This project uses the wet-on-wet technique to capture the distinctive perforated leaves of Monstera deliciosa. You will practise changing the value of the paint by adding water, creating some dramatic results. This project is unusual in that you start with the darkest paint mix. This is known as working dark to light.
› Hot-pressed watercolor paper
› Pencil
› Mixing palette
› Scrap watercolor paper for color testing
› Water jars
› No. 10 round brush
› No. 4 round brush
Sap Green
Phthalo Green
Phthalo Blue
Dark tone
Sap Green + Phthalo Green
Light tone
Phthalo Green
Midtone
Sap Green + Phthalo Green + Phthalo Blue
Stems
Phthalo Green
COLOR TESTS
Test the color mixes on scrap paper, and use the wet-on-wet technique to see how the colors fuse together (see this page).
1/ If you are drawing the plant, from life or a photograph, aim to stagger the formation of the leaves so that the eye follows them down the page. Draw the largest leaf in the top half of the page and three leaves below getting gradually smaller. My reference only has one leaf with the unique perforated edges, but I’ve decided to draw a second one, with two younger, complete leaves at the bottom. Add in the perforations once the outer edge is drawn. It’s important to be aware of the negative (white) space with these leaves. You want the leaves to face in different directions to add interest to the painting and give it an organic feel.
2/ Starting with the large leaf, in your mind’s eye divide it into quarters. Starting with the top-left section, from the spine to the edge, use the No. 10 round brush to paint an outline using the darkest mix. Use lots of pigment with just a little water on the brush, concentrating on the areas near the spine and edges. Leave the middle section of the leaf blank.
3/ Rinse the brush, then dip it in clean water. Use the wet brush to drag the pigment you’ve just applied, working from the spine to the outside edge, across the top section of the leaf, creating the areas of midtone. The more water you add, the more the pigment will move and the less control you will have, which can be quite exciting! Be careful not to go over the leaf’s holes and perforated edges. You can use the lightest mix in the pale area under the hole for greater contrast.
4/ Repeat steps 2–3 on the remaining three quarters of the leaf. Remember to work quickly, since you don’t want the paint in the darker parts of the leaf to dry, but want to be able to easily drag this pigment.
5/ Use the same technique with the midtone green mix to paint the middle and lower leaves, changing to a No. 4 round brush as necessary. Do not add too much pigment when first applying color to the spine and edge areas of these smaller leaves, since there is less surface area for you to drag the pigment across to create the lighter tones.
6/ While the leaves are drying, paint in the stems with the smaller brush and Phthalo Green. Add more detail to the leaves if necessary, as the paint dries and you have more control.
