint that shadow area. I'll apply a bit of water and then add a purple mix with lazarin crimson into the darkest part, gently blending it outward. I'll repeat a similar process on the petal on the right, first in the warmer orange toned area, and then in the darker purple shadow. Now moving to the flower in the bottom right, there are a few small details I would like to refine here. First, I will add a bit more green to the leaf in the background. This is a small, less important area, so there is no need to overwork it. Just a touch of darker green in the center and a lighter yellow green toward the edges. Oh another detail is the subtle fold on the left side of the petal. To create this effect, we simply paint soft shadow above and below that area, leaving a lighter gap in between. This contrast creates the illusion of a fold where the lighter area appears to be higher and catch more light. This is also a good moment to add cast shadows. I wasn't sure at first whether to include them, but I decided to add them just a bit softer than in the reference. I'll begin with a very light diluted purple to map out the shadow shapes. Once I'm happy with their placement, I'll deepen selected areas with a slightly stronger tone. Finally, we'll take care of the stems. Keep this simple, just a bit of green, some darker purple for depth and softly blended edges. There's no need to overwork these areas. On the flower to the left, I'll also add a few touches of magenta and deeper purple and even a small hint of yellow on the petal for variation. And that's everything we need to do before the final stage. Now we are ready to move on to painting the veins. 18. Petals - Painting the Veins: This part will really transform your flowers and bring them to life by adding the veining. It may take a bit of time, so it's a good idea to set aside around an hour and enjoy this process. Before we begin painting the veins, I'll make a few small adjustments using a scrubber brush. I'll start by softening the hard edge around the highlight on this petal. O Then I'll smooth out the edge of the shadow on the stem. I'll also lift some paint to create a stronger highlight on the left side of this flower. Here I want to clean up the white highlight on the curled edge. I accidentally went over it earlier with some red, so I'll gently lift that color. I'll also create a small highlight at the bottom of this petal. And I slightly lighten the tip of this one. These small refinements help prepare the surface before we add the final details. Now, I'm ready to begin painting the veins. I'll be using a size zero liner brush. I'll start with a soft mix of yellow and brown and use it to place a few very light lines on the first petal. In Then I'll switch to a mix of quinacrodon red and quinacrodon magenta and begin building the veining on the main petal. I usually start in a random spot, just something that catches my eye in the reference. At this stage, the lines are very light and subtle. I don't want to go too dark right away. Instead, I build them gradually, strengthening selected areas later, especially closer to the center. Since my pencil lines are no longer visible, I'm simply using the reference as a guide and improvising. The key idea is that the veins should be thin and delicate, becoming slightly thicker and darker toward the center and tapering as they move outward. You can also use the veins to create the form of the petal. For example, by the particular shape of the veins, we can suggest how the petal is curved or bent along the edges. I will repeat this process on the other petals. Some lines will be barely visible, others a bit more defined. But overall, they remain fine and subtle. On the right petal, I'll begin with a reddish tone in the warmer orange area and then continue building the veining. In the darker sections, I'll switch to a deeper purple so the lines remain visible. On the upper petal, I'll quickly add and dry a soft pink layer first and then paint the veins on top. I imagine the veins radiating outward from the center in a fan like pattern. For the flower in the bottom left, I will prepare a slightly brighter purple using a fresh mix of magenta and Windsor blue. Here, the veins are a bit more noticeable and some of them lean toward blue. I'll start by placing the main most prominent veins. These help establish the structure, and then I will add finer secondary veins in between. I will repeat this on the adjacent petal, paying attention to how the pattern changes slightly. The veins for more rounded flowing shapes here. Again, both the width and the tonal strength. Keep the ends very fine and soft and allow some areas to stand out a bit more. In the last flour, the veining is more subtle, so I will only add a few delicate lines. Here, I'll also deepen a small shadow along one side of the central vein. I'll use a slightly brownish tone and gently blend it out. I repeat this softly on the opposite side, being careful not to overdo it. Finally, I will add a few more finishing lines where needed, and that completes the stage. I hope you found it enjoyable and that it felt more manageable than it might have seemed at first. Once you're ready, we'll move on to painting the stamens. 