Create a 3D poppy painting in acrylic

Painting a simple impression of Poppies

Step 1: Painting the Background

Divide your Canvas into 3 equal parts as shown. Paint the top section with Cobalt Blue, the middle with Monastral and the bottom with Turquoise, blending them together as you go. This creates a lovely gradient that will really make the poppies stand out.

Step 2: Drawing on the Poppies

Using the image on the last page of this pdf as a reference, draw in the poppy shapes using a 6B graphite pencil.

Step 3: Painting the Red Poppies

Make a warm Red mixture of 1 part Lemon yellow to 3 parts Azo Vermillion. Lay the painting on the floor and spoon the paint onto the poppies, then using a Palette Knife smooth the paint out to follow the contours of your drawing. This can be made easier by doing it gently and keeping your strokes in similar directions. Allow the paint to fully dry before moving to the next step.

Step 4: Adding detail to the Poppies Move your painting back on the Easel, make a mixture with a spot of Burnt Umber to Permanent Red, apply this to the poppies in areas of shadow and to give the petals shape.

Step 5: Adding a Yellow Glaze

In this step make a mix from 2 parts lemon yellow to 2 parts gloss medium, paint this on the centre of the flower and over the petals here and there.

Step 6: Painting the Stalks

Start with creating the smaller stalks. Do this by using a pencil, to pierce a small hole in the top of the Burnt Umber tube’s seal. Then simply squeeze out a line for the stalk directly onto the Canvas. To create a bigger stalk, simply peel of the seal and repeat the process. Smooth in the part where the stalk meets the flower with your pencil. This technique creates fantastic 3D stalks.

Step 7: Adding Detail to the Stalks

To create little spikes on the stalks, poke a pencil into the wet paint and gently lift it out again. Repeat this all over the stalks to create texture.