Create a luminous Bird of Paradise as a fresh botanical study—or continue into a bold, layered background while learning to mix greens, build contrast, and bring the painting together with confidence.
Bird of Paradise: Botanical to Bold - Dec. 8
One Flower. Two Beautiful Ways to Finish.
Discover the dramatic shapes and luminous color of the Bird of Paradise while choosing how far you would like to take your painting.
Begin by creating a fresh botanical-style study that allows the flower and the white paper to shine. You may stop there with a beautiful finished painting—or continue with me as we add a rich, layered background filled with expressive foliage, mingling greens, softened edges, and deep contrast.
Both approaches can result in a successful painting. The choice is yours.
It Begins with the Flower
The Bird of Paradise may appear complicated, but it becomes much more manageable when we slow down and simplify it into individual shapes.
We’ll explore the flower’s brilliant oranges, yellows, violets, and greens while focusing on water control, color transitions, highlights, value, and form.
You’ll learn how to:
- Simplify an unusual subject into manageable shapes
- Create fresh, luminous color
- Transition smoothly from one color to another
- Use changes in value to create form
- Preserve highlights and areas of white paper
- Decide which edges to define and which to soften
Choose Your Stopping Point
Once the flower is complete, you’ll have a choice.
You may stop with a clean botanical-style painting that keeps all the attention on the Bird of Paradise. The untouched white paper gives the flower room to breathe and creates a fresh, elegant presentation.
Or you may continue into the background lessons and transform the painting with large foliage shapes, mingling greens, stronger value contrasts, and atmospheric depth.
One choice is not better than the other. This is about learning to recognize when a painting feels complete and deciding what best supports your creative vision.
Continue into a Bold Background
If you choose to continue, the background becomes an entirely new learning experience.
Rather than painting every leaf and detail, we’ll simplify the foliage into larger shapes and use the background to support the flower.
You’ll explore:
- Mixing a variety of natural greens
- Using warm and cool color shifts
- Mingling and transitioning colors on the paper
- Designing large leaf shapes
- Negative painting around the flower
- Connecting darker shapes
- Creating contrast without overpowering the subject
- Losing and finding edges
- Allowing portions of the flower to emerge from the background
As the greens and darker values develop, you’ll see how the background intensifies the oranges and violets of the Bird of Paradise.
Work Through the “Ugly Stage”
Many watercolor paintings pass through an awkward stage when the shapes feel disconnected, the values look uneven, and the painting no longer appears to be working.
This is often the moment when painters become discouraged or stop too soon.
In this workshop, you’ll see the painting move through that uncertain stage. Together, we’ll connect shapes, deepen values, adjust edges, and bring the flower and background back into balance.
Learning how to continue when a painting feels awkward may be one of the most valuable lessons of the entire workshop.
More Than One Finished Painting
This workshop is not about copying one finished result. It is about understanding how your decisions can change a painting.
You’ll see how the same Bird of Paradise can become:
- A light, fresh botanical study surrounded by white paper
- A bold, dramatic painting with layered tropical foliage
You may follow the complete process, stop with the botanical version, or use the lessons to develop your own interpretation.
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is well suited to watercolor painters who want to become more confident with color, backgrounds, value, and knowing when a painting is finished.
The botanical version offers a more approachable stopping point. Painters who are ready for an additional challenge can continue into the layered background and experience the complete transformation.
Most importantly, you’ll be encouraged to make choices that suit your own experience, painting style, and creative goals.
What You’ll Take Away
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a better understanding of how to:
- Simplify a complex flower
- Build form with color and value
- Preserve light and white paper
- Mix and vary greens
- Design a background that supports the subject
- Move through the difficult middle stage of a painting
- Recognize more than one successful stopping point
- Make confident decisions about how far to take your work
One Flower. Two Directions. Your Choice.
Create a fresh botanical study or continue into a bold, layered background while developing skills you can apply to many other watercolor subjects.
Workshop Details
Bird of Paradise: Botanical to Bold
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
Live Online Workshop
- 9:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific
- 10:00 AM–1:00 PM Mountain
- 11:00 AM–2:00 PM Central
- 12:00–3:00 PM Eastern
The workshop is approximately three hours and includes a short break.
Can’t attend live? The workshop will be recorded and the replay will be available afterward.
Your Workshop Includes
- Live watercolor instruction
- Workshop replay with lifetime access
- Texture exercises and demonstrations
- Autumn leaf studies
- Reference images
- Materials list
- Line drawings/reference materials
Meet Your Instructor
For over 30 years, I've had the privilege of teaching watercolor artists around the world through workshops, online courses, and international art events. My passion has always been helping artists move beyond simply copying a reference photo to truly understanding light, design, and the expressive qualities of watercolor.
As a faculty member for Watercolor Live and a former juror for the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, I've had the opportunity to work with thousands of artists at every stage of their creative journey. One lesson has remained constant: stronger paintings don't come from painting more details—they come from learning to see differently.
My teaching emphasizes observation, simplification, confident brushwork, and understanding why watercolor behaves the way it does. Rather than striving for perfection, I encourage students to recognize the larger shapes, preserve the light, and enjoy the unique beauty that watercolor offers.
Whether you're just beginning or have been painting for years, my goal is to help you build confidence, strengthen your skills, and create paintings that feel fresh, expressive, and uniquely your own.
I look forward to painting with you!
Birgit O'Connor
Former Juror, Transparent Watercolor Society of America
Watercolor is one of the most rewarding and forgiving mediums you'll ever paint with. I hope you'll join me as we explore its beauty together.
Continue Your Watercolor Journey
If you enjoyed this workshop and would like to continue exploring watercolor, I invite you to browse my collection of books, workbooks, and practice guides designed to help you build confidence and continue your creative journey.