Book excerpt: Master the Secret of Creating Spectacular Flowers in Colored Pencil When it comes to choosing a subject, flowers are a perennial favorite for artists because of their exciting variety and complexity of color, texture and details. It's amazing, then, that their vibrant natures can be captured so realistically with the simple and direct medium of colored pencil. The "secret" is making the most of colored pencil's distinctive translucent properties with techniques such as layering, burnishing and underpainting. Gary Greene--along with six other respected colored pencil artists--shows you how in 64 step-by-step demonstrations. Arranged from azalea to zinnia for easy reference, these demonstrations detail the methods and specific colors for creating a variety of flowers, including: anthurium • amaryllis • aster • begonia • bird of paradise • cactus flower • calla lily • camellia • carnation • chrysanthemum • cineraria • crocus • columbine • daffodil • dahlia • Easter cactus • foxglove • fuchsia • geranium • Gerbera daisy • gladiolus • hibiscus • hydrangea • hyacinth • iris • lily • lupine • magnolia • marigold • nasturtium • passion flower • peony • petunia • poinsettia • poppy • primrose • rhododendron • slipperwort • snapdragon • sunflower • trillium • tulip • water lily Complete with advice on the best tools and reference materials, this unique guide helps you capture the beauty of flowers in colored pencil.