This demo is a step-by-step explanation of how I created study for a sunset painting. I'd been mulling over various ideas, mostly to do with selection of colors rather than the piece of landscape that would be in the painting. To refine my ideas, I needed to make a choice and test it in paint.
By doing a study rather than a full-size painting I not only save on paint and canvas, but also time. A study isn't meant to be as refined or complete as a finished painting, but will still give you a feeling for whether the idea will work, or whether it needs tweaking.
My vision for the painting was a sun heading down towards the horizon, with the sky aglow with golds, and this reflecting in the sea. The study was painted on 9x6" watercolor paper, using acrylics. Colors: cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, cadmium red deep, Prussian blue, and white. I used two hog-hair brushes, a filbert (left photo) and a round brush (center photo). Plus a piece of paper towel to blend the colors (right photo). Some of the colors I mixed on a paper palette, but most I used straight from tube to canvas.
First step was to outline the composition...
