Draw a simple outline of each bloom with a pink or blue watercolour pencil.

If you do not have a watercolour pencil, use an HB pencil.

Mix two large milky washes of ultramarine with a touch of opera rose to make blue-violet and ultramarine with a little more opera rose to make violet using a No. 8 brush.

Wet each bloom one by one then paint these two colours into each bloom one by one, wet in wet with a No. 8 brush.

Ensure the stronger colours are at the top of the two buds on the right, and keep the bottom part of the buds paler.

Leave to dry

Mix up two large creamy washes of opera rose and cadmium yellow (to make orange) and ultramarine and cadmium yellow (for a mid-green) with a No. 8 brush.

Wet the background with a mop brush.

Paint the orange mix in the top part of the background, wet-in-wet, with the No. 14 brush and green in the foreground, wet-in-wet, with the No. 14 brush.

Before the shine goes, sprinkle a little salt onto the top part of the painting where the orange wash lays.

Rub sandpaper on to the tip of a green watercolour pencil and allow the pigment to fall onto the damp paint, to create texture.

Leave to dry naturally.

Once your painting is dry, mix a milky wash of ultramarine and opera rose and paint mid-tone washes, wet-on-dry, with the No. 8 brush onto the mid-tone petals. Leave to dry.

Then paint thin lines (for the veins) using the same wash with a No. 2 brush, wet-on-dry, onto petals – remember less is more.

Leave to dry.

Mix ultramarine and cadmium yellow to make a mid-green milky wash.

Paint thin leaves, wet-on-dry, with the No. 8 brush.

Leave to dry.

Mix a milky wash of ultramarine and touch of opera rose to make a blue-violet.

Paint the shadows on the darker petals. Leave to dry then spatter this wash with the No. 2 brush onto flowers and background.

Mix a milky wash of ultramarine and touch of cadmium yellow to make a blue-green and paint the darker leaves, wet-on-dry, with the No. 8 brush.

Leave to dry then spatter with dark green paint using a No. 2 brush.

The finished painting

Crocus Bloom, watercolour on NOT watercolour paper, (23x30cm)

For more spring flower watercolour painting demonstrations

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