Before starting to paint Floral Bouquet I, I made a series of drawings on paper to explore different aspects of my subject, such as the shapes, values, and colors. It's a complex floral arrangement so I wanted to build confidence in my shapes and colors. Once I was ready, I used heavy body acrylic paint thinned down with acrylic gel to block in the main areas, then I gradually increased the amount of heavy body paint to build up texture and form.