How To Paint A Sunset With Watercolors Step By Step

Follow this step-by-step tutorial with Steve Curl as he demonstrates how to watercolor paint a colorful sunset sky with shadows from his imagination. No reference image needed! Want to see the video version? This guide is also available to members of our Watercolor College.

Materials used:

• One sheet of Arches cold pressed watercolor paper (140lb, size 6″ x 9″)
• Pencil HB or 2B
• The eraser is kneaded
• Paint palette for watercolor paint
• A water tank
• A towel or rag to wipe the brush
• Paper towels or tissues

Paint (Watercolor by Holbein Artist)

• Cadmium yellow light
• Aureolin
• Orange yellow cadmium
• Deep red cadmium
• Alizarin Crimson forever
• Opera
• Deep Ultramarine
• Cobalt blue
• Cerulean Blue
• Peacock Blue
• Payne’s Grey
• Neutral color

Drawing pen

• Silver Brush Black Velvet: Cat Tongue Brush (width “)
• Stratford & York Warwick Series: Round sable brush (size 12)
• Stratford & York Warwick Series: Round sable brush (size 8)

Step 1: Sketch the light before painting with watercolor

Read: How to paint a sunset with watercolors step by step Before you start, it will be easier for you to have a first-hand view of a tropical sunset or at least have a good quality reference picture to look at. study and draw from there. But you can always let your imagination run wild and draw whatever you want! Start by lightly drawing a frame around the area you’ll be painting, then pencil in the outlines of some palm trees, the horizon, and the sun. The landscape will help define the sky, while the sun will determine the “hot spot” (i.e. light source) of your painting.

Step 2: Use the “Wet in Wet” technique

Wet the sky with clean water and a cat tongue brush. You can brush through the palm trees, and wet the paper all the way to the horizon. While the paper is still wet, you can use the wet-in-wet technique by taking a size 12 brush with some Cadmium Yellow Light and Aureolin, then applying wet paint to the wet paper. Starting in the area above the horizon, paint in horizontal strokes while making sure the strokes are not too regular. Leave the sun unpainted so the paper stays white and that’s the brightest spot in the picture.

Step 3: Choose a starting color for your sunset

As you paint over it, you’ll draw a color spectrum from yellow to blue. To get smooth gradations while maintaining the vibrancy of the sunset, be sure to never mix complementary colors (such as blues and oranges) while using the wet-in-wet technique, as this will cause the paint to turn After painting about 2 inches worth of yellow, mix in some Cadmium Yellow Orange. Next, blend in some Cadmium Red Deep as you paint on top. You can subdivide any overly normal horizontal strokes by adding some red strokes to the yellow areas.

Step 4: Add color to your sunset

Read more: how to record google encounters without g suiteTo go from red to blue, mix some cooler reds (Alizarin Crimson and Opera) with warm reds (Cadmium Red Deep). Since cooler reds have a hint of blue, it’s easier to transition to blue later on. Add these reds to the sunset, subdividing any regular lines in the same way as before. If the paper begins to dry, keep it wet with a cat tongue brush and clean water. Once you’ve painted a portion of the cool red, mix Ultramarine Deep blue with Alizarin Crimson on your palette for a deep purple, then blend it into the red upper area. Since purple contains blue, make sure to avoid the orange area when adding a few irregular lines.

Step 5: Play with colors

When you’re near the top of the picture, mix in Ultramarine Deep and Cobalt Blue for more of a deep blue. Melt it into the purple part, letting some drift into the red area while avoiding the orange area. You can also tilt the paper and use gravity to help blend the colors even more. Add some blue to the purple and/or red areas if desired, again subdividing any regular horizontal lines as needed.

Step 6: Perfecting the sky touches

Add any finishing touches to the sunset, and soften the edges around the sun with a size 8 brush and clean water. Make sure the sun is not perfectly round, as this will make the sun look unnatural. Before painting with water, clean your palette so you don’t accidentally mix any blues with yellows or reds.

Step 7: How to paint with water

Read more: How to install rv led undercarriage To paint the water, use the same color as the sunset color but opposite, as the water acts as a reflection of the sky. Again, start from the horizon with yellow and orange first, avoiding the area directly under the sun. Zigzag paint in to create the ripple effect of a water surface, and when finishing the yellow and orange areas, add Cadmium Red Deep, then Alizarin Crimson as before. When the water area is smaller than the sky, each colored part will be smaller than the sky.

Step 8: How to draw reflections on water

With a size 8 brush, soften the edges where the paint meets the white area to reflect the sun. You can add a few lines of paint to this area to suggest ripples, use more watercolor paint as you move towards the horizon to create a sense of depth. This is because distant objects will be more blurred than those in the foreground, so when you draw towards the foreground you can also add more detail and more saturation lines to increase the contrast. contrast and add a greater sense of perspective to your painting.

Step 9: Color the water

Mix Ultramarine Deep blue with Alizarin Crimson to get a similar purple blend, and add it to the area below the red. Continue changing your strokes and make them more defined as you get closer to the foreground. To finish off the water, add Ultramarine Deep, Cerulean, Peacock and Cobalt Blue to the bottom of the picture. Add any finishing touches as needed, then let the painting dry before continuing.

Step 10: Draw the Shadow of the Palm Tree

Using the back of your hand, check that the painting is completely dry. Once there, sketch out the lost pencil lines for the brushes, then blend the necessary colors for them. Due to the special light produced by any sunset, you will notice that subjects in the foreground will appear quite dark, thus creating the shadows of said objects. To reproduce this effect, mix Ultramarine Deep, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Deep, some Payne’s Gray and Neutral Tint to create a deep and saturated purple color. Then use this color to paint the palm trees, using your reference image to give you an idea of ​​how the palm tree grows. Remember to leave some space between the palm leaves, gathering them in some areas while leaving some areas fairly sparse for a more natural feel to your painting. You can even add a few coconuts to the silhouette, though make sure they look like they’re growing from the tree. Again, try not to make the plants too symmetrical or regular.

Step 11: Finalize the touches

Once you’ve finished painting the trees, use the same color to paint the ground and any excess foliage. Adjust the design to what you want and add any finishing touches to your overall picture. When you’re satisfied, let your painting dry, then erase any lead lines with a kneading eraser if necessary.

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