you can confidently do a daisy painting with oils, it's easy and fun - try it

Start painting the background

Start painting the dark background colors around the white flowers.

• A variation of colors in the background gives added interest to your daisy painting.

Use your blue, plus blue mixed with Permanent Rose to create a purple.

There will be warm yellow in the flower petals. So purple (the compliment of yellow) will make the white flowers stand out and come forward from the background.

Paint the base of the petals

• Use the background color (either blue or purple) at the base of each petal where it attaches to the center of the flower.

• Mix some white with the background color and paint the middle section of each petal.

• Mix white with a bit of yellow. Paint it on the ends of the petals and pull it back into the middle section color.

Softly blend the yellow-tinted paint into the middle color, so there is no definite line from one color to the next color.

Continue painting the background

• Add some yellow into the top left background to indicate the light source.

Paint the background on the top right side somewhat lighter.

Make the background darker around the center daisy.

The high contrast around the center daisy will draw the eye into the painting.

What are more ways to create a focal point?

Softly blend the background colors.

Paint the daisy buttons

• Put the dark color on the bottom edge of each center button.
  

Mix the dark with Thalo Blue, Permanent Rose and Burnt Sienna. The dark color on the bottom of the buttons indicates shadow and gives them contour and form.

• Paint burnt sienna on the center of the buttons.

• Paint yellow on the top of the buttons facing the light source.

When you do a daisy painting, there is generally a dark indentation in the center of each button.

Work dark to light

• Oil painting is done from dark to light, the reverse of watercolor.

Continue painting each daisy and its background.

It works best to do the background first. Then paint the white petals out over the background.

If the flowers are painted before the background, you are taking a chance of pulling the white off of the petals into the dark background.

Notice the bottom left flower overlaps the center flower to set it farther back into the painting. The petals on the left flower are a warm white. The flower behind has cooler, greyer petals to set it behind.

What is the theory behind mixing and using paint colors?

Suggest some stems and leaves

Continue with each daisy, painting the background around it before you paint the daisy.

Use the corresponding background color at the base of each petal.

Paint the button after the petals. Add a shadow on the underside and highlights on the top of the button.

• Suggest some stems and leaves with your green.

Notice the side of the stems and tops of the leaves are lighter toward the sunlight.

It's your choice, how many leaves and stems are in your daisy painting.

Look at your painting upside-down

• Looking at your painting upside down will give you a fresh look at the composition, values and color movement.

Make any adjustments that catch your eye.

I decided to make the lower right corner and the center bottom darker to help ground the painting and keep it from floating.

I also lighted the purple and blue background above the two left flowers to soften the painting a bit.