Paint a Botanical Vase
From Scratch 🌿

Using your pencil, lightly sketch the composition. Draw a large square in the upper left area of the canvas for the orange color block, and a smaller rectangle in the upper right for the red block. In the lower center, draw a round pear-shaped vase. From the top of the vase, draw a single stem with 4–5 large oval leaf shapes. At the very bottom, draw a semicircle for the table surface. Keep all lines light and loose.

On your palette, mix Titanium White with just a tiny touch of Lemon Yellow to create a warm cream color. Using your large flat brush, apply this color evenly across the entire canvas. Let dry for 1–2 minutes before moving on.

Using Orange, fill in the large square in the upper left with smooth, even strokes. Then use Scarlet Red to fill in the smaller rectangle in the upper right. Both blocks should be flat and solid — no gradients, no texture. For crisp, straight edges, you can use masking tape as a guide. Peel the tape off while the paint is still wet for the cleanest result.

Using Burnt Umber, fill in the semicircle at the bottom of the canvas. Keep the curved edge smooth and rounded. This simple shape suggests a table or shelf surface beneath the vase.

Using Lamp Black, fill in the vase shape with smooth strokes that follow its rounded form. Then paint the thin stem rising from the vase opening. Finally, fill in each leaf shape — keep them as simple, bold oval silhouettes with no internal detail. The contrast of the black shapes against the warm cream and orange background is what makes this painting so striking.

Step back and look at your painting. Check that all the color blocks have clean, even edges. Touch up any areas where the background shows through the black shapes. Your botanical vase painting is complete! 🌿