10 Supplies You Need for Amazing Abstract Floral Paintings

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For artist Arpi Krikorian, vibrant, colorful abstract flower painting comes down to one thing — supplies. She walks us through her top 10 art tools, tricks, and techniques for creating lush and layered works of florals, botanicals, and landscapes.


When you are ready to create abstract flowers on your own, it will only be a click away! Carrie Schmidt is all set to show you her unique approach to painting flowers in this video workshop: Mixed Media Flower Paintings!


1 – Reference photos of florals

Even though I paint intuitively when I am creating abstract flower paintings, I always have photo references on hand from gardens I regularly visit. I keep an image bank of various botanicals on my phone so that I have variety in my line work and am not repeatedly using the same shapes stored in my mind’s visual library.

Tip: My favorite place to photograph is The Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, California. If you don’t have a public garden where you live, take a stroll around your neighborhood and snap pictures of plant life with your phone. If you really look, you’ll be surprised how much variety you’ll find.

2 – Aquabords made by Ampersand (board spelled without the “a”)

I LOVE THESE BOARDS! They accept all water-based media beautifully. They take a beating with as many layers as you throw at it without ever buckling. No more needing to stretch paper.

Tip 1: If you use the cradled boards, they are ready to hang as soon as the painting is finished!

Tip 2: Make sure you wet the board before you use it so that the air bubbles rise to the surface and dissipate. Wait about 10 minutes. Once the board is damp, it’s ready to use.

If you apply paint too quickly, you’ll see bubbled texture form on your surface like this. You might want to use this texture for a night sky though; there are no rules!

3 – Liquid acrylic inks

I always start my abstract floral paintings by spraying my Aquabord with water and applying drops of acrylic inks into the damp areas. Then, I move the board around to create all sorts of textures and blending which inform me where to go next.

4 – Watercolors

Once my surface is dry, I begin to add botanical shapes with watercolor by lightly building each layer. I love to overlap marks and use a variety of line weights, and the overlapping creates depth in the painting.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to paint over what you have already put down. The key to keeping it authentic is to not become attached to any part of your painting until it’s finished. Trust the process.

                  This is how the very beginnings look.                                        And here it is finished.

 

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.
Demonstrating the layered watercolor technique.

 

5 – Liquid Acrylic Gouache

After I feel satisfied with the watercolor markings, I use the Liquitex brand Liquid Acrylic Gouache to lay down flat shapes and to define negative shapes to create more interest in the composition. These paints are my my new obsession!! They are highly pigmented and vibrant. They dry matte like gouache but are permanent like acrylics.

Tip: It’s best to work dark to light with these paints.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.
Liquitex Acrylic Gouache on a cradled Aquabord.

6 – Posca Paint Pens

They are basically acrylic paint in pen form and come in 3 different nib sizes. I use them to add fine lines and highlights. They are the best opaque pens I have found.

Tip 1 : You can use the thick nib to cover large spaces. Keep in mind, once you lay down the paint pens, you can only cover it with acrylic paint, watercolor will not work well on it at that point.  

Tip 2: The Posca metallics are amazing!

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.
The fine linework in this piece was created with Posca paint pens.

7 – Faber Castell’s Gelatos

Try them and you’ll need to clear your schedule! Gelatos have a buttery consistency like a fine quality oil pastel. Use it as that or add water and it becomes spreadable like watercolor. They have extremely vibrant colors and add wonderful texture to mixed media pieces.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.
All the grainy textures in this piece as well as the vibrant blue background color were created with gelatos.

8 – Brush Pen – Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Brush Pen

This pen makes beautiful linework in different line weights, depending on how much pressure you apply. The ink is water-based pigment, water-resistant, and lightfast.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.
The black line work in the pieces above and below were created with the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Brush Pen.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.

9 – Embossing heat gun

This is a great tool for any artist who works in layers, especially in collage. It reduces drying time so you can get on with the business of creating. It works with all water based media. The nice thing about it is that you can direct the air in a concentrated area, because it doesn’t blast the whole surface.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.

10 – Golden soft gel gloss medium

A wonderful medium used to seal layers as you work.  If you’re not happy with the marks you put down, it’s wipeable until the medium dries. Layer it on with a sponge brush. It looks white as you apply, but dries completely transparent. Layer as many times as you wish.  Use it as your final coat to seal your painting. I cover my initial layers a few times with this before applying the acrylic gouache.

Tip 1: Once you apply the gel medium, you can’t use watercolor on it anymore, so don’t feel pressured to cover the whole painting with it on every layer. Cover only the parts you want to build up with acrylic or paint pens.

Tip 2: You can use this medium to create more textures as well. It captures the brush strokes.

Arpi Krikorian teaches us techniques in abstract flower painting.

Creating abstract flower paintings allows us to use our intuition and play with it! Once we let go of the restrictions of perfection that we put on ourselves, the painting starts to paint itself. Having fun and exploring should be the dominating purpose. Becoming lost in our fantastic imagination is the reward.

Love Arpi’s work? Check out her website, and on Instagram and Facebook for even more of her gorgeous paintings!


When you are ready to create abstract flowers on your own, it will only be a click away! Carrie Schmidt is all set to show you her unique approach to painting flowers in this video workshop: Mixed Media Flower Paintings!


 

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