Painting bees

I’ve been practicing painting bees and flowers. In Jean Haines’ book, Atmospheric Flowers in Watercolour, she noted that adding little bees to your flower paintings will give them more energy and interest.

The cute little bees in Jean’s book looked like a fun exercise so I jumped in.

How to paint a little bee, simple and loose: 

Use a small brush,  I used a Liner #2

1. With dark gray/black, paint a round head and with the tip of your brush pull out a few antenna.
   Paint a couple dark curved stripes below the head.
2. In between the stripes add yellow paint and allow it to touch and blend with the other areas.
3. Pull out the wings from the wet paint on each side of the bee. Add a little more gray color at the top of the wing. Use a damp brush to blend out the wings to keep them soft and delicate.
4. Bump up the color by adding more yellow and gray/black where needed.

 

You can also switch things up and paint a few bees with different shades of yellow and gold, or try using a different gray mix. There are so many possibilities. 🙂

My little bee and flower study was a great way to have fun and try new things. I was able to experiment with how much water to use, when to blend colors, and try different  shapes and color combinations.

I love the freedom to just play and experiment without worry. It is a great way to build skills and enjoy the painting process. I highly recommend taking some time to play.

Flowers and Bees  – 6 x 9 inch

I hope you are inspired to create art and do what you love. Thank you for stopping by and following along. Until next time share a smile and spread kindness all around.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne

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