This week, i’ve been inspired by the picture below, an ensemble of thistle and daisies.
Blue thistles have a very interesting color and that’s exactly that color i wanted to showcase in my painting by working a camaieu of blue/greens colors. This combination give a very peaceful calming feeling to this painting.
I wouldn’t have imagined mixing thistles and daisies if it wasn’t for this picture. Nature is doing the best combination ! This two flowers are working great together because they are in contrast with each other. Thistle are complicated, stingy and dark. Daisies are on the contrary, simple, round and light. And the heart of the daisy has the perfect complementary color to the thistle : yellow/orange !
thistle can be difficult to paint because of this complicated shape. But i can make it easier for me by using the right brush. A dagger shape brush with long hair and a very fine tip is your best ally in this context. It allows to make a lot of random and fine marks very quickly, like calligraphy. With the randomness of it the flower looks way more natural with that kind of brush.
Thistles and daisies in video
Supplies :
Brushes : Escoda Último nº18, Escoda Último nº8 rigger, Rosemary & Co Serie 39 1/2″.
Paper : Arches hot pressed.
Colors : Ultramarine blue (Sennelier), Amazonite genuine (Daniel Smith), Nickel azo yellow (Daniel Smith), Aussie red gold (Daniel Smith), Lunar blue (Daniel Smith), Lavander (Daniel Smith), Acrylic ink Indigo (Golden), Granulation medium (Winsor & Newton).
And here you have the finished painting (click to enlarge) :
