Completed Painting: Dahlia (rookie painter challenge)

This is another Rookie Painter challenge entry.

Since the last post, I repainted white over the whole thing. The oranges and pinks weren't vibrant enough and it was obvious the purple was bleeding through too much. With acrylics, it's all about layering. The paints on top are not 100% opaque so whatever color is underneath really affect the end result.

After 2 more sessions with just the pinks and red and oranges, I finally found the perfect mix for the majority of the really vibrant areas. Cadmium Orange Hue mixed with Acra Magenta mixed with a tiny tiny bit of white. normally what makes things look a bit washed out, but it really made the super glowy parts pop.

And here is the final product! I painted the edges a light blue, since I used the same color in the highlights.

Like I said, flowers really aren't my "thing" but I am pretty happy with the way this came out. I think the huge variations on color within one petal is difficult for me. This is also quite large in relation to the size I have been painting for a while (this is 11 by 14).