"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."
- Camille Pissarro

Lettuce, with its delicate leaves, grows in quiet abundance as a simple gift from the earth. With shades of greens, reds, and purples, each variety offers its own unique beauty. From butterhead to endive to radicchio to little gem, every head of lettuce is a work of art. 

Next time you’re in the kitchen making a salad, pull a single leaf and examine its intricacies. The shape. The curling of the edges. The color of the veins. How the texture differs from the bottom to the top of the leaf. How the color gradient changes.

We’re sharing a painting tutorial to teach you how to paint your very own lettuce portrait. Choose your favorite type and gather your supplies. These tips and tools will guide you through.

If you’re looking for a more hands-on learning experience, join us at the Martha Mae Studio on April 13 for our Lettuce Study Watercolor Workshop. Tickets are available here.

Gather your supplies
For this portrait, we used:

- Paintstones
- Watercolor Paper
- Studio Tools Wide Tool Holder
- Swiss Wood Pencil
- Kneadable Eraser
- Black Velvet Size 8 Script
- Black Velvet Size 4 Round

Step 1: Sketch an outline with a pencil
Determine which type of lettuce you would like to paint. Study the colors, size, texture, and movement. Next choose if you’d like to paint the whole head or just a leaf. 

Set up your still life in an area with nice lighting. Natural light is preferred, but keep an eye on your shadows. Position yourself in a place where the light highlights and enhances the details and shape of your subject.

Start by doing a light sketch of the head or leaf you chose to paint. This only should be the outline of the shapes and veins of the lettuce, no need to draw in shadows or textures. Keep the movement flowing and your pencil light so it's easy to paint over. Feel confident in erasing, altering, and starting over. You want this sketch to be light enough to paint over.

Step 2: Mix your colors
Wet your watercolor brush and begin mixing your colors. Take a look at your subject, and mix a selection of paints that highlight the light, medium, and dark hues. Start by building your lightest colors first. If this is the first time using a specific paint, do a swatch first and let it dry. This will allow you to mix the most accurate colors.

As you move to the next color, you can keep some of that first color on your brush. By mixing a little bit of each previous color into your next, you will create a cohesive color palette. 

If you have many colors in your lettuce, mix a few medium colors for all of the little details. Finally, work on your darkest hues that will help you emphasize shape and shadows. Make sure to mix enough paint for your portrait.

Step 3: Begin painting
Once your colors are mixed, you can begin painting. Start with your lightest colors and create pockets of pigment on your pencil drawing. Remember to use the whites of your paper to act as highlights. Gently blend out the first layer of pigment.

When you start to lay down the next color, paint around your lighter color. Then use a clean brush with clean water to seamlessly blend. Keep a paper towel with you to dab excess water or lift up some pigment if your initial stroke was heavy handed. 

Your medium shade is great for textures and details, while your deepest shade will be used to depict the shadows. Allow the white of the paper and your lightest color to shine through where highlights show up on your lettuce.

Patience...
The building of color layers takes time. Each stage is buildable to create a more realistic painting. 

Pausing and allowing your paint and water to dry is an important step. If you’ve used too much water, more than a paper towel can handle, walk away for a few minutes. Allowing the paper to dry will help to keep your painting smooth without paper pilling. 

Walking away can also give you a fresh perspective when you return.

Step 4: Add final touches
After layering the colors of your leaf or head, assess your progress. Irregularity mimics nature, so there's no need for perfection here.

Want a more crisp edge to your subject? Use a fine tip brush to smooth the edge of your painting. Want a vein that pops? Use your shadow color to add some extra strokes of depth for your vein details. 

This watercolor technique can apply to any fruit or vegetable you'd like to paint. If you want to share your artwork with us, we'd love to see it! Send us an email at info@marthame.info.

If you'd like to join us for an in-person watercolor workshop, find tickets here for our April 13th Lettuce Study Watercolor Workshop at the Martha Mae Studio. This will be an intimate morning watercolor class accompanied by coffee, tea, and pastries. Come meet other Chicago watercolor enthusiasts and spend the morning learning and creating together.

Paint a Lettuce