Paint a Sunflower
From Scratch 🌻

Using your pencil, lightly sketch the outline of your sunflower on the canvas. Draw a circle in the upper-center area for the flower center, then add petal shapes radiating all around it. Draw a straight vertical line downward for the stem, and add two leaf shapes pointing outward from the middle of the stem. Keep all lines light and loose — they will be completely covered by paint.

On your palette, mix Cerulean Blue with Titanium White to create a soft, light sky blue. Using your large flat brush, apply this color evenly across the entire canvas, painting around your pencil sketch. Don't worry about perfectly smooth coverage — light brush strokes add a natural texture. Let dry for 1–2 minutes.

Load your brush with Sap Green and paint over the stem line with a smooth downward stroke. Then switch to Emerald Green and fill in the two leaf shapes. While still wet, add a touch of Sap Green along the edges of each leaf to create a subtle shadow and give them a natural, rounded look.

Using your brush and Burnt Sienna, fill in the circle at the center of the flower. Apply the paint generously for rich, solid coverage. This will be the base of the sunflower's seed center.

Load your large flat brush with Lemon Yellow and fill in all the petal shapes around the center circle. Use smooth outward strokes, following the direction of each petal. Don't worry about staying perfectly within the pencil lines — loose edges look natural and add energy to the painting.

While the yellow is still slightly wet, pick up a small amount of Gamboge on the tip of your brush. Lightly stroke it along the base of each petal where it meets the center circle. This creates a warm shadow effect and makes the petals look three-dimensional. No need to blend perfectly — natural variation looks great.

On your palette, mix a small amount of Lamp Black into Burnt Sienna to create a very dark brown. Using a fine brush, add small dots and short curved strokes across the center circle to suggest sunflower seeds. Then dab a few spots of pure Burnt Sienna back in for contrast and texture.

Dip your fine brush in Titanium White. Add small highlight dots to the tips of a few petals to make them glow in the light. You can also run a thin white stroke along one side of the stem for a subtle shine. Step back, take a look — your sunflower is complete! 🌻