HOW TO PAINT ABSTRACT

SUNSETS

Gina De Gorna

2 | How to Paint Abstract Sunsets

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MATERIALS AND TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Oils and Acrylics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Materials for Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Painting Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

FROM REALISTIC TO ABSTRACT STYLE . . . . . . 7General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7From Start to Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Drama and Mood in Abstract Sunset Paintings . . . . . . . . . . 10

CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

COMPOSITION AND BALANCE . . . . . . . . . . . 12Focal Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

COLORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Healing with Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Color Meanings and Properties . . . . . 18

CHAPTER 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

HOW TO PAINT ABSTRACT SUNSETS . . . . . . 25Another Golden Sunset, STEP BY STEP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Step ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Step TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Step THREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Horizons, STEP BY STEP . . . . . . . . . 27Step ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Step TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Step THREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sunset Moments, STEP by STEP . . . . 29Step ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Step TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Copyright © 2011 GinkaGueorguieva. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

Universal-PublishersBoca Raton , Florida • USA2011

ISBN-10: 1-59942-584-XISBN-13: 978-1-59942-584-9

www.universal-publishers.com

Introduction | 3

INTRODUCTION

Why sunsets?

Because sunsets fascinate. They mesmerize and intrigue. They captivate.

The descent of the sun below the horizon with the accompanying atmospheric effects attracts the attention of people of all ages. Whether red or purple, pink or gold, sunset performances always charm spectators everywhere on earth.

Sometimes, sunsets can be so serene. The sun may just quietly set leaving a sense of peaceful tran-quility. And on an astounding occasion, the extravaganza of a stunning sunset drama may take your breath away.

Sunsets are the favorite romantic times. They enchant. The fantastic sunset colors and shapes have always inspired artists, poets and musicians from all over the world to create magnifi cent works of art. The brilliance of the setting sun connects the human soul with the divine. Only at sunset comes that special pure sensation of the Heavenly Presence. At sunset, the true God is discovered.

Easily absorbed in the incredible sunsets, people wish to hold those special moments longer. Thus, only art could capture the wonder of sunsets. For artists could create a dazzling sunset at any time.

Why abstract?

The abstract style art frees both the imagination and the way of painting. Creating abstract sunsets could be very enjoyable, therapeutic and stress relieving.

The most signifi cant aspect of abstract art lies precisely in its ambiguity. Abstract art seems to sug-gest everything and nothing at the same time; reality and imagination simultaneously.

In general, abstract paintings have only basic forms with little or no attempt at pictorial represen-tation and no realistic details.Abstract paintings are the easiest to paint. They do not require any previous drawing or painting experience. There are no rules or any complicated painting techniques to follow.

However, the only special thing about abstract sunset paintings is that they always have some very important elements present:

1. The setting sun and/or its light

2. The horizon line

3. The sun’s refl ections

The horizon line could be straight or curved. The colors of an abstract painting could be any. And no matter what your color choices, brush strokes, tools and techniques, with any of the above elements present in the composition, you already have your very own abstract sunset painting.

Happy sunset painting!

Love,Gina De Gorna

4 | How to Paint Abstract Sunsets

CHAPTER 1

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

In general, good materials and tools are required for an abstract sunset painting. The quality of the materials is important for achieving the desired results. Whether painting in oils or acrylics, the paints must be of higher quality. All painting surfaces, such as stretched canvas or canvas on board, must be accordingly primed for these paints. Brushes and palette knives come in a variety of shapes and sizes and different effects may be accomplished by using each of them.

Experimenting with different materials and tools is highly recommended. Trying ‘the feel’ of a brush or a palette knife, or just testing a color mix or a brush stroke on a separate piece of canvas is very helpful before actually applying it on the working surface.The basic materials and tools needed for oil or acrylic abstract sunset paintings are:

1. Primed surface - stretched canvas or canvas on board suitable for oil and acrylic paint-ings. Mixed media paper for acrylic may be used as well

2. Bristle brushes; palette knives; sponges; other materials for texture3. Oil or acrylic paints4. Since paints are messy, highly recommended are also: disposable plastic covers, paper tow-

els, disposable palettes, disposable gloves, and disposable aprons so you do not have to clean the palette and yourself longer than you paint, and can focus only on the fun part of the painting process. Cleaning Solutions: Water for cleaning acrylic paint and brushes; Turpentine or oil paint cleaners are used for cleaning oil paint and brushes.

Chapter One: Materials and Tools | 5

For beginners, paints and colors can be very frustrating, so, know your paints and colors. Ex-periment! While working with good quality paints, it is important to know that there is usually no need to dilute or pre-mix the oil and acrylic colors. It is also good to remember that over-mixing oil paint results in a muddy and grayish overlook of a painting.

