If you are just starting to take the first steps in art, then you need to practice a lot. In this case, flowers are the best sitter that nature can offer. Firstly, the image with flowers will refresh any interior, secondly, such beauty will never fade (you just need to wipe the dust occasionally), and thirdly, creating exclusive still lifes or just small pictures is quite simple. We offer to learn how to draw iris. Watercolor for this flower is perfect.
First stage
Take a closer look at the iris flower. This is an amazing and very unusual plant. Its petals play in different colors, and the lace structure resembles the hem of a ball gown. Of course, iris is the summer king of flowers.
At the first stage of creating a picture, where only iris will be present (we use watercolor as the main tool), you need to choose a "sitter". The ideal option is when you can go to the flowerbed and constantly contemplate the bud you like, displaying all the details on paper. If you do not have such an opportunity, as an example we offer a picture of such a handsome white man with a lemon center.
Why should you use watercolor?
So, you have chosen flowers such as irises for drawing. Watercolor drawing is good because the object depicted on it will look as natural as possible. Take a close look at the flower. There are no clear lines on its petals, all the shades seem to merge into one another, while remaining white. This effect can be achieved only with the help of watercolor paints. The main secret of their use - you need to draw wet. This means that first you cover the paper layer with a small amount of water, and then, adding paint to it, blend it until the desired shade is obtained. Watercolor iris will always be a little blurry and at the same time "natural."
Step 2
Well, we decided on the model, prepared all the necessary tools. Recall that to create a picture you need: watercolor paper, a brush (preferably two - thin and thick), a glass of water and the paints themselves. We draw irises in watercolor in stages, and start with a sketch.
Draw the contours of the flower on paper with a pencil. look carefully at its primary image and mark on the sheet all the transition lines where the shades change. In the future, this will help not to mix paints in order to avoid “one big spot”.
Step 3
You should start painting with a background. If your flower is white, as in our example, then use a dark color for the surrounding texture. For other irises, you can choose a suitable background of a different color. It will always be beneficial to look green - it is associated with grass and summer greens. And if you can create a background gradient, starting from light green and ending with dark jade, your picture will sparkle.
Take a thick brush, dip in water and, without squeezing it, lower it into paint. Draw a few strokes along the contour and repeat the procedure, each time changing or adding a new shade. A blurry texture will be created at the borders of your strokes. Thus, the paints mix smoothly, creating a gradient background.
Allow a few minutes to dry.
Step 4
As you can see, there is nothing difficult in how to draw irises in watercolor. At the next stage, you need to start creating the middle. In our example, it is unusually tender and has a pleasant sunny tint.
Make sure the background is well dried. Now, when you move on to creating the flower directly, you don’t need the dark colors of the background to go over to white lace petals.
When creating the core, try using a slightly different watercolor technique. First, with a brush, wet the paper within the midline outline with a brush. Now wring out a slightly thin brush and fill it with yellow paint. Put it in the center, and you will see how the paint itself will blur in the right directions. Take a few more similar steps. Make sure the core is the same as in the picture.
Using the same technique, apply the lightest shadows with blue paint. Leave white gaps or darken them slightly. Remember that the most saturated color is usually closer to the middle, while the periphery should remain almost white. In order for everything to work out, follow the pictures above, and then the irises (it’s not so difficult to draw in watercolor in stages, the main thing is to have at least a little artistic skill) will turn out to be beautiful and unique.
Step 5
Continue to fill the entire empty space with paint. Do not rush, smoothly move from one petal to another. Let's dry to the parts where you have already finished.
Remember one more rule: the first coat of paint should always be bright. After you fill out the whole picture, you will see in which places you need to darken and in which, on the contrary, lighten.
If you are painting a white flower, never use the white paint that is available in any watercolor palette. For you - shades of blue, blue, lilac, purple and gray. You will love iris. Watercolor - and only she! - able to make it as natural as possible.
We draw stamens
In order to get a beautiful natural center, completely dry the brush (you can even use a sponge or a piece of cloth). Use a dry brush to remove excess paint from the places where the stamens will be. Do the same with the veins on the petals. After complete drying with a thin brush, draw contours.
Finish the drawing and draw the details. Now your irises (watercolor drawing is presented above) can be framed and hung on the wall.