I
love painting sunsets; painting them
uplifts me immediately, making me
feel good inside. It’s a great way to
start any painting. The following
demonstration, Sunset Adventure, is
based on light, energy and movement –
three vital elements in any painting.This is an impressionistic painting
created with sunsets in mind, the type
that take your breath away. I am
fascinated by skies and study them as
often as I can. I love impressionism:
working loosely, not worrying about
detail, thinking more about being
creative and concentrating on that all-
important light, energy and movement.
Painting a sunset – or sunrise for that
matter – is a fantastic, feel-good
experience. These scenes often present
themselves when we least expect them
and I will often take photographs whilst
I am out and about (not necessarily
painting) and use these skies to inspire
another painting at a later date. I find
this process both fulfilling and creative.Know your materials
As I develop as an artist, I seem to
become less interested in the detail and
prefer simple compositions where I can
express my love for my subject. I enjoy
pastels for their instantaneous, vibrant
and manipulative attributes, not to
mention the wonderful textured papers
you can buy these days.
For many years pastels were not
recognised as a serious medium and
more of a sketching aid. Pastels are
pure rolled pigment and good-quality
pastels will last as well as any other
medium. Now there are a wide variety
of different types of pastels on the
market, some very hard and others
super soft, but all carrying the same
title of soft pastel.
Although you can make your own
colours depending on your reference,
don’t worry if you do not have the
exact colours I used. As long as you
have some wonderful blues, grey
purples, cyan or turquoise, black, dark
Prussian blue, oranges, reds and
yellows, you will be fine.Pastel papers
The papers can be diverse. On one
hand you have the wonderful Mi-
Teintes cotton paper, which has a
sensuous surface that holds pastel
so well. Pastelmat is a cross between
wet, dry and velvet. Canson Mi-Teintes
Touch, a micro-abrasive surface primer,
is quite rough by comparison. All
can have an impact on your painting
by bringing out lots of texture.
Experimenting with different coloured
sheets of paper also adds a new
perspective to your finished piece.
Canson Mi-Teintes Touch loves42 JUNE 2017 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
Les Darlowtakes you through the processes needed to complete a
simple impressionistic sunset scene, with light, energy and movement
Sunset adventures
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
nExperiment with your surfaces
nPaint a sunset using a variety
of soft pastel techniques
nColour mixing and blendingA Seascape, pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper, 20^1 ⁄ 2 x 1734 ⁄in. (52x45cm).
You cannot achieve the effect of splashing waves if you layer on too much pastel.tSoft pastel
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