Inspired by the vivid colors and curled shapes of the iris petals, I began by drawing these beauties from life. Most of the irises in my garden are either bronze-colored or variegated lavender and yellow, but I used artistic license for these — using a variety of blue and red pigments, and allowing the colors to blend on the wet paper. Working wet-in-wet gives the flowers a soft feeling.

I combined a couple sketches when designing the irises on my watercolor paper. This drawing is the foundation for all my designs. The background is a combination of warm & cool greens, the complementary color of the irises.