STARRY SUNSET PAINTING

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Starting off with the sunset, we recommend using a 2.5cm flat paint brush. We painted the orange and pink layers using Rose Pink, Orange & Indian Yellow. We mixed in Titanium White to lighten the paints as we didn't want the colours to be as saturated. Do not let the paint dry in between strokes so the paints blends better to create the ombre effect we're after. We also thinned the acrylics by wetting the brushes in water first and then dipping it into paint to improve the flow and glide. We will add in the dark sky at a later stage, remember it's about creating layers to give a perception of depth.
2. Let dry completely so when we start painting the ocean, it won't smudge. We used a mix of Ultramarine Blue, Aqua and Titanium White to create the ocean & waves. To create depth, we kept the horizon darker and made the centre more light. We recommend painting in layers to build up the waves, we used Titanium White to paint the breaking waves.
3. Let all layers dry first, we used Phthalo Blue for the night sky. To blend the sunset with the dark sky, we used the left over mixture of Rose Pink and layered it with Phthalo Blue. We will be covering this area with clouds so you don't need to go into too much detail.
4. Before starting on the clouds, we want the canvas to be completely dry. For the base, we painted the clouds using a mixture of Amethyst, Phthalo Blue & Titanium White. This is to create shadow and depth, once dried we will paint the top layer with Provincial Beige, Titanium White, Indian Yellow & Rose Pink. For the clouds near the ocean, we only used Titanium White. To keep the layers almost translucent we used very little paint to blend it out. You can lightly rewet your brush to blend it further.
5. There is no right or wrong technique to paint clouds but we used small circular strokes and lots of blending to create fluffy textured layers of clouds. Sometimes less is more when it comes to paint so it helps to remove some paint on a towel before painting the canvas.
6. The final touch is adding in the stars, we used the end of a paint brush and dipped it into Titanium White.
7. Let the painting dry for a day before displaying your new art work.