Creating Drama in Miniature: My Moody Lily of the Valley

Hey there, fellow artists! I'm Valerie Englehart, and today I want to share one of my most challenging yet rewarding recent painting adventures. A viewer requested a lily of the valley painting, and I decided to push myself completely out of my comfort zone by going dark, moody, and tiny.

Why I Chose to Go Dark and Dramatic

When I think lily of the valley, most people imagine delicate white bells against soft spring greens. But I had a different vision brewing - something mysterious and ethereal that would showcase an advanced lifting technique I've been wanting to explore more deeply.

The reasoning was purely technical: to create those ghostly white bells using a lifting method, I needed a rich, dark background to lift from. It's like sculpting with light instead of painting with pigment.

Embracing the Mini Season Challenge

Here's something I struggle with - painting small is incredibly difficult! I'm working on a tiny 4x6 inch block of Fluid hot press paper, and let me tell you, everything that feels natural on large paper suddenly becomes a precision challenge.

Why go small? Well, we're heading into what I call "mini season." Galleries around here start preparing for Christmas shows, and they want small works that make perfect gifts. It's much easier to convince someone to purchase a charming little painting than a wall-dominating masterpiece, right?

The beautiful thing about working on this small scale is the low pressure. This block cost me about eight dollars for 15 sheets - so if an experiment goes sideways, I'm not mourning an expensive large sheet of paper. Sometimes the best learning happens when the stakes feel manageable.

My Color Palette: Choosing Pigments That Lift Beautifully

I started with Rockwell Art's Limugreen Brown - a gorgeous dark green with subtle yellow undertones that I knew would lift well. Then I brought in one of my absolute favorite colors that I somehow never use enough: Daniel Smith Mayan Blue Genuine. There's something about this blue that just speaks to my soul, even though it sits neglected in my palette most of the time.

Here's a crucial technical tip: know your pigments! I specifically chose these colors because I knew from experience that they lift beautifully. If you're unsure about how your paints will behave, always test on a scrap piece first. That's actually why I squeeze my paints onto disposable paper - it gives me a perfect testing ground right there beside my palette.

The Magic of Lifting Techniques

The real star of this painting is the lifting technique. Using my size three Da Vinci Cosmo Top Spin synthetic brush, I worked in a rhythm: lift paint, wipe on paper towel, lift more, wipe again. When the brush gets too loaded with pigment, it's time to rinse, dry, and continue.

The secret sauce? Lifting in the direction the petals naturally flow. This isn't just about removing paint - you're actually using the pigment that gets dragged around to create organic, three-dimensional forms. That bell shape in the lower middle third? Pure lifting magic, and it happened because I moved my brush following the natural curve of a lily of the valley bell.

Working Without Sketches: Trusting the Process

Long-time followers know I rarely sketch in advance, and this painting was no different. I used my reference image purely as inspiration, not a blueprint to follow exactly. When you're painting this loosely and expressively, there's no way to set everything up for exact replication anyway.

This freedom is actually liberating - it forces you to really understand your subject rather than just copying it. Plus, it keeps that spontaneous, alive feeling in your work.

The Dramatic Spray and Drip Technique

One of my favorite moments in this painting was working with gravity as my co-artist. I'd lay down big blocks of color with a large angular brush, then hold my paper at an angle while spritzing with my spray bottle. The key is patience - letting that pigment move and flow for 30 seconds to a minute creates those gorgeous organic drip effects.

Pro tip: Keep paper towels handy to catch excess water and paint. It's all about controlling the chaos just enough to direct it where you want it to go.

Adding Depth with Strategic Darkness

Even though some watercolorists might cringe, I reached for black - specifically Holbein Peach Black, which I'd bought on a viewer recommendation but rarely used. Sometimes you need that deep, rich darkness to create the drama you're after.

The magic happened when I painted a triangular shape at the top and let it split and separate as it dried. Because watercolor is transparent, we started seeing hints of the underneath layers, creating this mysterious night forest feeling that was exactly the mood I was chasing.

The Art of Negative Painting

Here's where things get really interesting from a technical standpoint. Instead of outlining my lily bells (which would have made them look cut-out and lifeless), I painted around them negatively. This preserved that ghostly, ethereal quality I was after.

Remember this lesson: sometimes adding things is actually taking away. If I had outlined everything clearly, I would have lost all that dreamy, mysterious atmosphere that makes this painting special.

Bringing It All Together with White Accents

For the final touches, I used Liquitex white acrylic ink - not my usual go-to, but I was already experimenting with everything else, so why not? The beauty of this medium is that you can treat it almost like gouache, thinning it for transparency in some areas while keeping it opaque in others.

I only added white to specific parts of each bell, letting the lifted areas do most of the work. The contrast between the deep, moody background and these bright accents creates that dramatic pop I was after from the beginning.

Final Thoughts: Embracing the Learning Journey

This little 4x6 inch painting taught me so much about working outside my comfort zone. Hot press paper behaves differently than my usual cold press. Tiny brushwork requires different hand control. Even my drying times changed because of the coastal weather getting cooler.

But that's what I love about art - every single painting is a learning opportunity. Whether you're working large or small, familiar or experimental, there's always something new to discover about your materials, your techniques, and yourself as an artist.

The finished piece has this haunting, ethereal quality that feels like stumbling upon lily of the valley blooming in a moonlit forest. It's moody, it's dramatic, and it pushed me to grow as an artist in ways I didn't expect when I started.

Until next time, keep exploring and creating magic with your brushes!