"Jack's Roses," (Continued)

In our last session, I was so excited to start applying oil paint that I lost my focus. My disappointment over my first attempt was the result. I failed to see the "foreshortening" in some of the lower petals, and how this caused a change in value. I have corrected the problem, but I'm still not pleased with the results.

In this blog session, I'm painting the yellow roses. The acrylic undercoat is very dark, but the yellow roses are light. I want some of the undercoat to peek through. Perhaps I'll add a touch of red to warm the centers. The bright red rose is the oddball in the mix. I don't want the red to overpower my painting. I may add an additional red bud or two for balance or subdue the rose and make it a darker pink.

Notice that I'm playing everything "by ear," or should I say by "feel." I'll use my eyes and my gut to tell me what needs to be added (or taken away) and to tell me when I'm finished.

I'm learning that the success of my roses is in the brush work. My first attempts are clumsy. I don't want to overwork them, but I dislike my first layer of oil. I like the yellow rose on the left. It has a translucent, delicate look that I don't want to lose. I can see I'll have to paint many more roses before I'm satisfied with the results.

I filled in the leaves in this session. I will go back over the entire painting in more detail and with the highlights. I feel there is too much space in the middle, and I'm not sure how I'll resolve that issue. I want some of the leaves and petals to overlap one another, and will deal with this when the oil layer is dry.

Since I'm a novice at painting roses, your critique and suggestions are more than welcome. I apologize that my pictures are a little fuzzy. When I upload my final painting, I'll make sure that these imperfections are corrected. If there are questions--ask away! If there is a topic or a technique that you'd like to see discussed in this blog, please let me know.