Freehand painting is a simple style of artwork associated with China and its ancient Qing Dynasty. Pictures consist of a limited number of casual brush strokes. The artist embodies their own spirit into the painting, so it is not a particularly accurate or realistic method. However, the pictures are romantic. In Chinese culture, the lotus flower symbolizes beauty and light; therefore, use it as a positive subject matter to practice this ancient technique.
Review freehand paintings by Chinese artists. Their interpretation will help you focus and know what you have to achieve. Look at the brush strokes, and simplicity of the image.
Plan in your mind what your painting will look like before you put brush to canvas. You can't use pencil lines to guide where the strokes go, so have a clear vision on the outcome. Study your picture of the lotus flower to help.
Mix a very pale shade of yellow watercolor paint. First dip your brush in one pot of water and dab it onto the white paint. Transfer it to an allocated area on the palette. Rinse the brush, then add a very small touch of yellow. Mix the two together.
Paint the petals of the lotus flower first. Apply the pale shade of yellow paint to the canvas using a series of light, sweeping brush strokes. Lift the brush from the paper to taper the edge of each petal effectively. Continue to paint the petals until you have created a flower head.
Rinse the brush and add a dab more yellow to the paint you used for the petals. This is the for middle of the flower. Make it brighter yellow, but keep it low-key, as freehand paintings tend to be subtle.
Transfer the yellower paint to the middle of the lotus petals. It does not have to be intricate, so simply dab a few dots of yellow into the center.
Create a pale shade of green for the stem of the lotus flower to complement the tone of the painting. Once you have done this, paint the stem on the canvas. In one long brush stroke, sweep a curved line down from the middle of the flower head toward the bottom of your page.
Leave the painting to dry. Put the brushes in the pot of water so they do not dry out.
Complete the painting by adding subtle shadowing to the lotus flower. Decide which direction light is hitting the lotus flower, then add shading to some appropriate areas on the opposite side. First, make a really loose shade of gray by adding lots of water to a small dab of black paint. Then, add thin lines of shading in select areas such as along the edge of petals, on the underside of the flower head and down the side of the stem.
