Golden Sunset. Painting #12. More Dazzling Effects with the Black Canvas
Golden Sunset
Date Painted: February 11, 2017
Size: 16 x 20 canvas
“Every day is a good day when you paint.” – Bob Ross
Golden Sunset is my 12th painting. This colorful painting depicts a freezing pond and snow drifts that would be so cold, except for the warm rich sky and late autumn foliage. I had just finished my first black canvas painting and had so much fun that I wanted to try another one. I was still feeling the effects of the painting bug. It was the winter in England so it was pretty much all I did in my free time.
Let’s Get Started
This post is about my version of Golden Sunset by Bob Ross. First, I’ll talk about the inspiration for this painting. When I talk about inspiration in this blog, it will normally be why I chose a certain subject or Bob Ross episode to follow. Then, I will go over the colors and equipment I used and that you will need if you want to try your hand at it. Next, I will expound a bit about my process and how to paint Golden Sunset even if you are a beginner and new to painting with Bob Ross. Finally, I’ll wrap up with some lessons that I learned from painting this picture and things I could have done better or wished I had known. So join me on this trip down memory lane as I recap my 12th oil painting.
The Inspiration
The inspiration for this painting came from S10E8. I was still watching a lot of Bob Ross on YouTube and getting ideas to try new techniques. One of those techniques was the black canvas. The black canvas is when you cover the canvas with black gesso. This has many purposes, one of them being that it helps brighter colors stand out. You can also purchase canvases that are already black. I wanted to try the black canvas again but try something different than the auroras.
Materials Required
Here are the colors and equipment I used.
Whether you want to continue on your journey after painting your first masterpiece from the Bob Ross Master Kit DVD or painting for the first time, here are the colors and equipment you will need for this painting. Although, I don’t recommend this one for a first timer. The kit includes most of the colors you need to paint this painting in particular as well as many other spectacular Bob Ross masterpieces. Getting this kit will eliminate the anxiety of buying the right brushes made of the right materials or the right oil paints with correct firmness or pigment ratios. Everything you need is there and ready to go.
Colors (included in the master kit)
Mediums
Additional Colors (not included in the kit)
Equipment
If you want to save yourself the hassle of preparing the black canvas, you can buy them already black. They are called black canvases. Who would have guessed? You still may need the Liquid Clear depending on your preference which I explain in a bit.
There are a couple colors Bob uses that are not included in the kit. I wouldn’t recommend trying this painting without those extra colors. Especially the Indian Yellow. That color is pretty much the key to this whole painting. The Yellow Ochre is also a great color to use in the highlights to complement the sky.
Let’s talk about the round brush for a moment. The round brush Bob uses in this painting is not a standard paint brush. If you search for a round brush on any art store website, this likely wouldn’t pop up. This Bob Ross round brush is specially designed and sold by Bob Ross Inc.
A traditional round brush looks like this.
The traditional round brush is not used in this painting. I’m sure you could find creative ways to use it here but if you’re just learning, stick to the basic Bob Ross tools or equivalents.
In my version, I did not use the round brush. I simply used the 1” brush.
For more items and materials you may need, check out my Getting Started page.
Before We Begin
Every Bob Ross painting begins by covering the canvas with a medium. In most paintings he starts off with the medium known as Liquid White. And this is where I would explain how to apply the liquid white because it’s not as straightforward as it would seem. In this Golden Sunset painting, it’s obvious that there is no liquid white. Canvas prep for this one is a bit different. It requires one of the following.
- Black gesso
- Black Acrylic Paint. It doesn’t need to be fancy, and you’ll need a fair bit.
- Black Canvas
- Liquid Clear
If you’re not using a pre-made black canvas, you will need to do a little prep work. You will need to cover your entire canvas with either the black gesso or a flat black acrylic paint. For this you will need an old paint brush (I do not recommend using your Bob Ross brushes for this). Alternatively, you can use a foam brush. These are super cheap. You can get a few uses out of them if you clean them properly or you can just throw them out when you’re done. Also, they are everywhere from hobby shops to dollar stores. Another tool that works great for covering the canvas is a mini paint roller. These actually work rather well.
Once you’ve covered the canvas in gesso and let it dry completely, or if you’re using a ready made black canvas, you’re ready for the next step. The next step is to apply the base colors. There are two ways to do this.
Now, you don’t NEED liquid clear for this one. In the episode, Bob does not state that he uses liquid clear. In future black canvas episodes, he will normally make it clear, no pun intended, that he uses the medium. You can simply apply your base color directly to the canvas. If you do this, you will need a lot of color. Just load the brush with the color you want just like putting in a sky. Load the brush and scrub it in. If you’re not using liquid clear, it may be difficult to spread the color around. You may need to get tough with it. This is where the liquid clear comes in handy. I tried this method without liquid clear once and it didn’t quite work for me.
