Watercolor Tulip — From Sketch To Finish In 5 Minutes

Hello everyone, today we're going to paint a tulip together. I've broken the sketch down into 6 simple steps. Since we're starting with a basic shape, it's very easy and straightforward to follow along. I've also listed the colors used for painting on the screen, so please take a look. Now shall we start with the sketch? First, draw a slightly elongated vertical oval to establish the overall size of the tulip bud. Next, draw a gently curved line and connect it to form a V shape, which will give form to the two outer petals. In the center, draw a small upside down V shape to give the inner petals a sense of dimension. Now, draw a straight stem downwards and then sketch elongated lines on both sides. These are guidelines to mark where the leaves will go. Next, based on these guidelines, complete the broad and elongated shapes of the leaves. Lightly sketch the delicate veins on the petals and finally, refine the natural curves and thickness at the petal tips to finish the overall sketch. Now, let's move on to painting. First, wet the petal area with water, leaving out the white highlights. Blend Opera and Vermilion together to lay down a soft bleeding base wash. Paint along the texture of the petals, leaving the bottom area white. When you apply paint onto wet paper like this, the colors bleed beautifully without leaving harsh brush strokes. If you drag the color down, use a clean, damp brush to gently blend and lift it away to keep that soft, white look. Now, let's wait a moment for the paint to dry completely. Once it's completely dry, re-wet the petal slightly and add a touch of Diluted Black at the bottom by tapping it in. Then, use a clean brush to soften the edges and blend it out. Adding shadows this way gives the tulip a lovely three-dimensional volume. Use a Diluted Black to define the veins in the center of the petals and add shadows where the petals overlap. Now, let's paint the stem below the bud. If you add just a tiny touch of green to the base of the flower bud, the stem and flower will blend together much more naturally. Use a clean brush to softly blend the pigment upward. Next, paint the bright areas of the stem and leaves with Sap Green and Olive Green and mix in a little bit of black to create a sense of dimension. Let's paint the leaves next. Wet the area thoroughly first, then apply color starting from the brightest spots and gradually add darker tones. The outer side of the leaf captures the light and stays bright, while the inner side is in the shadow and appears darker. For the inner, darker parts of the leaves, add Black and Brown Red to create a deeper shadow. Instead of sticking to just one color, adding a variety of tones will make your painting look much richer. Now, it's time for the detailing stage. This time, instead of wetting the entire flower bud with a brush, I lightly misted it using a spray bottle. Use a fine brush to carefully draw the delicate veins on the tulip petals, then gently tap the tips with a clean brush to let them bleed naturally. Rather than drawing the veins straight up and down, angling them slightly looks much more natural and beautiful. Now, let's make the leaves a bit more vivid and defined. Apply a darker color to the shaded areas first, then create a smooth gradient that fades out toward the edges. Giving the colors subtle variations is key here as well. Adding slight tone shifts even to the bright areas will beautifully capture the organic curves of the leaves. Shall we add the leaf veins too? Draw them thinly using a darker shade on the shaded surfaces and a lighter tone on the bright sides. Alright, time for the finishing touches. Use Crimson Lake to add richer, more vivid details to the flower bud. Then, deepen the soft black shadows at the base of the bud just a little more. Ta-da! The tulip watercolor painting is complete! I hope today's video was helpful for anyone wanting to paint tulips. Thank you so much for watching. See you in the next video. Bye!