Today I want to take you behind the scenes on one of my newest creations, “Moonlit Florals“.
This magical mystic piece of art was created using many different types of mediums. My love for mixed media really shines in this piece, as it was made with watercolors, oil pastels, and then enhanced with digitally drawn details.
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Behind The Art: Moonlit Florals
A magical floral scene with a bright glowing full moon. ✨🌝
Supplies Used
To create this piece, I used the following supplies and tools:
- Arches Watercolor Paper
- Daniel Smith Watercolors
- Gallery Oil Pastels
- iMac / Photoshop / iPad / Apple Pencil / Procreate App
Step 1- Watercolor Wash
To be honest, when I started this piece, I didn’t really know where it was going to go. I wanted to paint a full moon sky with my new watercolors and see where it went from there.
I drew a circle for the full moon and did a watercolor wash around it with various colors. After I was satisfied with the color I sprinkled in some salt to get some texture.
I’m a sucker for texture and adding salt to watercolor as it makes some cool effects. It really added a unique element to this painting!
Step 2- Oil Pastels
After the watercolor was dry, I had an inkling to grab my oil pastels and randomly start drawing flowers.
I personally really like using oil pastels on watercolor paper.
When using Arches Watercolor Paper (an excellent watercolor paper by the way!) the texture shows through and the result is always so beautiful.
At this point, I really just started going crazy with my oil pastels to see what would happen.
Side note, I highly recommend the Gallery Oil Pastels! They are so creamy and blend nicely. You can read my full review on them here.
Step 3- Scan & Edit
After I was done with my watercolors and oil pastels, I decided to scan the painting onto my computer to edit it a bit. I do this with all my paintings and drawings to get them all ready for print.
I usually brighten it, add contrast, possibly color correct, clean up blemishes, etc.
Step 4- Digital Details
Once I was done editing in Photoshop, I imported the full-size image onto my iPad to add some details in Procreate. At this time I liked the painting, but I wanted to add even more magic to it.
I added fireflies, lots of magical little details, some glowing effects to the moon and sky, and whatever honestly felt right.
I still didn’t really have a plan in my mind, I just kept creating until I was happy.
The beauty of creating a mixed-media piece like this is there are endless possibilities and you have so many tools to really execute the vibe you’re going for.
Magical Moonlit Florals
This beautiful painting is available as an art print and a greeting card currently! Check them out in my shop if you want to display some magical art in your home.
Conclusion
Sometimes you just make art that is so satisfying and exactly what you want to create. Another piece that made me feel this way is my sunflower moon.
Let me know what you think of my moonlit floral art! I hope you enjoyed some behind-the-scenes on my process and thoughts.
Also, make sure to check out the Green Artist Shop to shop this piece of art and so much more.
Thanks for reading and the support!
-Amanda
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