I absolutely love pansy flowers!
These small flowers come in a rich variety of color combinations and have such an adorable shape. Some have elegant pastel tones, while others feature bold and vibrant contrasts. Today, let’s paint a purple pansy step by step together!
Hope you have fun!
Painting Tools
- Watercolor Paper: Arches Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper
- Brushes: Escoda Perla #8 / Escoda Versatil #10
- Watercolors: For this beginner step-by-step watercolor tutorial series, I use Schmincke Horadam 24 Half-Pan Set. You can choose any brand and find similar colors.
Colors:
Ultramarine
Manganese Violet
Magenta
Cadmium red light
1. Pansy Sketch
Start by sketching the five main petals, outlining the areas where the darker pattern will be.
2. Painting the White Petals
For the first step, we’ll paint the white petals. Mix diluted Ultramarine + a touch of orange to create a very light gray tone for shading the white petals.
Then, use Ultramarine, Manganese Violet, and Magenta to paint the outer edges of the petals, creating subtle blue-violet, purple, and pinkish-purple gradients.
Once the first layer is completely dry, add delicate petal textures using a slightly deeper gray. You can draw fine lines from the center outward or from the edges inward to create a natural, irregular look, giving the petals a soft, creased texture.
3. Completing All Petals
After finishing the three front petals with the same technique, move on to the two back petals.
For these petals, use Ultramarine + Magenta as the base color. On the front-facing petal, leave some highlights unpainted to suggest the petal’s thickness.
Before the base color fully dries, lightly add Ultramarine to enhance the petal textures.
4. Adding Details
Let’s refine the flower with delicate details!
Use Cadmium Red Light to paint the flower’s center.
Mix a stronger Ultramarine + Manganese Violet to create the dark markings on the petals, following the natural vein directions.
Also, add fine petal lines to the deep blue-violet patterns.
Finally, darken the gaps between the petals—just slightly darker than the base color will be enough.
Our pansy is now complete! 🌸 Would you like to try more fun color combinations?
With just a few simple steps—base color, patternss, fine petal lines, and details—you can create an entire series of beautiful pansies!
Thank you so much for trying this tutorial. Feel free to share how your daffodil flowers turned out in the comments below.
If you have any suggestions for what I should paint next, let me know—I’m just as excited as you are for the next tutorial.
Want to remember this? Save this tutorial on your favorite Pinterest board!
Related Blog Posts:
https://ciaoyinluo.com/how-to-paint-watercolor-catharanthus-roseus/
https://ciaoyinluo.com/how-to-paint-poppy-watercolor-tutorial/
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