December 7, 2024

How to paint an easy sunset beach in watercolor

To paint a sunset beach in watercolor, I first create the mood: I put the paper very flat on the table and paint a wash of blue, yellow and red all around the source of light, finishing with colder colors around that light. Once it is dry, I paint the narrative on top: some boats, some buildings with an antenna, and a dark, pigmented beach. With these 2 layers, you have a complete watercolor painting.

What are the 2 parts of a sunset watercolor?

This painting has 2 parts: the mood and the narrative.

• The mood is the first wash, the sky and its light. A sunset is a more complex mood to create.
• The narrative is what you paint on top of the mood once it is dry: the boats, the buildings, the beach.

If you put the narrative on top of the mood, it creates something that can be a complete watercolor painting. It's crazy how it works.

Step 1: How do you paint the sunset sky?

You can create the mood with just a few pigments:

1. Put the paper very flat on the table.
2. Start with only water.
3. Add some blue.
4. Add some yellow plus some red.
5. Add some blue again.
6. At the end, put some colder colors around the source of light.
7. Let it dry.

Why is a sunset wash harder than a graded wash?

It is quite the same as a graded wash, but this one is more difficult to manage because it is done in 360 degrees: you have to do it everywhere, all around the source of light.

That is what makes it harder, but it is also very powerful.

Step 2: How do you paint the boats and buildings?

Once the first wash is dry, you create the narrative on top of it. For the color, I use a mix of blue plus red plus yellow. You can also simply use some blue and some red, for example.

1. Create some boats.
2. On top of them, put some buildings.
3. Add an antenna to the buildings.

With these buildings, the painting is not in 2 dimensions anymore: it is in 3D.

Step 3: How do you paint a dark beach?

The beach has to be more pigmented: you have to add some pigments. For the mix, I use some blue, some yellow, some blue again and some red, with some water. Then I create the sand.

The sand doesn't have to be brown, but it has to be dark. It can even be very dark. And then you have a watercolor painting.

FAQ

Does the sand on the beach have to be brown?

No. What matters is that it is dark, and the color itself is up to you. A mix of blue, yellow and red works well.

Do I wait for the sky to dry before painting the buildings?

Yes. The sky wash has to be completely dry before you paint the boats, the buildings and the beach on top of it.

Read next

• How to tell what's wrong with my watercolor
• What watercolor subjects should you paint to keep improving?
• How to make a watercolor sky shine