I outline the main characters in this Dahlia Closeup 02 with a light alizarin crimson wash background first. You know that when you mix reds and greens you get a real good and dark black. That is why I am using a red wash because I know I will be using greens for the foliage.
You can also see that I am putting Azo Nickle yellow as a wash on the prominent leaves and stem areas leaving only a few areas of highlight whites this yellow mixes so well. I will have to just be careful and reserve the most important of these light areas. Tricky. I have chosen the darkest areas of the left front blossom to apply a magenta wash so I can see where the darks are there.
They are many many shapes and objects put together that light and shadow do their thing all around. Each little petal catches the light and blocks it from casting brightness onto the surfaces below. The shadows bend and curve with each surface they touch. So many colors and shades when you start to illustrate them.
I love the way that the Hookers Green leafy shapes that seem to blur into the background as they are added. It used to scare me to try and paint realistic flower blossoms but now I really enjoy watching them appear during the process.