How do you paint flowers in acrylic?

Paint the background first, then work through the petals from darkest to lightest, and finish with the highlights. This order keeps the flower reading clearly against its surroundings and stops you having to paint around finished detail.

1. Lay in the background and let it dry fully.
2. Block in the darkest petal tones, following the shape of each petal rather than colouring flatly.
3. Build up the mid tones, then the lighter ones, keeping edges soft where petals curve away.
4. Add highlights last with a fine brush, along with any outlines or stamens.

Acrylic dries quickly, so keep the brush moving and load it lightly for fine work. A fine brush suits outlines and small centres, a medium brush handles most petal shapes, and a wide brush is useful for backgrounds.