Sunsets and shadows

Sunsets are possibly one of the most popular painting subjects – at least when you’re starting out. More experienced painters are often wary of such subjects as it can be quite tricky to portray those beautiful sunset colours and tones without slipping into garishness.

In a sunset, almost all of the interest will be in the sky. The bright setting sun will be directly in front or slightly to the side of us, creating what is essentially a silhouette of the landscape. One of the challenges with this type of subject – especially in watercolour – is working out how to subdue the daytime colours and make the silhouettes appear dark enough while maintaining sufficient light contrasts to avoid the painting becoming flat and uninteresting. – that creates the drama.