Log In
Join
a
M

How to Paint Gerbera Flower in Oil

Oil Painting

Flowers, Still Life

2 Intermediate

Nolan Clark

Play
;

b Class Description

Flower paintings have timeless appeal, but in this class, Painting Red Flowers in Acrylic, you’ll discover how to make your blooms truly shine. Whether you’re painting for pleasure, portfolio, or profit, this lesson will help your flower work stand out from the crowd with a few essential but often-overlooked techniques.

Using bold reds and delicate pinks, we’ll explore the nuances of floral structure, subtle shading, and colour control to create a dynamic, eye-catching composition with a professional finish.

🎨 What You’ll Learn in This Class:

🎯 Working with Low Contrast – Learn how to create depth even when your colours are close in tone.
🌺 Mastering the Colour Red – Understand how to mix and layer reds without drifting into unwanted pinks.
🌸 Petal Texture – Discover how to paint the ribbed effect on petals to bring structure and realism to your flowers.
🧠 Practical Tips & Shortcuts – Pick up clever tricks to make your flower paintings more dimensional and dramatic—without overworking the canvas.

Designed for beginner to intermediate acrylic painters, this lesson focuses on one simple but impactful flower painting technique that will take your floral artwork to the next level.

Join now and create a floral piece that’s bursting with colour, energy, and professional polish.

You Will Need

  • 16″x20″ (500mm x400mm) Canvas or similar
  • These paints: Titanium White, Crimson, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow, Sap Green
  • Set of bristle brushes
  • 1/4″ (1cm) Soft filbert brush
  • Painting medium
  • Rigger brush
  • Fine liners
Play

Class Tutorial

Planning

Reinforce what you may already know about colour mixing as Nolan gives a detailed explanation of how to mix colours, especially when adding highlights and shadows to a basic mid-tone color.  Refer to your colour wheel (or Colour Buster) if you have one.  (If you don’t, you really should buy one.)

Drawing

Note the importance of getting the overlapping of petals correct. To help make petals distinct, use your artistic license to extend some of the petals where the edge of one meets another.

Trace your gerbera daisies onto the canvas.  If you wish to paint a background, place a mask over the flower to protect it.

Mixing Colours for the Flowers

Prepare the paints you will need for mid-tones, highlights, and shadows.

Painting the Main Flower

Starting at the top, block in the colors to the first petal, then blend them as Nolan does to keep each petal distinct.  Continue on with each petal, being mindful of where the sun highlights each petal and also where shadows are cast.  Change brushes as the petals get smaller or need fine details.  Follow Nolan’s lead as you finish painting the main flower.  Note that as you do the underside of the bottom petals, your color tone will change to a more pinkish hue.

Mixing the Greens

Prepare the color tones for the peduncle and stem.

Painting the Greens

Block in the peduncle area with green, working from dark to light. Add touches of white in reflected light areas.

Begin working on the stem by applying the lighter tones that you used above.  Cast a shadow under the peduncle

Using white paint, lightly tap on the hairlike structures along the highlighted side of the stem.

Painting the Second Flower

Follow Nolan’s direction for painting the stamen areas to achieve maximum contrast. Then finish up with painting the petals, using the same painting techniques as you used for the main flower.

Click the button below to view the real time follow along version of this class:

Play

Pin Me

More discussion »