A Yellow Poppy

Other Supplies

Brush basin or container for water, Paper towels, Foam plates for palette, Tracing paper, White chalk, No. 12 flat brush, No. 8 flat brush, No. 1 liner brush, Sea sponge, Old toothbrush

Instructions

1. Trace and transfer the poppy pattern using white chalk.
2. Colorbook paint the poppy petals Daffodil Yellow, allow to dry; and reapply to create opaque coverage.
3. Colorbook paint the poppy stem and blade leaves with Fresh Foliage. Allow to dry.
4. Double load the flat brush with Daffodil Yellow and Bark Brown. Begin shading each back poppy petal keeping the Bark Brown at the base of the petal as well as up the petal side that falls behind another petal.
5. Still using the same flat brush, begin patting Bark Brown up into the yellow petal to soften and blend the two colors.
6. Next, paint the poppy center with a mixture of Bark Brown and Licorice. Gently pat these two colors onto the flower center.
7. While holding a flat brush straight up, lightly touch the bristles into the wet poppy center and gently pull and lift to drag the darker poppy center paint up into the back flower petals.
8. Using the same flat brush, dab or tap on the upper right flower center a small amount of Fresh Foliage as a highlight.
9. Repeat to shade the front poppy petal using same techniques as used to shade the back petals.
10. Double load the large flat brush with Daffodil Yellow and Wicker White.
11. Paint a highlight on the front petal beginning at the petal edge stroking towards the petal base.
12. Load a No. 1 Liner brush with Pure Orange and paint small polka dots around the flower center. Paint the dots in a random fashion of a variety of sizes as well as placement. Allow some dots to fall onto the poppy petals as well as flower center.
13. Load the flat brush with Thicket. Using the chisel edge of the brush, paint along the stem and blade leaves. Brush strokes can be pushed upward from the base of the leaf or pulled downwards from the tips of the leaves. Note: it is not necessary to retrace each leaf exactly over the Fresh Foliage base.
14. Moisten a sea sponge with water, squeeze to remove excess. Dab sponge into Fresh Foliage and tap on a paper towel to blend color in the damp sponge.
15. Dab up and down on poppy foliage in a random manner.
16. Thin Thicket to an ink-like consistency with water. Load an old toothbrush with the thinned Thicket.
17. Next step, flyspeck. While holding the loaded toothbrush with bristles down over artwork, run a thumb over the bristles. Tiny flecks of color will splatter over the stem and blade leaves.