Priya Kapoor
Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers to paint, and they can be created using a few simple techniques and colours. In this article, we will take you through the exact steps to draw and paint a sunflower, from creating the shape and form to layering colours and using different stroke techniques to bring your painting to life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Paint | Acrylic |
| Colors | Daffodil Yellow, Burnt Umber, Coffee Bean, Cinnamon, Pure Orange, Licorice Black, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Primary Yellow, Brown, White, Burnt Sienna, Payne's Grey, Mars Black |
| Brushes | Filbert Brush, #8 Round Brush, #4 Round Brush, #8 Round Bush, Round Bristle Brush, Stencil Brush, 3/4" Flat Brush, 3/4" Brush |
| Canvas Size | 11" x 14", 8" x 10" |
| Techniques | Stippling, Double Loading, Layering, Stencilling |
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What You'll Learn
Trace a circle
To begin painting a sunflower, you must first trace a circle. This will be the centre of the sunflower, around which you will paint the petals. You can use anything with a circular shape to trace the outline, such as a bowl, a plate, a compass, a can, a pot, or even a flower pot. Position the circle so that it is going off the bottom part of the canvas. You can also use a stencil or draw freehand.
Once you have traced your circle, you can start to paint it in. Using any brush, paint the entire circle a solid coat of burnt umber. This is the first "under layer" colour of the circle. It is okay if the paint overlaps the base of some of the petals. You can also add a touch of cinnamon paint to the corner of the brush and pull it along the outside edge of a petal to add definition.
For the centre texture, use a round bristle brush with coarse, natural-textured bristles. Dip the tip of the brush into black paint, then tap just the tip to create a textured effect inside a defined circular area at the bottom of the sunflower. Then, on the outer part of that centre circle, stipple more brown and yellow oxide. You can also add bits of white to the centre part of the sunflower.
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Paint the under layer
Painting sunflowers is all about layering colours and using different stroke techniques. The first step to painting a sunflower is to paint the under layer.
Start by tracing a 6" circle in the lower-left area of your canvas for the centre of the sunflower. You can use anything to trace the circle, such as a bowl, plate, compass, flower pot, can, or even a pot. Position the circle so that it is going off the bottom part of the canvas.
Next, use a #8 round brush (or your #4 round) to paint the entire circle a solid coat of burnt umber. This is the first “under layer” colour of the circle. You don’t need to worry about stroke direction here, as it is only an under layer. It is okay if you paint your circle and it overlaps the base of some of the petals.
For the centre texture, use a round bristle brush with more coarse and natural texture. Dip the tip of your brush into mars black and then tap just the tip to create the texture inside a defined circular area at the bottom of the sunflower (centre). Then, on the outer part of that centre circle, stipple more brown and yellow oxide.
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Paint the petals
Painting the petals is where you can really start to see your sunflower come to life. Using a #8 round brush, start each petal at the base of the centre of the sunflower, where the circle is, and slightly overlap it over the circle. Draw each petal out, making sure the tip almost reaches the edge of the canvas. The petals are wider in the middle and taper to a point. Each petal is unique, so don't worry about making them uniform. You can also overlap them at this stage.
For the colour, I used cadmium yellow hue for the base of the petals, double-loaded with a tiny bit of burnt umber. For the rest of the petals, I used the same base colour but double-loaded it with primary yellow. You can add a touch of cinnamon to the corner of the brush and pull it along the outside edge of a petal to add definition. You can also blend a touch of pure orange at the base of the petals around the centre, but this is optional.
For the back petals, use burnt umber mixed with cadmium yellow hue. You can also add some shadow where the back petal emerges from behind the front petal by using the corner of your brush with cinnamon. For the top layer of the front petals, double-load your filbert brush with primary yellow and white.
To create a spark of brightness, run the chisel edge of a clean brush loaded with daffodil yellow along different petal edges in a hit-and-miss fashion.
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Layer colours and use different stroke techniques
Layering colours and using different stroke techniques are key to painting a sunflower. For the centre of the sunflower, use a round bristle brush with natural, coarse bristles for stippling—dip the tip of the brush into black paint and then tap it to create a textured effect. You can also use a stencil brush for this step. Next, stipple some brown and yellow oxide on the outer part of the centre circle. For a spark of brightness, run the chisel edge of a clean brush loaded with daffodil yellow along different petal edges in a hit-and-miss fashion.
Add a touch of cinnamon paint to the corner of the brush and pull it along the outside edge of a petal to define its shape. You can also use the cinnamon paint to add shadows where the back petals emerge from behind the front ones. For the back petals, use a 3/4" brush and daffodil yellow paint. Blend a touch of pure orange at the base of the petals around the centre to add more depth.
For the petals, use a #8 round brush with cadmium yellow hue. Start each petal at the base, where it overlaps the centre circle, and draw each petal out towards the edge of the canvas. The petals are wider in the middle and come to a point at the tip. You can also double load the brush with a tiny bit of burnt umber to add variation to the petal colours.
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Add finishing touches
Now that you've painted your sunflower, it's time to add some finishing touches!
First, use a round brush to stipple black in the centre of the sunflower. Rinse the brush and add burnt umber and black to it. Use this to stipple some dots around the outer parts of the centre circle. You can also add some white to the centre by first using a pencil to outline the words and then using a white POSCA paint pen to write over them. If the pencil marks are still visible, let the paint dry and then erase them.
Next, add some definition to the petals. Using a clean brush, add a touch of cinnamon paint to the corner and pull it along the outside edge of a petal. Clean the brush again and load it with daffodil yellow. Run the chisel edge of the brush along different petal edges to add a spark of brightness.
Finally, you can add some shadow to the petals. With the cinnamon paint on the corner of the brush, add some shadow where the back petal emerges from behind the front petal.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use a variety of colours to paint a sunflower, but the main colours are yellow, brown and black. You can use shades of yellow, such as cadmium yellow hue and primary yellow, and shades of brown, such as burnt umber and coffee bean. You can also add white and orange to the centre of the sunflower.
You can use a variety of brush sizes to paint a sunflower, but a #8 round brush is commonly used for the petals and a #4 round brush can be used for the centre. A filbert brush can also be useful for adding details to the petals.
It's a good idea to start by tracing a circle in the centre of your canvas to act as a guide for the rest of the painting. You can use a bowl, plate, or any round object to trace the circle, or you can use a compass. Then, paint the circle a solid coat of brown to create the first layer of the sunflower's centre.
To paint the petals, start at the base of the circle and use a #8 round brush with cadmium yellow hue. Overlap the petals slightly over the circle and draw each petal out towards the edge of the canvas. The petals should be wider in the middle and come to a point at the tip. You can add a second layer of colour to the petals by double-loading your brush with two colours, such as yellow and a small amount of brown.
