Spring Tulips Painting
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Skagit Valley Tulips
Washington state tulips
My father loved the tulip fields north of Seattle, and introduced me to them when I was young. He created several paintings from his photos of the fields. A trip to the fields became a treat that we looked forward to each spring. I missed the annual event during the years that I lived in the Southwest, so I created a few paintings of my own to remember them by.
Now that I am back in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) I have located fields closer to me - near Mount Rainier. As an added bonus, I can now grow my own tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths :-)
PAINTING SIZE
Create your painting any size you want. I made mine 9” x 12”.
Skagit Valley Tulips
SUPPLIES
canvas of your choice - panel or gallery wrap (I used a 9" x 12")
acrylic paints (There are many good brand choices - here are a few: Grumbacher, Arteza, Golden, Liquitex, Artist Masters, Amsterdam)
I used Liquitex paints except where noted.
colors used:
phthalocyamine green, bright aqua green, naples yellow, cadmium yellow deep hue, olive green (by Amsterdam), cadmium orange, hooker's green, deep violet, light magenta, payne's gray (by Artists Touch), titanium white
paint brushes: round size 8, small flat brush
palette knife
cup of water, paper towel, easel
paper towel
DIRECTIONS
VIDEO: Watch my video at the end of the article to see the process.
I provide 2 different methods for using molding paste (also called modeling paste) on this page, and in my free video.
METHOD 1
1. Apply the molding paste to the canvas first, using a palette knife. Paint is NOT mixed with the paste for this step.
2. After the paste has dried (it took a little over an hour for the paste to dry), paint the uppper background. Use a small brush to paint in close to the flowers. Continue around to the area under the flowers. Paint the foreground.
3. After the background is in (a good base coat), use a small brush to paint the flowers.
4. Add more layers of paint to the upper area, flowers, and foreground as necessary. Many layers are needed for depth and a finished look. Use a palette knife to add more dimension to the foreground.
This method produced beautiful results. The downside was that I had to wait quite a while for the paste to dry before painting it. Due to the heavy texture, it was difficult to get all the little nooks and crannies painted. I had to paint a layer, let it dry, then go back and repaint several times. Also, it wasa bit difficult to paint in close around the flowers.
METHOD 2
1. Paint the entire background first. Allow the background to dry.
2. Mix the floral paint with the molding paste. Use a palette knive to apply the thickened paint to the canvas. Use this same technique to add foreground.
3. Add new layers as necessary for dimension and finishing.
VIDEO
Watch my free video to see the entire process.
Notes From The Workroom & Trails
From winter storm watching to outdoor recreation to social gatherings: our favorite activities for the dark and cozy time of year.