Gerbera by Sandra Wilms
You will need a small round brush, deer foot / scruffy brush and a stylus. If you don ' t have a stylus, use the end of a brush which is small and rounded. Greaseproof paper and kitchen roll. Paints used on this sample were red, dark red, dark brown, pink and yellow, but do experiment with colours of your choice.
Trace on the design using tracing paper and black carbon paper. Using the round brush, load the brush with the red paint. Start with the tip of the brush at the middle point of the petal furthest from you, slightly push the bristles down and making the top and back of a " C " bring the brush back to the centre of the flower, coming back up on the bristles. The more the brush is pushed down the wider the stoke will be so ensure to make the base of your petal narrower. Repeat from the petal tip centre, following the top of a " D ". If you have a white patch in he middle of the petal, paint from petal tip to centre flower. Do paint just inside the centre circle and any paint ridges on the edges and the length of the petals form part of the texture, so no need to brush them out. Paint all the red petals, turning your surface round as you go.
No need to rinse your brush unless it is becoming a bit clogged. Pick up the red and then the dark red then draw the brush through the paint on some greaseproof paper to ensure the brush is loaded but fairly dry, don ' t mix the colours but have two paints on the brush. Starting just outside the circle centre stroke the edges of the petals and some lines through the petals by drawing the tip of the brush along then lifting to give a soft finish. I find this stroke easier to paint away from me and also slightly curve some of the lines to give the petals some shape, not just flat. Wipe off the brush on kitchen roll.
Pick up a little of the red paint ad the pink paint, and lightly mix the colours by drawing the brush through the paint on some greaseproof paper. The brush does need to be fairly dry as you want a wispy effect not a hard line. Starting just outside the circle centre stroke the petal along most of its length using the tip of the brush and lifting the brush to finish the stroke, to give some highlights and texture and again curving some lines to give a curve to the petal.