Louise De Masi Art School

In this intermediate/advanced two-part tutorial, Louise guides you through painting Heaven Scent, a beautiful soft pink hybrid tea rose from her own garden. It’s a subject she has painted many times over the years and one that students have often requested as a tutorial.

Working slowly and methodically, you’ll build the rose petal by petal, using transparent washes, carefully controlled values, and preserved areas of white paper to create the delicate folds, curves, and luminosity of the flower. Louise uses a simple triadic palette of Ruby Red, Phthalo Blue, and Transparent Yellow, mixing variations of pink and violet throughout the painting.

A soft wet-on-wet background wash helps define the palest outer petals and anchor the composition, while the leaves are deliberately kept simple so the rose remains the focus. With 18 progress photos across the two parts, there are plenty of natural places to pause, catch up, and work through the painting at your own pace.

• Building a complex rose gradually, one petal at a time
• Creating luminous pink petals with transparent watercolour washes
• Preserving white paper to create delicate highlights and pale petal edges
• Using wet-on-wet techniques for soft transitions within the petals
• Building stronger values with more concentrated pigment
• Creating the illusion of petals folding, curling, and overlapping
• Mixing pinks and violets from a simple triadic colour palette
• Using subtle colour variation to keep petals fresh and interesting
• Softening unwanted hard edges with a clean damp brush
• Lifting colour to recover lighter areas when needed
• Using a soft background wash to define pale petals and strengthen the composition
• Simplifying supporting elements so the flower remains the focal point