Bird of Paradise, (Strelitzia) is a majestic bloom of striking colour combination.
The design painted on a tile becomes a picture in itself, but the design can be transferred to other shapes such as a cylinder vase, or encircling a plate etc.
I hope you enjoy painting the 'Bird of Paradise' as much as I did.

Materials :-

square shader and pointer brushes.
Open medium (my choice)
Tile,
All pencil and wipe out tool

I used a technique of fine strokes, blended into each colour.

Step 1. Mark out the design with a chinagraph pencil.

Step 2. Paint the leaves with Shading Green; also the stems and pod of the blooms.

Step 3. Shade with Darkest Green and leave the lighter areas. Define the highlights on the edge of the leaves with the wipe out tool.

Step 4. Use Purple Red to paint the bloom and soften as it meets the green.

Step 5. Orange is used to paint the petals of the plant. Taper off to a fine point.

Step 6. Trenton Ivory is placed at the base of the Orange blooms.

Step 7. With Cobalt Blue, paint the spindly parts of the bloom and wipe out some highlights. FIRE @ 790 degrees. C.( cone 015) (sand the tile after each firing).

SECOND FIRE
Step 1. Paint in the background with Trenton Ivory and blend some Green, here and there.

Step 2. Deepen the leaves with Darkest Green.

Step 3. Deepen the Purple areas.

Step 4. Deepen the Orange, accentuate the tips.

Step 5. Deepen the Blue.

Step 6. Shade Pur Pur into the background, around the leaves etc.
FIRE@ 790 degrees C. (Cone 015)

You may need to deepen some colours; it is a matter of choice, and FIRE again.

These colours are suggested as they worked for me; maybe you will experiment.

Happy Painting. Aileen McLeod.