Leucocyclus Formosus Illustration

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  Step 1

  Understand the structure

  Observe the centre carefully and see the geometry within – you should recognize the Fibonacchi sequence. Draw gently and map out the sequence.

  Mix of Ultramarine Violet and Cadmium Lemon.

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  Step 2

  Locate tubulate flowers
  Simply mark these flowers with dry paint on a dry surface. Observe how their size changes from the edge to the centre. I used Cadmium Yellow for these flowers.

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  Step 3

  Deepen the shadows
  Gently apply dark shadow colour around the flowers. This is to define them very clearly and to make the structure visible. Now it will be easier to add more layers without losing the order of the flowers.

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  Step 4

  Match the colour
  Apply denser pigments, using as little water as possible. You can change the colour or the tone of the yellow, in further layers if necessary. Observe the colour difference between the inner and the outer circle of the centre.

• Step 5

  Make your greys
  If you mix any three main colours: reds, yellows and blues, in the correct amount, you will get grey. Explore mixing different main colours and you will be amazed to see the variety of tones and colours of grey you can obtain. The key point here is to use a lot of water for mixing and only a tiny bit of each pigment must be blended together. If you use a lot of pigment to start with, the mix will turn to a dirty brown colour.

  Mix of Cobalt Violet, Naples Yellow and Indigo.
  Mix of Indigo, Cadmium Lemon, Scarlet Lake.

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  Step 6

  Use the white of the paper
  Apply the grey mix very gently. Ligulate flowers have a very small surface area, so use less water for the base. For white flowers, the key point is to keep the white of the paper unpainted. A grey colour must be applied only for the shadow areas. If it is all over the surface, the flower will look grey, not white.

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  Step 7

  Increase the tone
  Increase the tone of the shadow gently, in many layers. Look carefully at the overall flower to understand the light and shadow. The left side of the flower is more in shadow than the right. Keep using diluted pigments to build up the layers. Define each flower clearly, make sharp edges with denser pigments and apply the pigment on a dry surface for very fine details. Outlines for the edges can be very helpful to make the white flowers visible on the white surface.

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  Step 8

  Sharpen the image
  Shadow around the centre is important to give depth to the image. Always look for and understand where the darkest and the lightest areas are. A correct application of light and shade is the only way to create a three-dimensional image. The number of lines on each ligulate flower can be species specific. They must be observed very well from tip to base. Use different tones of grey for different layers or areas to get a better colour match and a more realistic image.

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