The Liquid Clear works similar to the Liquid White. That is it helps the paint move and blend effortlessly. The Liquid Clear however is not diluted by the white. Therefore, you retain the true value of the color. In the case of a black canvas painting, its primary purpose is to help the base color move and apply painlessly. Regardless of whether Bob explicitly states using liquid clear or not, I always use a thin layer of the medium when doing black canvases.
Liquid Clear
How to apply Liquid Clear. Applying Liquid Clear is much like applying Liquid White. The trick is to not apply too much. You really don’t need a lot. Bob once said on his show that one jar of Liquid Clear will last you a lifetime. He’s not wrong! I still have the first jar I bought nearly 4 years ago. Having the right amount of medium on the canvas will aid in blending everything together.
The best way to apply the Liquid Clear is to dip your brush into the medium then dab it all over the canvas. After you’ve dabbed it, then you start to spread it around. But, you don’t paint it on like you’re painting a fence. With this medium, you have to spread it around and scrub it in. Really get tough with it. Don’t worry, you’re not going to hurt your brush.
Make sure the medium is spread evenly. To do this, I use the light of the room or outdoors. For example, I look at the canvas at different angles to pick out dry spots. Remember, you don’t need a lot of medium. Once it’s completely covered, take a dry brush or a shop towel and lightly wipe the surface. The medium you need should remain on the surface. Now it’s time to apply the base color.
How I Painted This Painting and Lessons Learned
Base Color
Right off the bat we can see that there’s clearly some color on the canvas. You can easily make out the Indian Yellow around the center. It almost has a green hue. Apply this color above and below where you think your horizon area is going to be. The crimson is apparent as well. What you don’t see quite as easily is the blue at the top and the brown at the bottom. This helps you place the base colors effectively. Often, you can’t see those base colors so you have to wait until Bob applies some white to figure out where to put all the colors. This is why it’s a good idea to watch the video a few times before attempting it.
Remember these are transparent base colors we are using. Transparent paint is a paint that lets the light through to the underlying layer. So as you can see when Bob starts to paint Golden Sunset, you can barely see some of the color he already laid down. Adding a thin layer of white, or other opaque color, will mix with that transparent base color and show through.
You apply the base color the same way you would any other sky. Use the little crisscross or figure eight strokes. Blend the transition of colors with a clean, dry brush. This can get a little tricky if you can’t see the colors. The Liquid Clear will aid in blending. Bob doesn’t state that he uses liquid clear but I did in this case because I read about it when I was looking up how to do a black canvas painting.
The nice thing about the colors used in the sky is that you don’t have to wash the brush. After applying the Indian Yellow, you can go right into the Alizarin Crimson. The crimson will blend with the yellow and make a nice orange tone that transitions nicely into the crimson section. The same happens when you go from crimson to Phthalo Blue. At first you’ll get a nice purple toned transition before the blue completely overtakes the crimson.
Sky
This sky came out pretty well overall, I feel. I was impressed. The colors are stunning! This technique was really cool to try and it was amazing seeing it come to life. However it wasn’t easy! I was having a bit of trouble and I’m not sure why. When I applied the white paint, it didn’t seem to pick up the color as easily as it does in Bob’s version. It looked sort of chalky. I’m not sure why this is. There are a couple reasons I can think of. It is possible that the Liquid Clear had something to do with it but I didn’t have that problem with my Northern Lights painting. I could have used too much of the medium which might have diluted the color. It also could be that I didn’t use enough white to spread around.
Anyway, I was getting flustered. It was the first time experiencing frustration during a painting. I nearly scrapped it but I persevered. It’s hard to explain exactly the trouble I was having but essentially, the sky looked too white and didn’t seem to pick up enough of that under color. So what did I do? I just added more color on top of the white. It kept the lighting effect while subduing the white.
The technique for applying the white is similar to applying the base color I explained above. The only difference is loading the brush. Notice how Bob loads the white onto the brush. He doesn’t tap it into the bristles like he does for normal sky color. He loads it like you would any other brush, getting the paint thick right on the tip. After applying the white to the Indian Yellow area, wash the brush before you apply more white. That is only if you want to make the horizon brighter. That’s up to you.
After you have finished bringing out the yellow, you can go up into the crimson without washing the brush and then into the blue. When you’re happy with the overall value and brightness, it’s time to blend with a clean, dry brush. Always blend from light to dark. So in this case from the yellow to the crimson to the blue.
