This clematis vine is growing on the light post at the end of my driveway. I love the movement and gracefulness of these flowers. Definitely one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this watercolor demo. 

Below you will find a tutorial of how I created this clematis watercolor painting.

Watercolor Demo of Clematis Flowers

Colors used for this demo:

• Hansa Yellow 
• Ultramarine Blue 
• Winsor Red

I always draw my picture out on plain paper and then transfer it to my watercolor paper.  After transferring my drawing I masked out the centers of the 3 main flower with masking fluid.

Once the masking fluid was dry I carefully wet the background avoiding the 3 main flowers.

I quickly laid in a fairly strong mixture of my yellow into the wet area of the paper.

Then I set it aside to dry completely before working on it again. If you touch the back of your hand on the area drying and it feels cool, that means it is still wet. Allowing the layers to dry completely is crucial to successful paintings. 

I normally start painting the background first. The flowers were such a deep value I decided to paint some of the flowers dark parts first. That way I could judge the value of my background better.

I used a deep mixture of the ultramarine and the Winsor Red for the petals. Ultramarine Blue mixed with the Hansa Yellow for the leaves.

“Using cooler colors in the background and shadow areas help them recede and gives a sense of depth”

“Keep the highest contrast for the focal point, to draw the viewers eye to it”

I wet the bottom and the side of the background. I mixed a warmer and cooler purple dropping it in where I wanted to suggest flowers in the background. I also used the cooler purple to darken areas I felt were too light.