How to paint an easy sunset

The first step is to wet the sponge and dampen the surface of the canvas.

Next, spot Vermilion just above the middle of the canvas. Then apply Orange either side of this, then Lemon Yellow followed by Titanium White and finally Phthalo Blue.

To blend these colours, dampen the sponge and drag the sponge horizontally across the canvas. Move the sponge back and forward until the blend is smooth. Wash the sponge in water then blend the next set of colours.

Follow this process of washing the sponge in-between blends until all the colours are blended into each other. Allow the paint to dry. If you want, you can give it a second coat.

Once the sky is dry, we mix up our Black in a cup by adding a little water. This is so the paint flows easier. Add the water in small amounts until the paint is the consistency of pouring cream.

Now we can paint in the bank. Refer to the supplied printout for guidance. You can find this on the Mont Marte website.

Ensure the bank is slightly above the centre of the canvas. Allow this to dry and we can add the trees on the top of the bank.

The easiest way to do this is to turn the canvas upside down so all the strokes move down the canvas. This way it is easier to taper the strokes out to nothing.

Begin by laying the trunks in first. As we do this ensure that they are all slightly different. If all the trunks are the same the painting will look contrived and unnatural. Paint some trunks straight, some with a slight lean, some thin, and some thick.

Once all the trunks are in, we can use our thin liner brush to lay in the branches. When using a liner to create fine lines hold the brush very lightly.

Once the trees are in, turn the canvas back the correct way and we can now create the reflections of the trees we have just painted. When painting reflections, take the strokes from directly beneath the trees on the bank. Reflections don’t have the same amount of detail so the strokes can basically be softened and simplified.

To create a soft mark we can use a technique called dry brushing. This just means charging the brush with paint, wiping off the excess off onto a paper towel and then lightly drag the brush over the canvas.

The final step is to create a fine line to suggest where the water meets the bank. A really great way to get a nice straight line with paint is to angle a ruler and run a brush held on its side along the edge. For this we can first lay down a thin white line and once this is dry we lay Phthalo blue over it.