Background Trees
The background trees are made the same as other foliage. One of the differences though is the base color. It’s a mixture of Van Dyke Brown and Dark Sienna. This is a common color for foliage that will primarily have yellow/orange highlights. You could also add in a little bit of Alizarin Crimson into the mix. This color combination helps make autumn foliage type colors really pop.
Bob uses his new line of round brushes to put in these trees. I definitely didn’t have one of those at the time so I simply used the one inch brush. The round brush gives you a broader, more rounded shape to your trees and bushes. You can get the same effect with the one inch brush if you take your time otherwise it will give you a different, more narrow shape. Don’t get too carried away however. Leave some of that bright area from the sky to shine through. Remember to add in some trunks and branches with the liner brush before you move on to the highlights. Using the liner brush is always fun.
Highlights
This painting is a good one to do to play with color. The highlights aren’t your standard yellow/green. These ones are made by mixing the different yellows and red on the brush. Just go back and forth between those colors. By mixing them on the brush, it creates variation and interesting effects.
The key to successful highlights is lots of paint on the brush. You need a lot for the base color to “grab” from the brush. If you have too little paint on the brush, it’s not going to release onto the canvas. You also need to thin the highlight color. Remember the golden rule for this technique. A thin paint sticks to a thick paint. You can thin it with liquid white, liquid clear, or paint thinner. I recommend the clear or thinner so you keep the true value of your color. If using thinner, it only takes a TINY amount. I repeat. A TINY amount of thinner to thin it
My final tip for the foliage highlights is something that Bob emphasizes. Let the highlights gradually fade into dark areas. Think about shape and form and leave some shadow areas. Don’t cover up all your dark areas. It gets fun to do so we may get carried away. It happens to me all the time. I think it happened to me here. I did leave a little dark here and there but not to the effect Bob does. In my painting, you may notice the distinct shape of the one inch brush. This is not a bad thing but it would look different if you used the round brush.
Foreground/Snow
I think this was my first painting where I had the opportunity to really paint snow on the ground. It’s pretty simple and quite therapeutic to paint. Initially, the snow is going to pick up some of that undercolor you laid down at the beginning. This is important for shadows. After the first layer, wipe off the brush and go back into your white. Add some of that fresh paint in spots where you think light would hit but think about the lay of the land. The clean white will create highlights and depth.
This painting gives you the opportunity to paint non evergreen trees using the fan brush. The trick to painting the trunk is to start at where you want the top of the tree and tap with the corner of the fan brush as it is held vertically. Use light pressure and gently apply more as you pull the brush down. Use only the edge of the brush. Bob demonstrates this pretty well. Whether you’re using the one or two inch brush or the round brush, to achieve an effective highlight effect, the key is to use only a portion of the brush. Load it up with color then apply it with the corner of the brush. If you are using the round brush, use just the edge.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those paintings that gave me a challenge and forced me to work with happy accidents but I think it turned out pretty good! Considering the initial frustration I experienced, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t give up on it. I adjusted, adapted to what I already did and overcame. After that, the painting worked fine. So don’t give up if something’s not working for you. Learn to work with whatever happens. There are no mistakes. Only happy accidents.
I like the way the snow turned out and it was surprisingly fun and therapeutic to paint. I still hadn’t perfected the foliage highlights, especially when it came to shape and form. At this point, though I was just having fun, I thought that maybe I had something more in me and wanted to bring it out. Painting makes you happy. I still remember the feeling of painting these early pieces. Every painting was exciting.
I also started looking at other artists on YouTube to see what I could learn. Though Bob doesn’t go into great detail in his show, I’ve picked up a lot of basic art fundamentals just by watching his show so much. He doesn’t talk about them a lot but he certainly applies the fundamentals of art. You also start to notice things differently. Light, shadow, shape, and form. Remember when you’re trying these and painting with Bob to take your time. Perhaps watch the episode a time or two before attempting it. Pause and rewind often if you need to. Sometimes we get all excited about painting, especially if something is coming out great and we’re feeling good, that we sometimes miss details in the painting or something Bob says. By paying close attention, you too will start to pick up basic art fundamentals.
I don’t have any high quality photos of this one. The initial photos were taken in my poorly lit garage that I painted in at the time. I can’t take any more photos of this painting because I don’t have it anymore. This one ended up as a gift to one of my aunts.
I hope you enjoy this painting. Give it a shot yourself then share a link to a photo of your rendition. Have a question? Comment below. Subscribe to my blog to stay up to date and be notified when a new post is live and learn more about the Bob Ross method and how far it can take you as a new artist. As I just mentioned, this one is no longer available. However you can see what else I have available in my Art Store. You can also follow me on all my social media sites.
Happy Painting!