How to Paint Roses in Different Styles

Roses are one of those flowers a lot of people ask to learn how to paint. So today, I am going to show you how to draw and paint roses in a few different ways.

Roses don’t have to be complicated. Painting roses can be super fun and easy. And probably much more simple than you think. All of the styles will be quick and easy, so you can play around in your mixed media pad or choose your favorite and create a whole bouquet.

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Jump to Christie’s Video Tutorial and Learn How to Draw and Paint Roses

Ink and Watercolor Roses

I have been playing with watercolor painting a little more lately. I like how free and loose it is. You don’t want it to be perfect. You don’t have to stay inside the lines. Just make it whatever you want.

You don’t have to buy new supplies if you don’t have watercolor paint. You can also use watered-down acrylic paint to get the same look! Read more about how to use acrylic paints like watercolors HERE.

If you choose to use acrylic paints like watercolor, you only need a tiny bit of paint! Start with a small dot on your plate and add water to get a thin consistency. You can choose how much pigment you want in your mixture by how much water you add.

Either way you choose, this style of rose is fun. I love how the drawn line filled in with a wash of color looks.

There are two ways to achieve this style. You can draw first, then paint. Or, for more straightforward designs, you could paint first and draw over.

For my open, face forward roses, I start with the sketch drawing with my brush tip waterproof pen.

First, draw little curved lines working around in a circle to create the center of the rose. Then, as you continue to work your way around, add a bit more space between the lines.

I then attached little sections as the petals. These are free-form lines that connect to the previous row on each end. As your rose grows in size, so will the size and amount of the petals in that row.

Add some leaves and you have a rose!

I also draw first for stemmed roses. This is the more grown-up version of those swirl top roses we used to draw in elementary!

Similar to the face forward blooms, start building your inside and work your way out. Then draw two petals on each front side that fold across the front. Next, add your stem and some leaves.

I like the sketchy look, but if you want cleaner lines, sketch with a pencil to give yourself an idea of the shape you want. Then draw over your rose with a waterproof pen.I am

For a fun and quick, whimsical rose, start with the outer circle and work backward toward the center with swift curved lines.

Now you can paint your sketches! First, I fill my roses with a wash of red. Then with a little more pigment on my brush, add more color around the edges of the petals. If you want a little deeper shade in the centers, you can add a little bit of blue to your brush to make burgundy.

Play with different greens to shade and highlight your leaves and stems.

Easy Roses with Acrylic Paint

I show you one of my favorite and most simple ways to paint a rose with acrylic paint in the video below.

Load a round brush with your favorite rose color and paint a loose round blob. Of course, you don’t want to make a perfect circle.

When your paint is dry, use paint pens to draw a similar rosette on top. I like a little squiggly blob in the center and then work my way out from there with more squiggly lines.

I layered black, white, and of course, gold!

This is about being messy and free and loose. Incorporating paint pens in your art is just another fun way to try something new.

Make sure that the paint is dry before drawing over it, or it will transfer onto your paint pen ruin it.

Palette Knife Roses

If you are not familiar with gel medium, it is a product you can add to your craft paints to make them thicker.

I do most of my fun paintings with regular acrylic craft paint. Although some brands like Deco Art are thicker than others, you can add gel medium to any paint for more texture in your palette knife painting.

You don’t always have to add a mixing medium to your paint. However, it can make it easier to have thicker paint if you want to try it.

Don’t be intimidated by the palette knife. Palette knife painting can be addicting once you get used to it! I have more palette knife painting tutorials HERE.

First, load your palette knife and lightly spread your paint onto your canvas, creating your shape. Just like with brushes, using the right amount of pressure is critical. Palette knife flowers are a great starting point to start practicing your skills.

Add in other colors of paint. Just push your colors around, making sure not to blend them completely together. Keep layering and playing.

Use the tip of your palette knife to push into your paint to add more grooves or lines.

The thicker the paint, the more you can mess around with texture but remember not to do it too much because your colors will all blend, and you will lose all the pretty variances.

You want to have a contrast of colors in there. So I used red, pink, white, and wine. I love these types of flowers because I can play with the colors and create so much texture.

Learn How to Draw and Paint Roses In Christie’s Video Tutorial!

These simple ways to paint roses may not be your favorite style. They may be too loose and not realistic enough for your tastes. But it is always good to try other things and expand your painting skills by practicing something new. You may learn something that you can take to a painting your favorite style.

Stay Creative,