A Rose for Mothers Day

As a person also painting roses for Mother's Day, I applaud you for your bravery for entering into this abyss of flowers, while wielding a technique you're still new to! Roses are, to my experience, exceptionally hard to paint, as sometimes they can come out looking for like a swirling vertex than a rose. You seemed to have handled that quite well though!

The gold might not have translated very well, but I'm sure it was very splendid in person. Lining the edges with gold was a thoughtful and unique touch that really helps make the piece pop, and I'm sure will be very appreciated by your mom!

I really love the bold and vibrant colors, but since you tried to shade the piece, that really takes it in a different direction. The key to shading is having lots and lots of contrast between dark and light areas. The golden lines really helped to separate the dark from the light, but don't be too afraid to use more white on your lighter areas to separate the light from the lighter. Also don't be afraid to use more dark in the darker areas. Just remember that mistakes can always be covered!

Also, the shaded areas aren't very well blended with the colors and look very blocked in. I understand with acrylics that they dry very, very fast, and don't blend well when applied. Try mixing the colors on your palette first to provide yourself with the shades and tones you need to more effectively blend your shades.

Overall though I'm sure your mom will love it. While your technique might need work, the piece was well composed and is definitely a step in the right direction as far as painting. And again, I just love that touch of gold. It's certain to leave an impression!