Drawing White Flowers on White Paper

 

Hello!

This is my most recent drawing of a Magnolia Branch!  I have been drawing a lot of white flowers lately, so I thought I would put together a quick tip video to show a few of my steps.

Here are a few quick tips:

1.  Look closely at your reference image to determine the undertone of the flower. 

Do you see a pink or yellow tint?  Maybe green or purple or maybe it is mainly gray like my magnolias.

Here are a couple of white flower references.  See the difference in the undertones?

The one on the top has cream and yellow undertones.  The one on the bottom has a pink tint.

2.  Focus on drawing the shadows.

Once you have determined the color of the shadows, start drawing what you see.  Don’t worry that it is supposed to be a white flower.  Just focus on filling in the shadows.

3.  Enhance or edit your reference image to increase your shadows so that they will be easier to see.

If your reference flower is very bright white or washed out, edit your image to increase the contrasts or darken the shadows.  You have to have something to draw!  The shadows are what give your petals shape and depth.  Without them, your drawing will be very 1-dimensional and unrealistic.

4.  Use light pressure and light layers.

Overlap lighter colors or use less pressure with your shadow colors as you move toward the brightest white of the petal.  You want to try to create a smooth transition between the shadows and the white of the flower.

5.  Use solvent.

I like to use solvent or odorless mineral spirits or odorless paint thinner to dissolve the pencil pigment.  This also helps get rid of any graininess from the pencil which could make your petals look dirty and grainy.

6.  Blend over everything with a creamy, white pencil.

In my final steps, I almost always blend over everything with a soft white pencil such as Prismacolor White, Luminance White or Derwent Drawing Chinese White.  Push as hard as you need to at this point to smooth everything out.

I am happy to answer any questions in the comments.

You can find my art tutorials at:http://www.patreon.com/jennifermorrisonart

Jennifer