If you want to paint a cheerful watercolor, the red Panama Rose is a good choice. The cluster of small flowers has a simple shape, and so do the leaves.
The Panama Rose, also known as Fragrant Rondeletia, is a shrub with numerous medicinal properties. It is used in traditional plant medicine, and scientists are also studying various healing aspects of the plant.
Loved by butterflies and hummingbirds, it is a great choice for your garden. I photographed the flowers in Kyoto´s botanical garden. That was a few years ago.
I could not decide which of the two photos to paint, so I sketched both. That worked well, because one of them did not work out well.
Sketching the flowers
Fixing my attention on the little flowers, I sketched both clusters. Sometimes I feel confused drawing many overlapping flowers. This time, it was a relaxing exercise. I believe it was due to the intense focus.
If, however, you are not keen on sketching, you can download mine. It is a clean outline drawing of both flowers, available to Level Up members.
When you join the free One Tree Art Club, you can download free outline drawings for many of my tutorials.
Transferring the outline drawing for painting
Using transfer paper, I traced both drawings. Learn how to trace onto watercolor paper.
I then transferred the drawings to watercolor paper. The paper was already stretched on a wooden board.
Painting flowers with watercolor
The first step is to paint the yellow centers of the flowers.
Next, paint the leaves with a generous amount of water. The water will allow the color to spread unevenly.
I painted with green first, then added a little blue. Let the colors flow.
When the leaves are dry, paint the red petals.
Add some orange to the center of the flowers.
You can decide that your painting is done now. Or you can continue with more details. My tools for working on the details are white gouache and colored pencils. A fine brush is also needed.
It is hard to describe this last step. It is a creative process where you mix and match the rendering tools as you go.
Happy painting!
Guide to Art Supplies
More tutorials with red flowers and a red cardinal:
Easy Watercolor Art: Red Flower Tutorial With Colored Pencil Accents
How To Watercolor An Amaryllis Flower
Flowers to Paint in Watercolor: Velvet-Red Slipper Orchid
Drawing with Colored Pencils: Realistic Cardinal Tutorial