19. Stamens: In this part, we'll finish the painting. This is probably the most intricate and detailed stage and also the hardest to describe step by step because the process is less structured. But I will guide you through the key ideas and decisions. And with the help of the video, reference photo, and finished painting, I'm sure you'll be able to follow along. And remember, you can simplify this area as much as you like and add as many details as you feel comfortable with. I'll begin by removing the masking fluid using my tried and tested rubber masking pickup tool. And now we are left with a bright white, scary shape, which can feel a little intimidating at first. And to make it less overwhelming, the first step is to tone it down by applying a very light base color. For this, I will mix a very pale wash of burnt sienna and transparent yellow. Apply it across the entire area using a size four brush. The tips of the stamens are lighter and more yellow, while the area closer to the center is a bit darker. So in the upper parts, I will use more burnt sienna, and I will even introduce a touch of red near the center. Once that's done, I'll dry everything, and then we can begin adding the details. Just to give you an idea, this stage took me around half an hour to complete. So take your time and don't rush. For the details, I'll switch to a size zero, liner brush, the same one I used for the veins. I may also return to the size four brush for slightly larger areas. In terms of colors, I'll continue using the light yellow brown mix, burnt CNM, and the darker browns created with touches of purple. When working on such a complex area, it's difficult to follow a strict plan. I usually begin with the shapes that stand out the most and gradually build everything up step by step. For example, I start by painting the darker spaces between the stamens. These are easy to identify and help define the structure. I begin with a light brown. This gives me more control and makes it easier to adjust if needed. If I make a mistake, it's easier to remove the slight brown than a very dark color if I use it now. There are also a few larger elements around the statements. I will use my size four brush to block those in more quickly with a light brown tone. H. This is also where we can actually use a little bit of negative painting. For example, instead of filling this whole small area with a dark paint, I can imagine that there is a stamen that has a color of this lighter brown that I used in the first stage, and I can paint around it. This creates the illusion of additional statements without having to paint each one individually. You can repeat this technique in different areas to build depth, complexity, and to add more statements in the background. At this point, the shapes start to become clearer and the area feels less overwhelming. Now I can begin deepening the tones. I'll go back into the darker spaces with richer browns and purples, refining the shapes and strengthening the contrast. I'll also continue using the negative painting technique where it helps define additional forms. Next, I'll use a light brown to draw fine lines between the stamens, helping to separate them and suggest their structure. I'll also add very subtle shadows along some of them. The anthers, the small rounded tips of the stamens, often have a line running through the middle. So I will include that detail as well. I'll continue adjusting the tunnel values gradually, deepening some areas, and refining others until everything feels balanced. Then I will switch back to my size four brush and use a mix of transparent yellow and burnt sienna to add slightly stronger shadows in selected statements. Closer to the center, I may also introduce a bit of red as I can see it in the reference. Finally, I will work on the small surrounding elements using darker browns and reds to refine their shape and edges. I will let that dry and if needed, deepen the tones further. So As a final touch, I'll add a few small touches of transparent yellow here and there to bring a sense of warmth and light back into the statements. And with that, the painting is complete. You can now sign your work and remove the masking tape to reveal those clean edges. It's always such a satisfying moment. This has been quite a long journey and definitely a challenging one, but also a very rewarding one. I'm really happy with the final result, and I hope you are too. Take a moment to appreciate what you've created, and I hope you also feel a bit relieved that it's over now. Congratulations. In the final part, we'll briefly summarize what we've learned throughout this tutorial. 20. Summary: Congratulations on completing this hellebor painting. This was a more detailed and layered project, and I hope you not only enjoyed the process, but also feel proud of what you've created. Let's quickly recap the most important things we explored. We started by analyzing the reference, simplifying the composition, and planning the entire process step by step before beginning the painting. Instead of trying to achieve everything in one go, we worked in multiple transparent layers to gradually build richer and stronger tonal values. We explored mixing deep purple, vibrant greens and warm tones, while keeping the overall color palette cohesive and balanced. Used both techniques intentionally wet on wet for soft transitions and smooth gradients and wet on dry for sharper edges and stronger darker tones. By dividing the painting into smaller parts and working step by step, we made a complex subject feel much more manageable and less overwhelming. From veins on the leaves and petals to settle textures and shadows, we learned how small details can bring a painting to life without overworking it. Most importantly, this project was about slowing down, observing carefully, and allowing the painting to develop gradually with patience and intention. Thank you so much for painting along with me. I hope this project help you build confidence with the layering, color mixing, and working on more detailed botanical subjects. Take what you've learned here and use it in your future paintings and most importantly, enjoy the process. Happy painting and hopefully see you next time. Bye.