Welcome to Painting

Secrets of Flower Painting

Painters throughout the ages have painted flowers, in still lifes and landscapes. Flowers are a popular subject for painting; whether you are considering flower painting in a still life or simply want to dress up a wall or a piece of furniture, flowers can be a fun and easy accent for painting. Flowers can also tell stories and send messages without words. Different flowers are analogous for different things.

Many types of flowers have meanings that are associated with them. You may be familiar with the idea that roses of different colors mean different things. For example, red roses tend to symbolize passion, while yellow roses usually mean friendship. Pink stands for young love and white often mean purity. Other flowers carry similar meanings, so when you consider adding flower painting to your repertoire, think about the meaning that you want to convey through your paint.

Different Methods of Flower Painting

There are a number of techniques that you can use to add flowers to your painting. One of the easiest methods is through stenciling. Stenciled flowers can be painted on walls as a border, furniture as an accent, or even on articles of clothing using fabric paint. If you can't find a stencil that tickles your fancy, there are also numerous flower stamps available.

Stamping can be used in place of stenciling on just about any surface as well. For those who want to get a bit more adventurous with their flower painting, there are many techniques that you can learn for freehand projects. One of the most popular is One Stroke Painting that offers instructions for creating many different types of flowers. This flower painting technique works extremely well on vases and flower pots, as well as walls and furniture. If you want to take freehand a step further, try covering a canvas with misty watercolor flowers or bright flowers painted with oils.

Flower Painting - The Meaning

If you would like to use your painted flowers to send a message of love, you can use honeysuckle or jasmine in addition to the traditional rose. For luck, the four-leaf clover is still the plant of choice. To symbolize innocence in your flower painting, you can go for violets or lilies. Beware of the beautiful flowers like poppies or iris, since these stand for death in some cultures. On the other hand, bamboo represents longevity and lotus stands for fertility - good symbols to use for a positive life statement.
Here is a handy table of flowers and their meanings:

Red Rose: Passion
Yellow Rose: Friendship
Pink Rose: Young Love
White Rose: Purity
Honeysuckle: Love
Jasmine: Love
Four-leaf Clover: Luck
Violet: Innocence
Lily: Innocence
Poppy: Death
Iris: Death
Bamboo: Longevity
Lotus: Fertility

Flowers have been used as symbols and decorative accents in painting for many generations. If you want to try your hand at flower painting, have some fun with the symbolism as well, and send hidden messages in your art.

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