Whether painting outdoor landscapes or indoor still lifes, I often struggle with painting realistic looking shadows. The flowers have such subtle, soft shadows on their petals, whereas sunlight outdoors on the trees can create very dark shadows on the ground. Is there a general rule to creating shadows which are delicate and give the flowers depth without losing the brilliant colours of the petals? What colours create most effective shadows during noon and evening sun in a landscape?

Panel Member Trevor Waugh replies "Shadows Obvioulsy vary in colour and intensity according to the lighting conditions. It would be advantageous to see your shadows as colours and not just tones as this will help to create stimulus in the finished work. In floral paintings I have found that glazing shadows over a dry, finished painting can be particularly beautiful. Remember to use transparent colours for this because shadows are like ghosts, you can see through them. It can be a little worrying when you first do this, so take a deep breath. One new colour that I have found extremely useful is Rowney's Ultramarine Violet."