Begin by sketching out the composition using a No. 4 pointed round brush and the dark blue-brown mix diluted with Sansodor.

Roughly blocked in the darkest areas – this involves some intense squinting to simplify the subject and reveal the overall shapes and tonal values.

Identify where the ‘lost’ edges will be, in particular where the jug handle and the leaves were in shadow and the transparent glass vase merge with the light background.

Paint the bright lime greens in the background using a No. 6 long filbert; this makes the pale umber underpainting into a mid-tone, and gives a strong colour context for the other colours to react with.

This also creates an exciting foil for the pinks, blues, mauves and reds that are to follow.

Dash in some thinned titanium white to suggest the white, cellophane-wrapped drawing standing behind the vases to lighten the value of the space around the agapanthus flowers.

Focus on the darkest tones next, bringing rich greens to the rose leaves, deepening the shadows behind the jug and adding the deep red of the heart on the candle holder and card using a mix of magenta and burnt sienna.

Lighten the deep blue on the jug with unbleached titanium and titanium white and take this pale blue-grey across the shaded side of the candle holder and vase, and the mid-toned shadows cast onto the mantel shelf.

Add pale pink to the roses and fallen petals to bring them forwards and develop their shape.

Add mid-tone blues to the jug, then lighten and carry through the composition in the shadows on the shelf and reflections on the glassware.

Use the narrow No. 4 egbert to flick in the elongated flowers of the agapanthus using the deep purple mix.

Add titanium white to the mix and use the same brush to dash in highlights, creating shape and movement, and use the No. 4 rigger to suggest the dark green stalks.

Paint in the pot, dark leaf and stems of the orchid and create a frame on the left-hand side.

Resist the urge for fiddling!

Add the palest pinks to define the lightest petals and dash in streaks of light onto the jug and glassware.

The finished painting

Roses in a Cornish Jug, oil on board, (20.5x25.5cm)

The next day I decided to throw caution to the wind and develop it further.

I had kept my palette covered overnight and had plenty of mixed colours left.

The roses were a beautiful, delicate pink and I knew that a little more time spent on them would enhance them as the focal point of the composition. I was able to paint with a light touch and avoid over-working them.

I added more of the mid-toned pink to the petals, and touched in deeper pinks to define the petals and enhance the silhouetted roses reflected in the mirror.

A little titanium white added to the lime green was used to soften and simplify the background, obliterating the distracting edge of the white orchid pot on the left.

I also added more petals to the agapanthus and pale neutral greys were used throughout the objects on the mantelpiece to reduce the tonal range a little and create a more unified effect.

I brightened the blue stripes on the jug with cobalt blue and titanium white and warmed the cream stripes with a mix of unbleached titanium and titanium white, which I also added to the front edge of the mantelpiece.

Finally a touch of warm white was used for highlights on the shelf and fallen petals.

At this point I put down my brushes, feeling that I had done justice to this gorgeous subject without losing the freshness and immediacy of my initial marks.

Helen has BA and MA degrees in fine art. She exhibits widely and her work is in British and international collections. Helen is also a qualified tutor and has taught art classes and workshops for over 20 years, as well as providing painting demonstrations and critique evenings for art societies. www.helentarr.co.uk

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