On the Easel: Mt Tamborine Sunset, April 2020

(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn). 

Reference Photo

You can download the photo here. Feel free to paint it for yourself.

Details

• Oil on stretched canvas. 16 x 20 inches.
• Main colors: Ultramarine blue, permanent alizarin crimson, cadmium red, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, cadmium yellow deep, viridian green, raw umber, titanium white.

Refer to my supplies list for more details on what I use.

Progress Shots

Notes

• I typically have an end-purpose in mind when I start a painting. A tutorial, commission, exhibition, etc. But not for this painting. It can be refreshing to pick up a brush and not worry about how it will turn out.
• It has been some time since I painted a sunset like this. This is a mistake. As Jeremy Mann put it in this video, you should keep doing what you enjoy doing, and stop doing what you don’t.
• I started fast and finished slow. A reliable approach.
• The painting is simple. Most of my attention was aimed at the sunset. Everything else took a backseat.
• I painted wet-on-wet (alla prima) over two days. If possible, I try to finish a painting whilst the paint is still wet. If I have a few-day break and the paint drys, it is difficult to continue the wet-on-wet look.

Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate it! Feel free to share with friends.

Want to learn more about landscape painting? Check out my Landscape Painting Masterclass.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott