How to Paint a Watercolor Sunset for Beginners

Watercolor Sunset Painting Tutorial

Today we are going to learn how to paint a watercolor sunset.

Last month we started learning more about Understanding Color Theory for Artists. And this month we are focusing on learning more about watercolor painting

I love making these paintings and they are so simple to make. Like with anything, the more you practice, the better you will get. But you can achieve good results right from the start with these paintings.

Check out Artists Network if you’re interested in a different style of watercolor sunsets. They have an interesting video that’s not too long.

You need two things to create beautiful sunsets, quality paper and a good set of paints. Of course you need a little more than that. But these two art supplies will make a huge difference in how your finished paintings will look.

So let’s take a look at the complete list of supplies you’ll need. This list includes all the materials I used for the paintings in the examples.

* Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Art Supplies List

Prima Tropicals Watercolors

If you are looking for a set of bright and vibrant colors, you can’t go wrong with the Prima Tropicals. I recently started using these paints and I absolutely love them.

You can read the full review at Prima Tropicals Watercolor Review.

Throughout this lesson I’ll be pointing out the specific colors that were used. These will be colors that are included with this set of paints.

Getting Set Up tp Paint a Watercolor Sunset

If you’ve you follow my blog then you already know I do a lot of my work on artist trading cards. So I began by cutting my watercolor paper down into ATC sized pieces using a paper trimmer. You can learn more about them at, How to Make Artist Trading Cards (ATCs).

This means my paintings will be traded to other artists in return for some of their work. Mostly because it makes getting the mail fun.

It really doesn’t matter what size paper you use. What you plan to do with your painting when it’s finished will help determine this.

Begin by taping your paper to a stiff board. This will keep your paper from curling up when it gets wet.

You can use pretty much any kind of tape. I use regular masking tape, and stick it to my pant leg first to pick up some fibers so it won’t damage my paper when removed.

How to Paint a Watercolor Sunset – Wet on Wet Technique

Before you can start your painting you’ll need to figure out what colors you want to use. When choosing your colors, brighter is better. That’s why I love using the Prima Tropicals.

After all, nobody wants to look at a dull sunset.

The colors used for this lesson are 20 – Reed , 19 – Pitaya, 21 – Pineapple, 17 – Hibiscus, and 14 – Coconut.

Begin by painting the top of your sky with #20 – Reef. Bring your paint down slightly further than you think you want it to go so you can blend it with the next color.

It can start out darker at the top and then fade into a lighter value of the color.

Using #19 – Pitaya, paint the next section of your sky. Let it blend together with the reef color. And again, fade the color out as you move down your paper.

Next we used #21 – Pineapple, and blended it in with the Pitaya.

After you’ve painted your main colors of your watercolor sunset, you can go back in and add or remove paint where needed.

To remove unwanted watercolors, just blot the area with a piece of paper towel.

You can darken areas by adding more paint.

Wet on Wet Layers

After your first layer is completely dry, you can go back in and darken up any areas that need more paint.

We used #17 – Hibiscus and #14 – Coconut on the second layer to add in some variation of color.

Continue working on your sunset until you are happy with your colors and how it looks.

Don’t forget to use clean water on your brush to soften any edges.

Watercolor Sunset with Trees

After you’ve painted your watercolor sunset and it has completely dried, it’s time to add in a foreground.

You have a lot of options for your foreground and what you add to your sunset is up to you. Trees, buildings, swings, fences, and horses all look great with watercolor sunset paintings.

I love palm trees so that’s what I did for this example. You can use paint to draw in your foreground or you can use a pen.

I decided to use a black brush pen. These pens get a lot of use in my artwork.

If you want to draw in some palm trees but need some help, take a look at How to Draw Palm Trees.

When you are finished with your foreground, your watercolor sunset is all done. If you did yours on artist trading cards, just fill out the back and trade it to someone.

Repetition is the best way to improve your art skills. Doing your watercolor sunsets on artist trading cards will help you improve a bit quicker. The more you do the better you will get. Doing a 7 day art challenge is the perfect way to get really good at painting watercolor sunsets, or anything else.

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