Painting Loose Hydrangeas: Capturing Beauty Without the Fuss
Have you ever looked at a hydrangea and thought, "I'd love to paint that, but all those tiny flowers seem impossible"? Trust me, I've been there! As someone who describes herself as "lazy", I've developed techniques to capture the essence of these beautiful blooms without painstakingly painting every little detail.
Today, I'm sharing my process for painting a loose, blooming hydrangea - one where the centers are still full of those tiny buds with just a few blossoms opening on the outer edges. Let's dive in!
Materials I'm Using Today
Paper: Arches Cold Press, 140 pound watercolor block 12x9 inches
Brushes: Silver Black Velvet Round, size 8 (main brush) and Princeton Heritage synthetic Round, size 3 (details)
Paint:
Rockwell Canada Fall Story (spring green)
Rockwell Canada Peach Fairy (pink)
Daniel Smith Quinacridone Magenta
Rockwell Canada Lover's Tears (shimmery light purple)
Rockwell Canada Poseidon (blue-green)
Additional tools:
Kosher salt
Cling film (plastic wrap)
Toothbrush (for splattering)
Starting with the Flower Center: Salt and Splatter Magic
Rather than painting hundreds of tiny buds in the center of my hydrangea, I'm using a wet-on-wet approach with salt texture. Here's my process:
I start by wetting the area where I want to place the center cluster of unopened buds.
While the paper is wet, I drop in Fall Story green, letting it spread naturally.
As the paper begins to dry slightly (important!), I use a toothbrush to splatter Quinacridone Magenta into the damp center.
Timing Tip: The wetness of your paper dramatically affects how colors bloom. I wait until the paper is just damp rather than soaking wet before adding the magenta. This way, the magenta diffuses slightly but maintains its intensity without completely bleeding into the green (which could create mud since they're complementary colors).
Once my splatters are in place, I sprinkle kosher salt across the center. The salt creates beautiful starburst textures that perfectly mimic those tight clusters of tiny buds without having to paint each one individually. How's that for a lazy technique that delivers gorgeous results?
Creating the Opening Blossoms
While my salt-textured center dries (patience is key here!), I move on to painting the opening blossoms around the edges of the hydrangea. For these petals:
I use Peach Fairy as my base color, applying it in loose, petal-shaped strokes.
Before the paint dries, I lift some pigment with a damp brush to create soft transitions within each petal.
I drop in touches of Quinacridone Magenta to create cohesion with the center.
For the centers of these opening blossoms, I use Lover's Tears (a shimmery light purple) to create depth.
Color Psychology: Remember that watercolor often dries much lighter than it appears when wet! With Quinacridone Magenta especially, I've learned through experience to apply it more intensely than seems necessary, knowing it will dry much paler.
Creating Visual Hierarchy in Your Composition
One crucial aspect of a successful loose painting is establishing a clear hierarchy - not every element deserves the same level of attention or detail. I'm intentional about which blossoms receive more definition:
My focal point blossoms get stronger color, more defined centers, and clearer edges
Secondary blossoms receive more diluted color, softer edges, and less definition
The positioning of the center (not always geometrically centered in each bloom) helps indicate which way the flower is facing
This hierarchy guides the viewer's eye and creates a more interesting composition than if every element had equal importance. I'm always asking myself: "What's most important in this scene?" and then I let everything else support that focal point.
Adding Leaves with Cling Film Texture
Now for one of my favorite "lazy" techniques - using cling film to create leaf textures! This method creates natural-looking veins and texture without having to paint each one:
I paint a leaf shape using Fall Story green, adding touches of Poseidon (blue-green) to cool down areas and create variety.
While the paint is still wet, I place a piece of cling film (plastic wrap) over the leaf, creating wrinkles and folds.
I leave the cling film in place until the paint is completely dry.
After removing the film, beautiful ridge patterns remain that perfectly mimic leaf veins and texture.
Color Harmony Tip: I add tiny touches of my flower colors (the purple and pink) into some leaves while they're wet. This creates color harmony throughout the painting and is more visually interesting than pure green leaves.
I'm careful to vary my leaf edges too - some are more defined, others are soft and blurry. This suggests movement, as if there's a gentle breeze rustling the foliage. Remember, in nature as we are viewing it, not every edge is perfectly crisp!
Adding Final Details Once Everything is Dry
Once all my elements are dry (including removing the salt and cling film), I add the final details that bring everything together:
For flower centers: I use a small round brush to add more concentrated Lover's Tears to the centers of my focal blooms, then gently bleed it outward to create soft transitions between petals.
For leaf veins: I look for the natural lines created by the cling film and enhance them with small dashes of darker green, being careful not to create unbroken lines (broken lines look more natural).
For the center buds: I add more concentrated dots of Fall Story green in varied sizes, then slightly bleed some of them with a damp brush to create dimension.
Remember that less is more with these final details! I'm not trying to paint every vein or define every petal edge - just enough to suggest the structure and guide the viewer's eye.
The Beauty of "Lazy" Techniques
Throughout this tutorial, I've mentioned several times that I embrace "lazy" painting techniques. What I really mean is that I look for efficient, effective ways to suggest detail rather than laboring over every tiny element. Some benefits of this approach:
It creates a more loose, impressionistic style that feels fresh and alive
It allows the watercolor to do much of the work for you
It prevents overworking your painting
It keeps the process enjoyable rather than tedious
When you're painting complex subjects like hydrangeas, remember that you don't need to paint every single element perfectly. Focus on capturing the essence and spirit of your subject instead!
Final Thoughts and Tips
As you practice this loose hydrangea technique, keep these principles in mind:
Know what to include and what to leave out - this is perhaps the most important skill in loose painting
Create texture through techniques (salt, plastic wrap) rather than detailed brushwork
Establish a clear hierarchy among your elements to guide the viewer's eye
Let edges disappear in places - not everything needs a defined outline
Reflect colors throughout your composition for harmony
Embrace "happy accidents" that occur with watercolor - often these create the most beautiful effects!
I hope this tutorial inspires you to try painting hydrangeas with a looser approach. Remember, there's no shame in finding efficient techniques that create beautiful results - that's not laziness, that's artistic wisdom!