Wednesday

"Sunset i", watercolour painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Sunset i", watercolour painting, 7.5 x 11"
SOLD

I did two sunset demonstrations for my experienced beginner watercolour class this morning. This is the first one. It began by painting a graded wash over the entire sky area, lemon yellow at the horizon and grading through gamboge, to an orange made with gamboge and quinacridone rose and/or scarlet lake, and ending with pale thalo blue. Then the clouds were painted on top of the dry sky. Edges were softened and colour puddled to add interest to the clouds, and then the orange sky colour was painted at the horizon up to the bright yellow 'halo' beneath the lower cloud bank. Edges of the topmost cloud were lifted and yellow-orange to pink painted in the lifted area. The water was painted with a combination of phalo and ultramarine blues, then a damp brush with orange paint on it was placed in thin horizontal bands while the blue was still wet -this pushed the blue away and deposited the orange cleanly with no back runs. It is all in the control of the water on the brush compared to the amount of water on the paper, and takes lots of practice to get it right. (Too much water on the brush would lay too much paint down and it would swamp the blue -too little water on the brush (mixed with paint of course) and the blue would lift up into the brush load, mix with the orange and make a muddy neutral.) Lastly, the suns reflection was lifted in the lower water and orange painted in it. Of course there was lots of playing around with the cloud shapes to get them just right! Below is the photo reference -taken on Lake Superior one summer on our way to the cottage.



I will post the second demonstration, done in a different method tomorrow, so stay tuned. If you would like some great instruction in watercolours, please consider my "Watercolour Workshop" DVD -see the sidebar on the blog for more information and a preview.

Enjoy!

To purchase this, or commission your own painting, please email me.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Margaret: If you want some step by step photos, let me know -one of students took some.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to see step by step if you wouldn’t mind sending them! These paintings are gorgeous.

      Delete
  2. Shannon, this is stunning, I would love some ste by step photos please !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, I would love to see a step by step. This is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Please email me the step by step photos for this lively technique you've used here I'd like to practice it and learn as well. Thank you. Ashamedofmyoldid@gmail

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so sorry but I don't have step by step photos of this process. One of my students had taken some, but she didn't give them to me. I have tried to explain the process, so I would suggest just trying to follow along with the written directions.
    Sorry
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  6. Would love to purchase the sunset watercolor painting.
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Sharon
    I would love to purchase sunset pic
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would love to see your step by steps, this is stunning work ❣️

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Samantha. I did this a very long time ago, but if you look at other step by steps on this blog, I think you will get the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  10. A friend had asked me a relatively watercolor newbie to paint an orange sunset, I wish I had found this post sooner, but thankfully I found it. Thanks for saying how you did it, the painting is lovely. I will try painting the sunset again

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for posting how to paint an orange sunset. I am a newbie to watercolor and found this post very useful. The watercolor sunset wad lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sharon, I have a house in southwest Florida and I’ve taken gorgeous sunset photos but have a fear of actually painting them.well, I guess I should say a fear of showing them to anyone. Lol I’ve attempted more than a few. I’m so happy I came across your blog with your step by step instructions! I can’t wait to get some of my photos out and give them a go again! Your art work is just beautiful! Thank you so much for giving your time and sharing your amazing talent with us!
    Sincerely, Debbie

    ReplyDelete