How to paint realistic apple blossom in watercolour with Anna Mason

Hi everyone. In this tip video I wanted to show you the process I go through to paint delicate and subtle but still 3D looking apple blossom. As always I begin with a really accurate drawing based on a photo I took myself. I've outlined the edges of all the petals but not any veins or markings on the petals. This is because I wouldn't want that pencil work to show through the very light and dilute paint that I'll be applying on the petals. Straight away I begin with the lightest tones in the blossom. I paint a layer of very watery grey paint everywhere except for the very lightest tones with my medium size brush. I apply the paint using a wash so as to achieve a smooth finish. Even just having those two tones in place, the grey and the white of the paper where I'm leaving gaps, starts to give the blossom some form. Now I'm going to speed this up so that you can see the blossoms really taking shape. Next I paint the pink hues, again using watery washes and adding more or less water to the paint to change how light or dark it is. I also mix greys or ochre into my pinks to change their colours to match what I see in my reference photo. Next I would usually work on the very darkest tones in the composition, in this case the leaves and the branch. This would then help me to be able to judge my mid-tones in the petals better. But in this painting I wouldn't want to apply thick green and brown paint next to the petals at this stage. If I did, I would then find it very difficult to work on the mid-tones in my petals with watery paint, without the green and the brown paint bleeding in. So instead, once the petals are dry, I apply a pale wash to the leaves, branch and blossom centres. Once that's done, I come back and darken up the areas of the now dry petals that need it, concentrating on the darkest areas within them. I'm still working with very watery paint so the changes I'm making are subtle. Next I work on the pinks within the blossoms, starting with the very darkest tones and then watering my paint down to work on the mid-tones within those pink blossoms themselves. I also use the watery pink paint to then start to add some detail into the rest of the petals by adding in some veins with my tiny brush. Once I start to think that the petals might seem dark enough overall, I then paint in the leaves and the branch and get them as dark as they should be. With the leaves, branch and flower centres painted now, I can better see that I can take the petals a little darker too. I do that now, adding in more details like the veins as I do so. As ever, my paint is still very watery and pale. I also darken and add more detail to the pink petals as well. With the petals darkened up, I now see that I need to darken some of my leaves and my branch further as well. So I do that now. Doing this really helps throw those pale petals forward. Only now can I do my final darkening up of the petals themselves. I still just use very watery paint so that I only darken by a shade and I can keep things really subtle. So that's the process I go through to darken those petals ever so gradually, comparing them against the dark leaves and branch in the latter stages so that I make sure the petals are as dark as they should be but not too dark. A full step-by-step tutorial in real time giving you all the information you'll need to paint this blossom is available as part of my online school. If you've enjoyed this tip video, please visit watercolourswithwow.com where you can sign up for a free step-by-step tutorial, check out the materials I recommend, view more tip videos, upload your own work to a gallery and lots more. Thanks for watching.