Dandelion by Marie-Pierre Governale

Photo © Marie-Pierre Governale

"Dandelion" by Marie-Pierre Governale. 14x18cm (5.5x7cm). Gouache on sketchbook paper.

From the Artist: In my garden I have lots of flowers, but this one said 'paint me!'. It was rather closed when I picked it, but by the time I'd put it in water and found a small canvas (I had none left), it had started to open considerably. (And it continued to open while I was painting!)

I used gouache and my sketchbook. I like gouache because I feel a more confident with it. I tried to capture the leaves on the underside of the flower which support the yellow bits. They have a wild side towards the bottom and the ones going up make a shape like a pot or a basket. I struggled to show the tips of the petals which are nearly rectangular and with a rather jagged edge. I'm happy with the colors, but the 'basket' shape is not showing.

From the Painting Guide: I think this is a lovely portrait of a dandelion. It gives it a sense of grandeur, and shows off its beauty. I know many people think they're weeds, but I love them... and who can resist blowing one that's gone to seed?

The dark background really makes the yellow glow, and gives the perfect shade of green to the leaves and stem. Viewed from this angle, at eye level from the side, I'm not convinced that one does see much of the shape of the flower, but rather more of a silhouette. And as you've painted it, I get a lovely sense of depth to the flower. I certainly don't think you should try to "fix" anything.

Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: Divide the canvas into half horizontally and notice how the flower is placed above the half-way mark. Now divide the canvas into half vertically and you'll see the stem is centrally placed. It's having the flower head in the top half of the composition and by it spreading out sideways to fill and dominate that half which makes the composition work.

Even though the background covers more of the total area of the composition than the flower, it's not dull to look at because of the subtle variations in color within it. Squint at the painting and you'll immediately see how the yellow glows of the dandelion head jump out and demand attention.