Painting Colorful Skies in Watercolor
Painting the sunset en plein air - you have to work fast!
by Anne Kupillas.
Sunrise, Sunset...?
Before we dive into painting colorful skies - or anything — it’s useful to ask ourselves, What are we looking at here?
For instance, sunrises vs sunsets: Do they look different?
Fundamentally, no! There’s nothing fundamentally different about the light effects at sunrise vs sunset.
The cause is the same. Any differences are qualitative and subjective.
Some artists like to depict dawn as more glamorous than dusk.
Other artists prefer the other way around.
For me, there’s a slight difference in that dawn often dissipates into the clear light of day, and the colors will often linger in the clouds, offset by blue skies. While sunset can often feel more dramatic, because the darkened night skies can offset the colors, and they can seem more abrupt, and transitions more dramatic. Silhouetted/backlit scenery can serve to heighten the dramatic contrast.
Here are some examples in watercolor. Paintings are by me, unless otherwise noted.
Pro Tip #1: Layer analogous colors & tones of the same color atop a variegated underpainting. Make sure to let the underpainting dry completely.
Snake Grass, by master watercolorist Sterling Edwards
Pro tip #2: Employ blossoms to create a “glow.” How to create blossoms? Just add water or a watery mix of paint and water on top of a damp wash. Wet will always try to flow into dry in watercolor, that’s the Holy Rule of Watercolor!
Beautiful blossoms by Ken Potter, one of my favorite artists.
