Introduction: The Mountains at Sunset Painting

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I have spent a lot of time admiring the sunset over the Olympic Mountains. With this painting, I wanted to recreate our magnificent sunsets with some of my own twists. If you enjoy color and texture, this painting is for you!

Supplies

Step 1: Draw the Outline of Your Mountains

Turn your 11x14" canvas horizontally. Using your Sharpie marker, sketch the outline of your mountain range. You can look at a reference photo to do this part, or free-sketch from memory.

Step 2: Sunset Stripes- Magenta, Peach, and Orange

Begin this step at the top of your canvas. Using your wide-tipped paintbrush, paint a magenta, peach, and orange stripe from one side of the canvas to the other. Make sure each stripe is about 1 1/2 inches wide. You may have to go over each color a few times to completely cover the white of your canvas.

Step 3: Blend Your 3 Colors

Using your narrow-tip paintbrush, take a small amount of peach paint and blend your 3 colors together. You can blend your colors by lightly sweeping your brush across the canvas. Do not be afraid to let your orange paint blend into the peach, and your peach paint blend into the magenta. The peach paint should cause your orange and magenta paint to lighten in color.

Step 4: Finishing Your Sunset

Repeat your 3 stripes from step 2 (Magenta, peach, orange). Your stripes should go over the Sharpie outline of your mountain range. This is to make sure there are no white spots left showing on the top half of your canvas.

On your palette, blend together the orange and peach paint. Using a narrow-tip paintbrush, paint over the orange sections of your canvas.

Step 5: Outline Your Mountains

Using a narrow-tipped paintbrush, lightly paint over the Sharpie outline with black paint.

Step 6: Paint the Mountains Black

Using a wide-tip paintbrush, fill in the mountain range with black paint. Use long strokes with your paintbrush. Short strokes can give the paint a "textured" appearance.

Step 7: Add White Shading

Using a narrow-tipped paintbrush, use a "blotting" motion with your brush to blend white paint into the right side of each mountain peak.

Step 8: Add Gold Shading & Blend Together

Using your narrow-tipped paintbrush, use a "blotting" motion to blend gold paint into each mountain peak. At this stage, you may choose to add some more black paint to your mountains to create a shadow effect.