Sunset Sand Dunes in Watercolor
Painting Wet on Wet Washes For Glowing Color
Painting A Beautiful Sunset At The Beach
Watercolor is at its very best is glowing wet on wet washes, yet working wet on wet is scary for beginners. Guided practice is excellent practice, and in this lesson, Deb Watson will take you through a simple sunset, step by step.
Included in the lesson are: outline page, written instructions, reference photo, finished painting pdf, video demonstration, and an introduction with tips on wet on wet washes.
Recommended Materials:
Good watercolor paper will 'take' a wash much better than student grade paper, so it's recommended for this lesson - Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper
A soft wash brush also helps a lot in laying down a wash without brushstrokes - a flat hake or large oval (I use 3/4" oval Silver Black Velvet)
Paint - test you paints on inexpensive scrap paper to see if you can make the blends needed for the sky and beach, yellow, orange, violet, blue gray, light and dark green.
Misc. Materials - masking tape, misting spray bottle, liner brush for liners, or you can use watercolor pencils or pen, paper towels.
If you've never done wet on wet washes, start small and repeat larger once you get your sea legs under you. See the Introduction for extra painting tips and student paintings.
Happy Painting!
Your Instructor
I'm a self taught artist and I love teaching!
My story is simple.
I showed a lot of interest and talent as a child, but my parents discouraged art as a waste of time. I spent my adult life as a nurse and raised a family - pretty busy. While I was home with the birth of my daughter, I bought a cheap set of watercolors and fell in love with the bloom of color. I told my husband, 'I'm going to keep painting with these until I get really good.'
Back then, not many painted realistic watercolors, so I practiced and tried things until I worked out my own style. It took a lot of trial and error,
. When I entered my first art show, I won two awards and was told I'd have to enter the professional category and not beginner. That frightened me soo much, I didn't enter again for years.
When my work began selling, I entered more shows with more great success. I worked very hard and became a full time professional artist and teacher.
Although my work has been recognized and featured in major exhibitions, books and magazines, I'm very down to earth, and just love painting.
No one has 'all the time in the world'. Paint now. You're never too old, it's never too late. Any bit of time you can practice will improve your skills.
And yes, this cowboy is a watercolor painting. (Reference photo used with permission by Diana Robinson)
Have fun and learn from a master - sign up today!