How to Paint a Sunflower in Pastel: Bold, Loose & Expressive

Sunflowers can be intimidating. All those petals make it tempting to paint every single one, and before you know it, the painting feels stiff and overworked.

Join me as we paint a bold, loose sunflower in soft pastel!
Capturing the glow of a golden sunflower is an exciting experience. Keeping it bold and loose, with an impressionistic approach, is pure joy. We'll use strong color contrast and expressive marks to capture the energy of this beautiful flower.

Looking Our Way, 9x11” soft pastel on UART

In this painting demo, you'll see:

  • How to tone the surface and set a bold color contrast for the sunflower

  • How to simplify a complex flower into big, painterly shapes

  • How to keep your marks loose and confident, so the painting feels fresh and alive

  • How to use contrasting color to make your sunflower glow


Grab your pastels and paint along, or just watch and enjoy. I look forward to sharing the beauty of sunflowers with you.

Love painting still life subjects like this one? The Painterly Still Life Self-Study Course is releasing soon! Join the waitlist here.