GIMP: roses tutorial

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IF YOU DO HAPPEN TO FIND THIS USEFULL AND USE IT - it'd be awesome if you could tag me in your creation somehow, so I got to see the result!
Cheers!

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Alternative title: The misadventures of me trying to pretend like I know anything.

Some extra tips and tricks to possibly pay attention to:

About references:

There are thousands upon thousands different types of roses (there isn't really such a thing as a "normal rose"): with different colors, shapes of petals, width of stem etc. Therefore, it's a good idea to look through as many resources as you possibly can - take walks in the garden with roses and experiment a lot while drawing. For example, though my "reference photo" here has petals that have rather round edges, I could just replace them with more geometric looking petals - depending on the overall look I am going for. Also, I would recommend avoiding to copy exactly off references - no two roses are the same after all _{(think of their feelings!)}. However, if you're feeling especially not confident - learning by copying might really be the best way for you. (Be sure to give credit where it's due though!!)

Talking of credit: I got the photo shown in here from the google image search. Original page: www.brideonline.com.au/Wedding…

About sketching:

I noticed that many artists start at the center. I often start with the "main cup" if there is one - if not, I try to imagine where is would be, since it gives me a general feel of the rose and its shape. Feel free to experiment by starting anywhere from the center to the outermost petals.

Ah, and if you feel like it, you can, of course, do proper lineart. The reason I was happy with the sketch is because I often change my mind about the shape of the rose once the colors go on, so doing line-art would be somewhat a waste of time for me personally. BUUUTT - everyone has their own way ^^ If you have questions on how to do the said lineart - do ask

About coloring:

For simplicity, I only showed how to combine 2 colors here. Not only that, but I decided to go with the most "classic" combination as well. I even avoided subtle hues (like e.g. orange in this case - which one shouldn't really do...). Be creative and try out different combinations: peach-pink-yellow, orange-white and so on. Don't forget that roses can also be striped and have differently colored insides and outsides for each petal.

The outline is not necessary at all. If you're careful enough (zoom in enough, and have the patience) you can avoid the cartoony looking outline and make the rose blend better with the environment.



Though this "tutorial" (can I even call it that?) is very simplistic and messy (please forgive my horrendous hand-writing and possibly fatal spelling/grammar errors) - I do hope it helped at least a little bit. Maybe I'll make a better one some time in the future (when my own skills improve as well). Please do let me know if you'd like to see more of these. I always noticed that by explaining things, I learn more myself, so I really wouldn't mind making another one ^^

Also if you have any questions - feel free to send them my way <3

Thanks for looking and
hope you have a fantastic day!

~Narzik out.



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