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In this lesson I will describe the process of creation of water-lily. The lesson can be divided into few parts, but as they will closely interlace between themselves, I didn’t do it.

Step 1

Before the beginning of our work, we need to do one important step: to pick up the primary color of background. As our background is water, I have chosen navy blue shade (#20325f). Never abandon the background for a long time. From the personal experience I can say that «then» to do background is very difficult. It’s better to spare, even a bit of attention, but to all of work.

Let’s create a new layer.

By means of a white brush we make a sketch. When it will be ready you can do this layer transparent (for approximately 5-15%). I didn’t do it, that it was visible to you, how I utilize a sketch for coloration of the picture.

Step 2

The second very important step is to “pick up” the palette of colors for work. I have chosen a few shades of light pink, to paint distant petals, and a few shades of rose - for lateral. On the palette are shown basic colors, but for coloring I used more shades which are somewhere between them.

Step 3

Well and finally a few shades darkly-rose, for back petals, and those, that are in shadow. Another color – darkly-orange, we utilize for pollen.

Step 4

Let’s give to flower a little bit of volume. With every petal we work separately on the following scheme: with Eyedropper Tool we choose the shade of the petal and doing it more lightly, draw part which the rays of light get on; with darker – a part of petals, which are in the shadow. We do not forget about the middle of petals, its form has to pass the game of light and shadow.

Step 5

We pick out more dark tints of rose, to do shadow of petals more saturated and to lick into petals more clear shape from on the dark side.

Step 6

Well and by more light tints of rose color we will do borders of light part of petals more expressly. When we’ll finish, with Eraser Tool will correct flower’s form and get rid of superfluous remainders of sketch.

Step 7

We use Burn Tool (Shadows, Fill: 100%) and Dodge Tool (highlights, Fill: 50%) and do the basic lines of petals more expressly. Also I corrected a little a lower right petal which was somehow selected on a background of other petals. In bad sense of this word.

Step 8

We continue to work with Dodge Tool (we lower Fill to 30%, do bigger brush’s size, soft round kind). We will light up those parts of petals which the rays of light fall on.

Step 9

We will select a few tints of yellow, to draw middle of flower (pestles, stamens). Two shades will be enough for us, in other we will be helped by burn and dodge tools.

Step 10

We take Burn and Dodge Tool again (brush’s size is very small), and we make petals more detailed. Lines must be clear, smooth, and they must not intersect.

Step 11

We will pick out a few tints of green for a leaf. But we will work with it later. While for a short time we will make a layer with an invisible sketch, for more detailed work above the lily. We will select a shade of light pink, to add highlights on lower petals from the left side.

Step 12

We choose Dodge Tool in Midtones mode (Fill: 50%). We will work above shadow from petals and pistil/stamen. On the left side must be more shadow, because light falls on left.

Step 13

By means of Dodge/Burn and Eraser Tools we’ll correct mistakes on some petals.

Step 14

We take Dodge Tool again (with the same tunings) and finish shadow in those places, where it is enough.

Step 15

For a time we will leave the flower, it is ready more or less. We pass to the leaf. We make a layer-sketch visible, paint out with the primary color our leaf, and it is possible boldly to delete the draught. We don’t need it any more.

Step 16

We choose Burn Tool (Fill: 10-15%, Midtones, brush’s kind: rough round bristle). We draw correct smooth lines, to direction from a center – behind the leaf.

Step 17

By means of Eraser Tool we make the borders of this leaf tidy and even.

Step 18

We choose a dark tint of green color, and draw thin dark lines on the leaf from the side of the shadow. It will give to the leaf a certain realistic thickness.

Step 19

Well, we choose Burn Tool in Midtones mode (Fill: 15%) and we draw clear smooth lines from a center behind edges. They must be bent a bit, to underline the form of the leaf.

Step 20

We increase the size of a brush for Burn Tool (the same tunings), and we add shadows at the middle (of the flower) and on the edges of the leaf.

Step 21

We change the instrument to Dodge Tool (Highlights, Fill: 100%) and draw the patches of reflected light from water. Do not forget to add the specks of light under the sharp edges of leaf, with which it comes into contact with water. I did it very chaotically, but I liked the result. ?

Step 22

We take Burn Tool again and draw clear shadows from the extreme petals of lily.

Step 23

We use Dodge Tool (Highlights, Fill: 75%) and do stamens lighter. We do not forget about that, from what part light falls.

Step 24

We take Brush Tool (pink color, mode: hue, flow:25%) and draw on the leaf reflections from petals. Then we change a color on green, and draw the reflections of the leaf on petals.

Step 25

We use Burn Tool and Dodge Tool on the weak tuning, draw shadows from the flower and highlights on the leaf.

Step 26

We will do reflections a bit stronger; will add them on some petals of lily. Then we will decrease the size of brush (we change mode to Normal) and make the leaf more detailed be means of even, exact lines.

Step 27

We will return brush’s tunings, with which we did the first reflection, we will increase the size, and will change a color on rose, and will add a reflection from petals on the leaf.

Step 28

We will change the color on yellow; we will increase brush’s size and will add a little bit of color to the center of flower. Then we use Dodge Tool (highlights, fill: 100%) to add radiance and highlights on stamens.

Step 29

We will take a brush and decrease it in a size, and we will add reflections from stamens on the walls of petals.

Step 30

We will add a few drops on the leaf. It is very simple to do this – choose the color of the leaf, and make two shades out of it: brighter and darker. We draw at first drops of wrong form with the light tint, and then dark – their shadow.

Step 31

We use Dodge Tool (highlights, fill: 100%) and draw highlights on drops. That’s all, and you don’t need any cunning with the layer’s tuning.

Step 32

The last touch is shadow from the leaf on water.

Ready. I hope that the lesson is clear. More experiments play with light and tints. I hope, the result made you happy.

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