Wild Flowers and Butterflies

The flowers are very effective. The butterflies do look stuck and are a bit lost in the background. interesting idea to try

No drawing - really?? That's amazing - I just couldn't do that. Superb colourful and interesting painting. I am taken aback at your talent in producing this!

It's not really difficult Thea. I'll explain how it was done. As it's wet-in-wet it's best if you either use really thick 300lb paper or stretch the paper first. I first used a well soaped rigger brush to streak in the light grasses and make random marks for the white flowers. Then I wet the paper all over really well. When the first shininess had gone off the wet, I just splashed bright colours onto the wet paper or put them in with a brush wherever I felt like it. The colours would spread and run a bit in the damp paper. After that I dried it all off with a hairdryer. Next I made various washes in different shades of green and used them for the background and to define the edges of some of the flowers. I let the different greens run into each other and put in dark areas while the green was still wet. Then I let it dry again. Then used more green letting some of the lighter underneath green show through as negative painting. I also deepened some of the colour on the flowers in places. Then dried it again and removed the masking fluid. Touched in a little light yellowy green into the light grasses left by the masking fluid. Put in some dark grasses. Enhanced the white flowers and some coloured ones with soft pastel. Then painted butterflies on a separate piece of paper, cut them out and stuck them on. I did it in an afternoon. It's fun to work like that. You can never tell how it's going to turn out.