How To Color White Flowers?

White flowers are white.

Your paper is white.

And they don’t make white Copic Markers…

Do you color white flowers by not coloring them at all?

Or do you pull out gray markers, hoping to add a bit of shade and dimension.

Pssstttt… that’s why your white flowers are flat and lifeless.

Let’s color beautiful white flowers that are everything but white.

Colorful whites are easier than you think. You can do this!

How to shade white flowers?

White is a special challenge to beginning artists. Many people leave white petals uncolored which results in flat flowers. Shading with gray leaves flowers dull and lifeless. Illustrator Amy Shulke shows how she colors dimensional & dynamic whites with a full rainbow.

Which gray should you use to shade white flowers?

No, no no— put away the gray markers!

Look, I know you think shadows are gray.

But Amy! Everyone knows shadows are gray!

A lot of Copic colorers assume shadows and shade are gray, so their biggest issue with coloring white flowers is which kind of Copic gray to use. The warms? The cools? Or go neutral? Maybe toners?

No.

Step away from the gray markers. They’re not doing you any favors.

Everyone assumes shadows are gray until they actually look at a shadow.

If you pay attention, you’ll see color everywhere.

Flowers have a pearlescent coating. They’re slightly reflective and it’s most noticeable on white or very pale blossoms.

Where the white flower in my photo reference sits next to deep green leaves, I can see soft mint and pale sage gathered in the nooks and crevices.

The petals next to the orange rind bounce warm gold and peach across the edge and into the fold.

And throughout the flower, I can see pale blue-violet where one white petal or white stamen overlaps another white petal.

I’m not imagining this color, the computer can see it too.

Real life is full of real color.

True gray is only present in black and white photography. It’s an artificial condition. Add to that, most gray art supplies are dilutions of black pigments or dulled inks which absorb light rather than reflect lightwaves back to the eye.

Gray literally sucks the life from your artwork.

Color What You See…

Not what you think you see.

We all have color biases and assumptions that don’t stand up to scrutiny. Children’s picture books teach us to think in stereotypes at a young age. We memorize wrong details as we learn to read.

A is for apple and apples are red…

Maybe, but not all the time.

We carry childhood mental shortcuts into adulthood.

Many people live a lifetime never really noticing that elephants aren’t actually gray and clouds are rarely white.

Your Job as an Artist

Even if you think you’re “just a colorer”— your mission is to show us the beauty of life.

This means looking at life with fresh eyes and an open mind.

To color Citrus Punch, I looked for photo references full of inspirational and intriguing color. I chose the bluest aloe photograph I could find and I found the prettiest group of ripe oranges with hints of green by the stem and purple along the edges.

I was lucky to find a photo of orange blossoms sitting next to orange slices and green leaves, but even if I hadn’t stumbled upon a perfect colorful white photo reference…

You can use logic to add a rainbow to white flowers.

It’s easier than you think.

When I color, I don’t put away my markers and pencils until I’m completely finished with the entire project. All my supplies sit openly on the desk where I can see and be inspired by them.

So when it comes time to add hints of color to white flower blossoms, I’m able to use the same pencils and markers already used on the various leaves and fruit around them.

I borrowed the Yellowed Orange pencil from the orange segments to add hits of gentle sunshine to my petals and the base of the stamens. I borrowed the Pale Sage and Olive Green pencils from the aloe leaves, using them to carve folds in each petal and to separate the buds from their protective sepals.

I use the same colors over and over.

The rainbow of color that you see in my orange blossoms are pencils repeated throughout the whole project. I may be using them at only a fraction of the pressure used elsewhere, but the Dark Purple pencil you see on the orange rind also forms the shade on the green petals and the separation between the white flower petals.

The colors of white are already on my desk and in the image. All I have to do is use them.

Never Waste an Opportunity to Color White

The uncolored, untouched page is almost the saddest thing I can think of.

We’re colorers. We’re artists. We’re here to reflect what’s best in the world.

The real world is jam-packed full of real amazing color.

It’s everywhere, if you look.

It’s a shame to ignore this kind of beauty.

I know your head is telling you that white paper with gray shade will look like a white flower. White is supposed to be white. But the world around you is showing you so much more.

Anyone can leave the blossom or the polar bear or the egg or the clouds white.

It’s the artist who opens our eyes to the rainbows they carry.

A Fresh Burst of Color!

Join Amy for a vibrant Copic + Colored Pencil lesson

Marker Painting Workshops - online!

Citrus Punch features ”Aloe & Oranges” from PowerPoppy.com

Citrus Punch is an intermediate challenge level coloring class

Real time coloring, recorded live

Live Workshops are unscripted demonstrations which provide students with a real look into the authentic coloring process. You’ll see mistakes being made and corrected. It’s just like visiting Amy in her home studio.

Log in and color with Amy at your convenience. Anytime access, no expiration dates.

Class was recorded in August 2020 and featured a live student audience. Amy answers questions from the students and offers many tips for better colored pencil art.

Oranges & Aloe

Citrus Punch uses the “Aloe and Oranges” digital stamp, an instant download from PowerPoppy.com.

Easily print your stamp on Copic safe paper and color along with me!

Join me for an online lesson…

that will change the way you think about marker and pencil technique. You don’t have to follow the same old blending rules to make beautiful realism.

Plus, it'll be tons of fun!

Select supplies used in Citrus Punch:

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