Include a silhouette in your watercolor painting.
Watercolors blend colors effectively and are an ideal choice for painting a sunset. Once you know use watercolors, you can create dramatic effects by blending different tones of yellow, orange and purple paint. Plus, you can add character to the sunset image by including silhouettes of objects, the sea or mountains in front of the skyline. However, for a beginner, it is best to keep the foreground simple.
Instructions
1. Draw the horizon line on a fresh page in your watercolor pad. Sketch the outline of two or three trees on the line. The trees will be silhouettes against the sunset to add character to your image.
2. Dip the large flat brush into the pot of water, and then dab it onto the yellow paint in your cake and pan watercolor set. This is a beginner's paint set that includes different watercolor shades and palette. Transfer the paint to a space on the palette so you can blend the water and pigment together.
3. Start painting the sunset from the bottom of the horizon line upwards. It will consist of a number of blended layers ranging from warm yellow to purple at the top. Use long brushstrokes to paint the first layer of yellow paint.
4. Dab the brush on the orange paint, then mix it into the yellow paint on the palette. Loosen the paint by adding a touch more water. Stir both the paint and water with the tip of the brush to blend the colors together. The yellow will become slightly darker and warmer owing to the orange paint. Add the warm yellow shade above the layer of yellow. Overlap the two areas with long brush strokes so the flow between colors is more natural.
5. Add more orange paint to the shade you mixed during step four to make it even darker. This will give you a warm orange shade that matches the previous two layers of yellow. Blend this color above the warm yellow, using long brush strokes.
6. Continue to paint the sunset colors onto the background of the paper. Once the warm orange layer is complete, blend a layer of pink above it. Mix a purple layer into the pink, which represents the top of the sky during the sunset.
7. Paint the tree silouhettes using a synthetic blend brush. Add water to black paint in a space on your palette, and fill in the area within the tree outline and below the horizon line.
8. Leave the paint to dry.
