Iris Flower Acrylic Painting Tutorial How to Paint Realistic Flowers
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If you’ve ever wanted to learn painting realistic flowers in acrylic, this iris tutorial will walk you through every step of my process. I’ll show you exactly how I built up layers of color, created soft transitions, and mixed vibrant purples and warm apricots to bring this flower to life. Acrylics can dry quickly, but with the right techniques, you can still achieve rich blends and soft edges that make your flowers look luminous and natural.
We’ll cover everything from mixing warm and cool undertones to layering values for depth and realism. Whether you’re just getting started or refining your skills, this lesson will help you feel more confident with painting realistic flowers in acrylic while keeping your colors vibrant and your petals soft and dimensional.
📸 Special thanks to photographer Eva Grall for allowing me to paint her beautiful reference photo “Shadow Dancer.” You can find her work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/evagrall/
My palette for this painting: quinacridone magenta, cadmium red medium, cadmium yellow medium, ultramarine blue (red shade), phthalocyanine blue (green shade - only for the foliage, nowhere else), burnt umber, and titanium white.
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🖼 Related videos you might like:
🎥 Peony Acrylic Flower Painting Tutorial: https://youtu.be/tGFjz-pt_Mk
🎥 How to Paint Flowers in Acrylic: https://youtu.be/OmoaY1NVSxU
🎥 Dahlia Acrylic Flower Painting Tutorial: https://youtu.be/5Oua4YJJh-U
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Whether you’re a beginner or experienced artist, this Iris flower acrylic painting tutorial will help you paint more confidently, understand colour mixing, and create realistic, luminous petals you’ll be proud of.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:17 Adding the First Layer of Acrylic Paint
01:30 Blocking in - Starting the Petals of the Iris
01:47 Why Values Matter for Realism when Painting in Acrylic
03:00 What is a Split Primary Palette?
04:47 If You'd Like to Dive Deeper into Painting Flowers in Acrylic or Color Mixing with Acrylic
05:46 Starting the Second Layer
07:49 What to do When You Make Mistakes or Get Stuck on a Painting
08:54 How to Paint with Maximum Saturation and Preserve Your Chroma
09:34 How to Paint Soft Petals and Blend with Multiple Brushes
10:28 Final Painting Adjustments
11:03 Completed Painting Reveal