Clematis flowers in line and wash

If you’re in the mood to paint some easy watercolor flowers that are just the right balance of loose-but-detailed, the Clematis flowers I show you in this mini class are just the thing.

I demonstrate how to paint pretty flowers in a line and wash style, using a waxy pencil to create bold linework. Because the pencil’s water resistant, it acts as a barrier between the colour areas, meaning you can work quickly with watery paint mixes.

A mindful approach to painting these pretty but easy watercolor flowers:

As I explain in the video, there’s a greater amount of subjectivity in this approach, because we’re not aiming to objectively portray what we see as we do in realism. Here, we’re seeking to express the beauty we see in the subject. This leaves plenty of room for artistic license and accentuatung the features you appreciate most in the flower. I call this mindful practice ‘botanical sketching’ and explain it more in the video.

If you’ve not yet given this a try, I think you’ll be pleasanly surprised by what having multiple artistic approaches can bring to your creativity. I’ve found that it’s absolutely possible for artists to work in more than one style to express our own unique artistic voice.

Something I especially appreciate about botanical sketching is how quickly I can complete a painting. By being selective about the details to include, it makes it simple to take a subject like these clematis and work them into very easy watercolor flowers that bring impact and convey the beauty you see in them.

Watch the mini class:

I hope this class has inspired you to sketch and paint some clematis flowers too, focusing on the beauty you see in them. If you’d like to try some other easy watercolor flowers in a similar style, have a look at this Freesia mini class, and the mini class where I show you how to sketch a Snake’s Head Fritillary.

Adding botanical sketching to my repertoire has greatly boosted my productivity as an artist because it gives me multiple options to suit the time and energy I have available for painting. Ultimately that leads me to pick up my paintbrushes more often, whatever style I end up painting in.

If you’re more used to working in a realistic way and ‘loosening up’ feels challenging for you, check out this class where I explain how to loosen up your painting style. Or if you’re not sure whether it’s right for you, I offer some advice in this video about whether you should loosen up.

Please share your experiences!

Please do leave me a comment below if you’ve enjoyed watching this mini class. Has it inspired you to paint a clematis, to try botanical sketching, or even just to feel the swirl of your paintbrush on the palette? I’d love to hear from you, so please do share your thoughts.