How To Paint – Artichoke

Daily Inspiration -
We gain self-confidence by trying things out of our comfort zone, no matter what age we are.

Yes, you can paint this. The artichoke takes just 4 colors of green, with no painting experience required. I put it on a neutral background, but you could paint any colors that would coordinate with your kitchen or dining room.
I started with a piece of canvas. You could also paint it on watercolor paper. Keep in mind that you can scan it or photograph it and then print it off for a variety of decorative uses – greeting cards, iron-on transfer for fabrics, tile coasters – tons of uses!

I mixed Ceramcoat Bamboo with White and randomly dabbed it on.

Then I painted Eucalyptus green and created an outline. I’m happy to give you the pattern – just email me.

Fill in the rest of the artichoke with Eucalyptus. Allow it to dry fully and then see if you need to apply a 2nd coat to get full coverage.

With a lighter shade of green – I used Stonewedge Green – create edges of each leaf. On the outside leaves I did the tips. On the inside leaves I painted the tip and each side.
It doesn’t have to be exact. In fact, it’ll look better if it’s your leaves aren’t lined up perfectly and all the same shape. Sometimes it’s harder to be random than symmetrical.

For the first layer of shading I used English Yew Green. It’s a medium dark, yellowish green. Every place you applied highlights, apply a smaller line of shading next to it. It’s okay if you cover up some of the highlighting – you can go back as a final step and add more.
Your shading doesn’t have to be completely opaque.

You can use this picture as a guide. Fill in shading between the bottom of one leave and the top of the other. You can decide how high you want the shading to go on each leave. You can also add a little line at the top of each leaf.

For the last layer of shading I used Black Green. Apply this just in the deepest recesses between the leaves.
As a final touch, you can add more highlighting. It will make the leaves ‘pop’ more. That’s it!
Are you an artichoke fan? Not only are they delicious, they make wonderful decorative touches, which is why I wanted to paint one.
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Colleen