In this post, I wanted to share a peek at my process for my latest watercolor and oil pastel floral landscape painting.
This painting is titled “June Meadow,” so it’s only fitting to write a post about it in June. 🙂
It’s always fun to see the beginning steps to a painting. These floral landscapes are very loose and random in the first couple of stages, and then come together in the end after oil pastels are used.
Let’s get into it!
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Watercolor & Oil Pastel Floral Landscape Painting
This painting was created on my favorite Arches Cold Press Paper. A beautiful 100% cotton paper with nice texture.
Since I knew this would be a landscape, I started with a blue sky. Adding salt to the sky is one of my favorite watercolor techniques for fun texture.
I then dragged the painting down and blended it into green where the meadow would be. Then the fun part started, just slapping down colors!
There isn’t much thought behind this part of the painting. I sort of just add whatever colors I feel like adding in that moment. The key to this step is adding colors while the paint is wet so they blend nicely together.
Another one of my favorite techniques is using a palette knife to scrape in grass textures. It adds so much interest to the painting!
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I then add a bit more color for a little depth and call it a day with the watercolor. It looks a little crazy, but it’s a good base for the oil pastel step.
After the watercolor paint is dry, I go in with oil pastels and build up the painting further. This step really makes it come to life and is definitely my favorite part of the process!
I just pick colors that go well with the watercolor base and layer them. I used Meeden Oil Pastels for this painting. They are very creamy and are perfect for these little mixed-media paintings.
This post was a simple look at my process behind my watercolor and oil pastel floral landscape paintings. I love making these, and I also love sharing my behind-the-scenes, so stay tuned for more posts!
Thanks for reading 🙂
-Amanda
Oh my gosh, this technique of oil pastel over watercolor is soooo cool! They work great for botanicals. I love both media and you’ve given me a wonderful idea for expanding my creativity. By the way, your artwork is beautiful!
Beautiful could you use acrylic painys?
Thank you! Of course – you could do an acrylic paint base with oil pastels on top 🙂 I really love the watercolor and oil pastel combo, though!