Foxgloves and Poppies
Before painting any flowers I had to prep the floor, starting by washing it twice with Simple Green, and sanding the entire "rug" area with a power sander. I wanted to remove only a little bit of the yellow to reveal more blue streaks while also roughening the entire surface. Then I swept the dust away and wiped the floor down with TSP Substitute. In a plastic cup I mixed a very watery batch of butter colored paint, using Gripper for the white and yellow latex paint. With a large brush I then coated the entire mural space, which served to spruce up the existing yellowy area and make a nice fresh surface for my flowers.
Started with a wash of green paint around the perimeter indicating the location of leaves for all of the different plants. For now, I've decided to focus on painting the flowers, and finish the leaves after. I will probably bop around, but that is how I'm starting.
For reference I am using volumes I and II of The Random House Book of Perennials. They have great photos of the plants in their environment, and also specimen pages where the focus is on the flower heads and all their varieties.
Poppies in progress. As much as I love a fiery orange oriental poppy, I will be restraining myself and my palette on this project.