How to Paint a Catherine Klein Rose ~ Study ~

Spring is the perfect season for painting roses, with Mother Nature as the ultimate teacher. An artist's unique perspective and beliefs are essential for capturing the emotions and feelings they aim to express through their art.

If you’ve never painted roses before, they may seem challenging at first. A helpful way to start is by studying the works of renowned rose artists, like the beloved China artist Catherine Klein. Born in Germany in 1861, Klein studied at an art school in Berlin and became known for her stunning floral paintings, as well as her depictions of birds and fruit. Her work gained widespread popularity during her lifetime and continues to be reproduced in various forms, including paintings, miniatures, fabrics, greeting cards, pillows, furniture, prints, and more. Although little is known about her personal life, it's clear that Klein had a deep love for nature.

While Catherine typically used oils and watercolors in her paintings, I will walk you through my own interpretation of a Catherine Klein-style rose using acrylics. As I continue to develop my skills, I look forward to painting my own versions inspired by the beauty of my rose garden.

Catherine Klein Rose

Starting with shadows and darker tones is an excellent approach when painting roses. If drawing isn’t your strength, you can trace the outline of the rose provided below and concentrate on practicing shading in the areas highlighted in the accompanying photo. This technique will help you grasp the interplay of light and shadow, which is essential for capturing the depth and form of the rose petals.

Remember to focus on the subtle variations in shading, especially around the folds and curves of the petals. By practicing these shading techniques, you’ll gradually improve your ability to create dimension and realism in your rose paintings.

Follow the steps below for the next part. While I tried to capture photos of my process, they didn’t turn out as clearly as I had hoped. However, they still give a basic idea of value placement. For practice, I recommend using canvas paper, which is what I used here.

Let’s begin by creating your initial value. Mix crimson red paint with titanium white to achieve your base color. I typically work with three key values: light, middle, and dark. For the middle values, add a small amount of cadmium yellow to the mix to introduce warmth to the color.

When painting the shadows of the rose, take the base red color and mix it with a small amount of green. To create the green, blend phthalo blue and crimson red. Apply this shadow mixture to the areas where you want depth.

Next, create a muted green by blending green with a hint of red, then add some white to lighten it. Use this color to outline the rose. Gradually add more white into the mix and blend it into both the rose and shadow areas, softening the transitions and building dimension.

Next, fill in the remaining areas using the light muted green, then gradually lighten it by adding more white. To soften the edges of the rose, apply this mixture lightly with a gentle brushing motion. Use minimal pressure to allow the color to subtly blend into the surrounding tones, creating a smooth transition between the rose and its background.

Before finalizing the painting, start by introducing warmer muted greens to the leaves, then lighten them by adding white. In select areas, incorporate a muted blue to create contrast and enhance the depth. Finally, swirl a light green into specific regions, paying attention to the areas where you want to add extra dimension and visual interest. This technique will help bring the painting to life with rich, layered color.

I took one final look at my painting to assess areas that needed deeper shadows, brighter highlights, or added warmth. For the highlights, I used the lightest green mix—almost pure white—that I had previously used for swirling.

And there you have it! Your rose is now a beautiful, living piece of art. Happy painting!

~ All photos, text, and art in this post are copyrighted. ~