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| Sailboat Sunset (c) Mary Hubley |
Some of my students have asked how to do a great sunset. Gradients are difficult for them. Some of their skies end up neon with the foreground in flat black.
The awesome drama of changing color sours to a muddy mess. What to do?
Sunset Painting Tips:
- Paint plein air -- outside as the sunset is happening. Go there. Arrive at your scene an hour before the sunset begins.
- Lay out all your paints and materials. Get ready for the show.
- Mix colors (oranges, pinks, purples) you think you'll use beforehand so you don't waste a lot of time doing this while the sky is changing. To avoid the neon look, do not use colors right out of the tube; mix your colors to tone them down a bit.
- Before the sky changes, work on the preliminary painting -- I generally paint the under painting first - I do the paint sketch and initial color blocks done before the light show.
- Once the sunset starts happening, work quickly. Use large brushes. Use long strokes and paint loosely.
- To smooth the transition of different bright colors, try using a large soft dry brush and a soft stroke to feather colors together.
- Foregrounds are never pure black, except for in photographs. Really look at the landscape before you and try to capture the subtle colors and tones in the shadows.
- Don't forget to stop for a second here and there to enjoy the scene - your impression will be passed on in the painting.
- Get a photo for reference later on in case you need to finish in your studio.
Genre: Landscape
Painting Name: Sailboat Sunset
Size: 8" x 10"
Media: Oil on Canvas
-- Mary Hubley
