Here in Kansas, we don’t have a lot of geographic beauty, but what we do have are gorgeous skies. And there is nothing more suited to watercolor paint than the vibrant colors of the sky.

So today, I offer you a watercolor sunset tutorial by video with step-by-step pictures on the blog. I hope you try your hand at this vibrant, dynamic scene.

Painting a Sunset Landscape

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Supplies for This Sunset Watercolor Painting

I am painting on Saunders Waterford Cold Press 140lb paper and I tilt my surface to 35 degrees. I use a variety of brands of brushes, but I mainly stick to a large mop, medium round and smaller synthetic brush with a point. 

Here are the list of pigments on my palette:

• Burnt Sienna
• Cadmium Red
• Cadmium Yellow Medium
• Cerulean Blue
• Cobalt Blue
• Cobalt Teal Blue
• Cobalt Turquoise
• Lavender
• Neutral Tint
• Payne's Gray
• Quinacridone Gold
• Raw Sienna
• Raw Sienna Light
• Raw Umber
• Rose Madder Permanent
• Ultramarine Blue

If you would like to purchase some of the brushes I feature in this video you can take a look at my Amazon Affiliate link.

How to Paint a Sunset in Watercolor

The first thing you see me do on most of my paintings is to wet down the front and back of the paper. This is especially important when it comes to painting a sky - specifically a sky that is a little more complicated and colorful.

When you're painting a sunset, you're thinking about mixing vibrant colors, and timing really comes into play. When you wet down both sides of the paper, it gives you the time you need to work wet-in-wet.

The advantages of wet-in-wet painting are:

• Colors mix on the page in organic and dynamic ways.
• You’re able to create the soft edges you find in the sky.
• You’re able to create smooth gradients. 

Here’s a picture tutorial of my painting (watch the video at the top of the page for a description of each stage).

Tips on Painting a Sunset Watercolor Landscape

Do not Try to Replicate a Sky Exactly.

When I approach painting a sky, I always remind myself that I'm not going to be able to paint the sky exactly as it appears in the reference photo. Watercolor is a very fluid medium, and the fact is that you're only about 80-85% in control. There are some things that are going to happen on the paper because of the timing or because of how much water or paint you put on your brush.

These are all variables that affect the outcome, and skies are complicated subjects.

So my goal is to create an impression of the sky. I'm not trying to create every little cloud exactly as it is and place them in the exact location they are in my reference. I’m working, instead, to capture the essence of the scene. 

Don't feel bad if your sky doesn't look exactly like your photo. What's important is soft edges and getting to that right value the right strength in order for your sky to look bright and vibrant. Give yourself permission to explore, try new things, and create gorgeous impressions.

Avoid Overworking the Sky

One thing I do often as I paint the sky is step back from my paper and observe. I’m constantly assessing whether I’m overworking the painting, adding too many details, or complicating the scene unnecessarily.  

At a certain point - as the paper is drying - the more you fiddle with it, the less it's going to look how you want. It's likely to start to looking overworked as your edges get harder. So the fresher you can paint, the better your skies are going to turn out.

Related Blogs

Full-Length Demo: How to Paint Clouds in Watercolor

Painting Watercolor Skies with Confidence

Watercolor Sunset Tutorial (step-by-step demo)