Also, in general, to achieve a nice painting, there is no need to use all the colors of the rainbow. Sometimes, just a few colors are needed to accomplish a beautiful art piece. For your convenience, a list of colors is included in each of the Step by Step paintings in this book.

OILS AND ACRYLICSOil and acrylic paints are quite different. The main and most important differences and qualities to have in mind while using them are the following:

1. The drying process: oil paints are oil based and it takes longer time for them to dry. Acrylic paints are water based and they dry quickly. There are some Water Soluble Oil paints but they dry slower than acrylics. The time of the drying process is crucial for using different painting techniques. For instance, you need to paint faster with acrylics when working on background and broad areas of the painting. Also, you need to let an oil painting dry be-tween the different stages and before applying any highlights and fi nishing touches.

2. The outcome: After they dry, acrylics become darker than while wet. This means that it is necessary to adjust the lightness/darkness of the colors accordingly in order to result with the right color values you need. On the other hand, oils dry just the way they look wet.

3. Oil and acrylic paints should not be mixed while painting. Acrylic paint may be used for initial background under color but it needs to fully dry before any oil paint is added to the canvas.

4. Both oil and acrylic paints have great qualities and durability. They do not require any varnish unless further luster and protection is desired.

PLEASE NOTE: Oil paints need 6 months to dry in full. Only after 6 months, some Oil Paint-ing Finish Varnish may be applied for further protection of the oil paintings. You may purchase both Retouch Varnish and Oil Painting Finish Varnish at any craft store.

MATERIALS FOR TEXTUREBristle Brushes are either natural or synthetic. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are usually used when painting in oil or acrylic. Big fl at bristle brushes are perfect for sunsets’ back-grounds and large areas. The fan brushes are used for details such as clouds, water foam, moun-tains, and waves. The big round bristle brushes are suitable for painting rounded soft areas.

Synthetic bristle brushes have excellent stiffness, snap, and hair shape retention for maximum control and are easier to clean than natural bristle. They are recommended for use with heavier paints such as oil and acrylic.

The smaller bristle brushes are used for detailed work. The synthetic hair holds and absorbs more paint and stands up to heavy body acrylics and water-soluble oils. They possess the same stiff-ness as the natural bristle; however, unlike their natural counterparts, they retain their shape and stiffness.

Palette knives are blunt knives with very fl exible steel blades and no sharpened cutting edges. They are primarily used for mixing paint colors, mediums, additives, paste, pigments, and so forth directly on the palette before applying them to a surface. The palette knife is symmetric, like a

6 | How to Paint Abstract Sunsets

kitchen spatula, but often with a slight crank between the handle and the blade. Palette knives are great for painting, adding texture and highlights to a painting.

Sponges produce unique and interesting effects on the surface. They come in variety of sizes and density.

Fabric cloths are often used to create distinctive patterns by pressing them onto the wet paint. Fabric pieces have to be chosen carefully from synthetic materials to make sure they will not leave any little particles and lint stuck in the paint.

Other materials for creating texture may be any objects with rough surface which can produce interesting patterns on the canvas. Some thick mediums and synthetic clays may be used as well.Both oil and acrylic mediums enhance the properties of the paints.

PAINTING SURFACESPrimed stretched linen or cotton canvases are the best for oil and acrylic paintings. Some are staple-free edge stretched canvas which are made of linen, or 100% cotton duck canvas with tongue and groove adjustable stretcher bars. A vinyl piece holds the canvas snugly in place. These are double primed with acid-free acrylic gesso and are re-stretchable.

There is also canvas on board and canvas sheets available which are also surfaces suitable for oil and acrylic paintings. All canvas materials come in a variety of sizes. For very large paintings, primed canvas on rolls is available by the yard.

Mixed media paper for acrylic may be used as well. This paper is excellent for acrylic paintings and/or quick studies. The textured surface of the acrylic paper is ideal for experimenting with vari-ous effects, colors, layers, textures and/or brush and palette knife strokes.

CHAPTER 2FROM REALISTIC TO ABSTRACT STYLE

In order to have an abstract sunset painting the composition has to include a sun or a light source; a horizon line and/or the sun’s refl ection.

Any sunset or a sunset photo may become a great inspiration to an abstract painting. Most common techniques for transforming a realistic into an abstract image are:

1. Omitting all realistic details. Using only shapes and lines that would suggest the main idea – the sunset.

2. Simplifying and/or changing shapes. As shown in the samples below, the sun does not have to be depicted as a circle – it can be in any shape in an abstract painting.

3. Changing colors and/or adding a surprise color affects the overall look of a painting and its mood.

4. Omitting or adding elements in the composition depends on the personal preference of how complex the artwork is intended to look.

5. Adding texture is optional. In general, texture adds interest to a painting.6. Including elements of surprise like twisting the shapes and/or manipulating the whole scene

or its elements.