Floral impressions in watercolour

Flowers provide exciting subject matter during the spring and summer months, offering vibrant colour, elegant forms, tonal variation and design potential. I particularly enjoy the way bright sunlight enhances the translucent and reflective surfaces of flowers and foliage, and the fluid transparency of watercolour makes it ideal for capturing these light effects and organic forms.

Shapes

I prefer flowers with strong, bold shapes such as daffodils, tulips, roses, lilies and gerberas. Not only are they easier to draw, their large petals convey the effects of light more readily than lacy, delicate blooms. I like to work from life when possible; setting up a composition and experiencing the subject at first hand is