Prairies, meadows and the edges of fields are often full of wildflowers, changing their bright dresses from season to season. You may find yellow wild mustard in the spring; a variety of golden sunflowers, sky-blue chicory, reddish orange Indian paintbrush and creamy-white Queen Anne’s lace in midsummer; perhaps clary sage and coneflowers later in the year. Take time to wander a bit, and make field sketches of the flowers you find, as well as any notes that you might find helpful.
Try to discover wildflowers that are characteristic of your location—typically prairie or old-field flowers. Some flowers produce fruit later in the season. Follow the progression from the first blooms to the rich, ripe fruit to get a feel for the place.
Reserve a page in your sketchbook to allow space to record changes as the plant matures. Leave room for berries or leaves or any other details you may want to add as the season progresses.
Notice the shape of the flower or, in the case of the elderberry blossoms shown here, of the whole flower head, called an umbel. Use a pencil guideline to capture the overall shape, as I did with the loose oval line you see here. Later, when the plant matures, add the fruit.
Painting a white flower against a white background can be tricky—you’ll probably want to suggest some background color or push the color a bit to make it pop.
Vary the rich dark hues in the berries for interest and authenticity, and be sure to leave some untouched white paper to suggest the shine.
Reference photos can be a great help when you don’t have time to really stop and paint, particularly if you have a macro lens or macro setting on your camera. It would be difficult to paint all the details you see here (the hairy backs of the chicory petals weren’t even visible with the naked eye), but the photo captures shape and color very well.
Pay attention to the growth habits of the plant you want to paint. Chicory has secondary stems that alternate along the main stem, each terminating in bud, flowers and spent flowers.
An interesting approach from the botanical standpoint is to include the whole plant, from root to flower. Chicory is common enough that this isn’t a problem, but be sure you’re not uprooting an endangered plant species! A mixture of Cobalt Blue with the barest touch of Phthalo Blue seems to capture that amazing azure.
If the plant is too tall to include on the page, you can always paint two separate parts, as I did here. The slightly creamy color of the paper gives a pleasing antique look.
When you’re ready to do your finished piece, pay attention to the shape and position of the petals and how they overlap or curl. This will make a much more realistic flower than one that looks too uniform. A few tiny lines will suggest the hairy stems.
Colors used here were Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red Medium Hue, Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue and Phthalo Blue. A springy no. 7 round lets you paint a leaf or petal almost with a single stroke, and backruns suggest volume.