Paint a poppy flower with watercolor step by step

Without a sketch, it is going to be pretty difficult to navigate all the petals. Use the thin pencil (automatic) or a regular hard pencil (any H type). When you draw your flower, make sure you do not press a pencil against the paper sheet too hard. 

Hard lines are hard to erase, they will leave marks on paper or will be visible under the watercolor layer.

Here is how a sketch looks like. I made lines darker for you to be able to see them. Your sketch must be twice lighter than this.

I picked a top left petal to start with. Apply clean water on this petal first, then add a layer of red paint (Cadmium Red/Bright Red, etc). Since I am using a natural brush, it carries lots of water and allows me to spread the paint across the petal evenly. If you use a synthetic brush for this part, make sure to get more water on your brush so that your stroke does not look dry. 

While your first layer of red paint is wet, add a drop of yellow paint (Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange). Make sure there is no definitive line where those 2 colors connect. Since the first layer was wet you should be able to mix the 2 colors without sharp lines. Keep the petal smooth.

Carefully finish the first petal spreading a mix of red and yellow. Let each color shine. Make sure there are no sharp lines inside this petal.

Don’t wait too long, start working on the next petal. I chose the one that touches my initial petal on the right side. Having a natural brush allowed to keep humidity on the second petal. Since my first petal is still wet, I managed to connect the second petal without a sharp edge. Both petals look like one wash.

Now I am doing the same on the left side. Adding a third petal using the same colors: red and yellow. In some places, there is more red color, in others – more yellow. Play with it!

Now I connect a petal #4 on the right. My brush is reasonably wet which allows me to smoothly add this petal to an existing one. Make sure that in all 4 petals the red and yellow colors are balanced. Avoid having loads of, for example, red on one side and bits of yellow on the left. 

Time for the last and largest petal in the bottom. I applied paint right away because my brush already carries enough water for me to ensure smooth layering. However, if you use a synthetic brush, you can use the wet-on-wet technique here: first, lay down some clean water on the petal and then the paint. 

Time to leave our flower to dry before we apply new layers and work on shadows.

Time to work on shadows. We need to mix a darker tone of red. I use a complementary color – green – to achieve darker red color. Practice on a separate piece of paper first before applying your darker tone to an actual painting. Make sure that the paint you’re laying down is wet. You do not want any sharp or dry strokes on your petals!

Keep working the darker red tone on this petal. If you have too much water/liquid on your brush you will probably dilute a previous layer of paint. So, make sure your brush is moderately wet. Do not cover the whole petal with a darker tone. This is a shadow, paint it selectively, allow some bright red to shine through. I also extended my shadow-work on the petal nearby.

Now it’s time to work on the next petal. Here I chose a lighter tone and intensified red color instead. Also marked a few veins. It is important to balance between highlights and shadows on our flower.

Working on the remaining petals. With a darker tone, I marked the area where the petal has folded. Also, the middle part of the flower got the most shadow. The edges of the petals are the brightest. 

I took a moment to paint a stem with light green color (Green, Emerald Green, Phthalo green etc). 

Before the stem got dry, I applied a darker tone on it. The darker tone of green is achieved by adding a little red into your green. 

Our watercolor poppy is almost ready! I picked black paint (Neutral black) and painted pistils and stamens with pointy moves, the heart of the flower.

It is an optional step. If you feel like the flower is missing some details like one stokes, thin veins, etc this is a moment to add them! Just remember that it is important to know when to stop. Do not overdo it.