I'm still trying to find better backgrounds for flowers. I don't mind the pain staking efforts to get good subjects, but to do the same on a background is more than my patience will allow!
I have 2 completed in the set of 6 - and done my old ways just to fill my need for speed! The 3 paintings of the Hellebore's backgrounds are coming along nicely. I'm still working on the hands painting to submit to Susan for a second critique. Some things are coming out much better, some not so much. Ah, the learning curve. Perhaps you can't teach an old dog new tricks! :-)
We did a white flower in Lynn Ferris's class quite some time ago, using masking to protect the whites and then randomly painting yellow, pink and blue - and sneaking in with grey to finalize the flowers. I tried it with a photo that probably wasn't a good reference for this, but it was fun anyway. Still working on backgrounds - please let me know if there are any that you like in the last couple of flower paintings, and the Hellebores to come!
I'm still playing with lake paintings - we have such awesome sunrises and sunsets, I would really like to get good at these. Sterling Edwards advised to work with yellow/pink/purple/blue so they don't bleed into each other and create grey.