Hey Everyone! I’m so sorry for being gone so long. My “real” job is in healthcare so you can imagine how busy I’ve been.

So on with the tutorial. Last post left off at step 29, so here we go with step 30

Step 30:

• The highlights for the final section are done with Deco Pink (1014), Cream (914), and Grey-green Light (289) for the brightest highlight and Deco Pink, Blush Pink (928), and Cream for the others
• Pale Vermillion (921), Neon Orange (1036), and Carmine Red (926) surround the highlights and across the top edge
• Poppy Red (922) fills in between the edge and the long highlight at center front
• Continue downward with Permanent Red (122) below the highlights
• Blend into Crimson Red (924) all the way down to where the bottom begins to curve under
• Apply Scarlet Lake (923) blending into Tuscan Red (937) at the bottom
• Apply Black at the bottom and blend with Tuscan Red (937)

 

The image now looks like this:

Step 31: Begin the Stem

• We will start by apply stripes of color on the curved part of the stem. Start the stem with a layer of Moss Green (1097) along the underside of the curve followed by a layer of Tuscan Red (937)
• Moving upward, apply Moss Green (1097) and Artichoke (1098)
• Moving upward again, apply Moss Green (1097) and Apple Green (912)
• Above that, apply Artichoke (1098) and Apple Green (912)
• Above that, apply Lime Peel (1005), Spring Green (913), and Chartreuse (989)
• Still moving upward, apply Lime Peel (1005), Spring Green (913), and Canary Yellow (916)
• There is a highlight at the top of the stem which is done with Pale Sage (1089), Yellow Chartreuse (1004), Light Green (920) and Sky-Blue Light (1086)
• To the left of the highlight, finishing the top curve, is Lime Peel (1005), Spring Green (913), Yellow Chartreuse (1004) at the end of the highlight is Lime Peel (1005) and Cool Grey 30% (1061) that will blend the highlight into the darker greens of the stem

 

Step 32: Lower part of the stem

• Starting at the inner curve, apply Moss Green (1097) and Artichoke (1098)
• Moving to the left, apply Moss Green (1097) and Chartreuse (989)
• Next apply Moss Green (1097), Artichoke (1098) and Apple Green (912)
• Then apply Apple Green (912) and Artichoke (1098)
• Lastly, apply Apple Green (912) and Green Ochre (1091)

 

• Blend these layers into the greens applied in Step 31

 

Step 33: Base of Stem

• Start at the far right, under the curve of the stem
• Apply Chartreuse (989) and Black in the darkest area
• Apply Apple Green (912) and Light Umber (941) to the small green area in front of the black
• Start the bottom of the stem with Apple Green (912) covered with Beige Sienna (1080)
• Moving clockwise, apply Apple Green (912), Chartreuse (989) and Artichoke (1098)
• Then apply Lime Peel (1005), Apple Green (912), Chartreuse (989)
• Next apply Moss Green (1097) and Apply Green (912)
• The base of the stem is finished with Artichoke (1098), Moss Green (1097) and Chartreuse (989)
• The leafy part that can be seen on the left is done using a combination of the greens. Use a loose, circular, scribbling motion to fill this area in an uneven manner
• At the center front, there is a leafy part that is slightly turned up showing the shadowed underside. This is done using Chartreuse (989), with Moss Green (1097) and Espresso (1099) blended in at the top edge

 

Step 34: Cast Shadow

• Finish the image with a cast shadow at the bottom
• Use black at the very base
• Then working outward, blend French Grey 50% (1072), Sandbar Brown (1094) and Silver (949) for the lightest part of the shadow
• Finalize you piece by going back over areas that don’t appear blended well enough. Add black to are3as that need to be darker
• When satisfied, sign your name
• A fixative can be applied to prevent wax bloom and to protect your work from smudging

The final image:

 

Compared to the reference photo:

My scanned image doesn’t look as vibrant as it does in real life but I think the image is very close to the reference. Typically I would complete the painting with the background but I decided to leave that out for this tutorial.

I hope you all enjoyed this. I would love to see your results. If you have any questions or comments feel free to share them. I look forward to the next tutorial. Thank you for taking this journey with me and until next time, keep your pencils sharp!