Mix An Alternative Black To Paint A Sunset In Oils

Having shown you how to paint a bright sunrise in a previous blog, I thought it would be a good idea to paint a sunset as well. With the light coming from behind the vegetation, the foreground of a sunset often appears as dark silhouettes against the bright light behind it. The obvious solution is to paint the foreground in black. However, black can easily seem dull and lifeless. That is why I mix an alternative black to paint today's sunset, allowing the silhouettes to sparkle and have a life of their own.

This painting is painted on a sheet of canvas torn from a Prime Art Canvas Pad.

The canvas sheet has already been primed to accept paint.

I draw only a very rough line with charcoal to indicate the lay of the land.

The land is silhouetted against the setting sun and is therefore painted in black.

As black can often appear dull and lifeless in a painting, I prefer to mix my own alternative black from Prussian Green and Permanent Violet.

I then paint the open spaces on the canvas with Raw Linseed Oil.

I paint Brilliant Orange over the oil for the warmest tones of the sunset. The colours of the setting sun is also reflected in the water.

I paint Pale Cadmium Yellow on the horizon, steering clear of the top of the canvas. The yellow is also repeated in the water.

The bright setting sun is painted in Titanium White and its reflection is painted in the water.

I now return to my alternative black. Grabbing a round long-stemmed brush by its end, I add the silhouettes of trees to the scene.

I use a Fan Brush to dab leaves onto the trees, still sticking to my mixed black.

A Filbert brush creates the silhouettes of brushes.

A few more trees are added before the painting is done.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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