Roses
Roses are a fascinating flower to study
and paint and there are many, many forms that the aspiring decorative
painter can learn to paint and over time, master. Stroke roses
are the dream of many beginning decorative painters!
Roses have been a universally favourite
flower to paint - artisans and fine artists alike have incorporated
the rose in their designs for centuries. They have been the primary
subject matter in almost all traditional folk art - in Bauernmalerei there
is the Tolzer rose, in French
folk art, the Montpellier rose and the Strasbourg rose. The
Rococo rose too is well-known. In some cases such as Hindeloopen,
roses were painted naively and in others such as Zhostovo,
they looked more realistic.
All of these roses, however, had
one thing in common - they were all painted using round brush
strokes.
Over time the flat
brush technique for painting roses was developed and the predominant
technique used in painting
stroke roses in contemporary decorative painting today is
double-loading using a flat or angle brush. Some decorative artists have also developed techniques of painting a stroke rose using a triple-loaded flat or angle brush.
Basic
stroke roses There are many
ways of painting stroke roses today and each artist endeavours
to create her or his own brand of roses. The basic structure of
flat brush roses remains the same - different techniques and strokes
employed are what creates the different looks. The basic stroke
rose today can be painted using a flat or angle brush in nine
to ten
strokes.
A beginner rose painting project
may comprise two or three open roses with leaves and buds in
a simple design such as on this plaque. The roses in this project were painted
using a #8
flat brush.
Tips
on painting roses
Multi-layered stroke
roses While the early artisans
painted the most naive and stylistic roses using a round brush,
more sophisticated, multi-layered stroke roses can be painted using
a flat brush or an angle brush today.
This ostrich egg was decorated
with "pastel roses" - a technique taught by Vicki Nicholson
using an angle brush at a workshop in Kuala Lumpur. 
Again, different variations
of multi-layered
roses can be painted using the angle brush. The roses in this example
were also painted using an angle brush and
a similar technique to the basic flat brush stroke rose.
This
technique was taught at one of Artezan's public workshops in Dubai,
UAE.
Painting roses
freehand
In contemporary decorative
painting, roses can be painted with a pattern
or freehand.
It is frequently taught
using a pattern. Once the basic technique is mastered, it is not
difficult to paint roses freehand.
Some decorative artists may
prefer the structured look of the classic stroke rose while others
love
the
loose and
more casually painted rose. A casual look is more easily
achieved when roses are painted freehand.
Painting freehand allows you to basically paint on anything. Have you tried tracing a pattern on a surface such as glass, ceramics or plastic? Or have you tried tracing a pattern on a rounded object such as a wooden salad bowl, a bisque vase or an ostrich egg?
This old wooden bowl was
simply wiped clean and decorated with freehand stroke roses and
flowing pink ribbons.
Once you can paint
roses freehand, you can pick up any item anytime and paint freely
to create
charming heirloom
pieces. I found this charming antique-looking clock in a decorator's shop, striped the front and painted some pastel roses using a 1/4" angle brush. The sides of the clock were also decorated with roses.
What about walls? Have you tried painting your studio or living room walls with roses? Having decided how you want to decorate the wall with roses, you can draw rough circles to represent roses then just proceed to paint!
Choice
of colours Roses are beautiful whether they are painted in
pinky pastels or strong reds, yellows and oranges. On light backgrounds
or darker ones. Whatever your preference, once you master the art
of painting roses, nothing
can
stop you creating
your
treasures.
In this "Roses over Dubai" project
I designed and painted as a tribute to Ros
Singleton's seminar in Dubai, light pastel pinks and yellows
were chosen as the colours for the roses and buds while the leaves
were painted in light washy colours so as not to overwhelm the design.
The postcard was decoupaged on the wooden plate before the
roses were painted.
The
rim
of the plate
was crackled at the end, after all the painting was completed.
Different looks you can achieve - pastel pink roses
on a maroon background or bright red on a stark black background. |
