How to Paint an Easy Watercolor Beach Sunset Step-by-step
Learn how to paint an easy watercolor beach sunset step-by-step in this online art lesson. Paint along in this easy-to-follow online art tutorial.
Equipment
- Pencil
- Paintbrushes
- Watercolor paper - I am using 140 lb. Strathmore Vision cold press watercolor paper cut down into a 6 x 9-inch piece.
- Watercolor paint - tube watercolor paint on a pallet or a box kit of watercolor paints such as Crayola or Prang. I use: cadmium yellow, cadmium red light, cerulean Blue, Prussian blue, burnt umber, burnt Sienna and black Avoid cheap or off brand watercolor boxes because the colors will not be very vibrant.
Instructions
Prepare the paint and paper
- Add a few drops of water to each of the colors you will use.
- Tape down your watercolor with blue painter’s tape. For small projects, this is usually enough to hold the paper down. Leave the tape on until your project is completely dry.
- Lightly sketch in the horizon line, a small circle for the sun, and the edge of the beach swooping from the background to the foreground.
Watercolor the sky
- Mix orange paint by combining red and yellow together. Paint this orange next to the horizon line. Leave the sun white, painting around it.
- Dilute the orange paint on the brush and add a few light orange reflections on the beach.
- Paint a strip of yellow above the orange, allowing them to blend together slightly as they dry.
- Add more water to the yellow on the brush and paint several light yellow reflections on the sand, near the orange reflections.
- Paint small horizontal lines of yellow paint in the area below the sun. This light reflecting on the water extends from the sun towards the beach.
Paint the water
- Paint in the water with cerulean blue (or another blue if you like).
- Start on one side of the water and paint up to the edge of the yellow lines. Then pull the blue paint in small horizontal lines from the water into the sunny reflection area.
- The blue lines go in the middle of the yellow lines, making sure to leave some white in between.
- Continue painting cerulean blue in the water area down toward the beach and around the front of the reflected sun. Leave a small line of white paper between the sand of the beach and the blue of the water.
- Then repeat the small blue lines on the other side.
- Add some Prussian blue paint to the foreground of the water. Dark colors tend to come toward the view so this helps add depth to the painting.
Brush in the beach
- Paint in the sand on the beach with black mixed with burnt Sienna. Leave a few areas of white.
- Use this same color to paint the triangle of sand in the background.
- Add a few dabs of black paint in the beach in the foreground. Paint small black vertical lines where the sand meets the horizon line to indicate a few trees in the distance.
- Using a small paintbrush, add a bit more water to the black paint and make small strokes on the edge of the water where it meets the beach. Make the lines irregular and broken.
- These lines should dry to medium gray and make the waves appear to have a little bit of volume as they roll onto the sand. Leave the white line of paper between the water and the sand.
- Lastly, add a few lines of dark blue paint in the water for texture.
Notes
In this beach painting keep your strokes nice and loose.
Do not add any paint to white areas, Just leave it the color of the paper.
If you make a mistake you can usually remove the paint with a clean wet paint brush with a lifting motion. You could also try a paper towel folded to a small point.
Remember that watercolor paint will dry slightly lighter in color than it is when it is wet.
Keep practicing your painting skills! Watercolor can be difficult to learn so continue to practice this beach sunset and other lessons.