Painting a Wreath

Wreaths offer a flexible compositional form that can be customized in various ways, including different subjects, colors, and even text, says artist Mia Whittemore. When creating her wreath paintings, Mia prefers to start by working from large to small, beginning with the biggest elements and gradually filling the circle with smaller details and designs.

Mia paints on hot-pressed watercolor paper and uses acrylic gouache, although watercolor and water-based gouache are also great options for painting wreaths. She applies a twist on the traditional complementary color pairing of red and green by muting and tinting her colors. She begins by sketching her design, starting with the circular shape and then drawing the large roses she plans to feature. Afterward, she sketches the leaves attached to the roses, paying close attention to their orientation, using the circle to guide their direction. Once the major elements are in place, Mia adds the tulips, followed by buds and smaller leaves around the circle. When the sketch is complete and the circle is filled, she erases the original outline.

After finalizing the sketch, Mia uses a No. 4 round brush to block in the larger elements with acrylic gouache. She progressively works with smaller brushes as she adds finer details. Mia blocks in her painting following a similar order as the sketch: large elements first, with the tulips painted last. While filling in the leaves, Mia notices some empty spaces and adds a few freehand. Although acrylic gouache is opaque, Mia cautions that it may require a second layer of paint to fully cover any pencil lines from the sketch. Once the main elements are blocked in, Mia focuses on the details: adding rose petals, shading the tulips, and painting veins on the leaves. Finally, she adds tiny buds, leaves, and blossoms to complete the wreath.