Painting Hollyhocks on an Antique Cabinet Door
The door when it came to me was painted this lovely shade of golden. I describe here how the colour palette was chosen to work with the background colour.
To get started with the floral painting, first I searched high and low to find a piece of chalk in my house. Finally I resorted to my tailor's chalk. It worked perfectly to sketch in the position of the three stalks and their flowers.
The painting in acrylic began with titanium white (opaque). With the greenery lightly identified with a light golden-green. Note the blue painter's tape to mask of the cross bar ledge to avoid paint drips.
Adding colour to the blooms in successive layers from lighter to darker closer to the centers. The leaves required some back and forth with light and dark values of greens to identify their positioning.
Focusing on the blooms for a bit, the individual blooms were arranged in a pattern of randomness. The two outer hollyhock blooms were painted with a muted orange-red palette to push them behind the center of interest, central stalk.
The hollyhock blossoms are close to completed.
With the blooms close to done, time to switch to the greens. The paint palette is sitting on a trial piece that I first did on paper. Working there I discovered NOT to go with cool reds but rather the warm Scarlet and Cadmium reds that harmonized with the golden cabinet door.
Completed 'Hollyhock' painting. A 'stopper-by' in the studio yesterday said that hollyhocks being a flower often grown in gardens in the past suits the antique shape of the door. Nicely put, I thought.
Technical detail: A top coat over the painted hollyhock section with Krylon's Crystal Clear acrylic coating will provide the painting with protection for when the door is reinstalled in the client's newly renovated kitchen.
I'll try and get you a photo. Thanks for stopping by and thanks to those of you who comment. I love comments.