Rays of Sunshine. Painting #45. A Creative Twist on a Bob Ross.

A creative twist on a real Bob Ross favorite – such a unique composition of shadowy forest and delightfully twinkling sunbeams piercing the darkness…stripped down to black and white.

Rays of Sunshine is painting #45 and is my first dance with a monotone, black and white palette. I affectionately refer to this as an artsy fartsy piece. 

Let’s Get Started

This post is about my version of Rays of Sunshine. 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 a Bob Ross or other artist tutorial 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 or something similar. Next, I will expound a bit about my process. 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 45th painting.

The Inspiration

as born during a strange but creatively rich chapter. I was recovering from surgery, and in those quiet nights before bed, I’d fall asleep to episodes of The Joy of Painting. Something about that time—maybe the boredom, maybe the meds, sparked a strong urge to create. Physical activity was off the table, but experimenting with new scenes and techniques lit a fire under me.

That’s when I came across S28E4. The technique Bob used caught my eye, and I decided to riff off it. Instead of full color, I rendered the scene in black and white—a twist that opened a new doorway into tone, contrast, and mood.

Materials

If you want to try this one as Bob does it, you’ll need the colors below. If you want to do it the way I’ve done it, you only need the gesso and the Titanium White.

Colors

• Alizarin Crimson
• Indian Yellow
• Phthalo Blue
• Prussian Blue
• Sap Green
• Titanium Hwite
• Liquid Clear
• White Gesso
• Black Gesso

Equipment

• 2 Inch Brush
• 1 Inch Brush
• Filbert Brush
• Foam Brush
• Paper Towels

Notes From the Easel

This one was genuinely fun to paint. Mixing the gessos to hit those subtle value shifts was tricky, but the challenge is half the fun! Using paper towels to shape the bushes added a unique, hands-on twist that made the process feel more tactile and experimental.

At first glance, Rays of Sunshine might seem simple. But when you strip away color, every value choice becomes more intentional. That challenge sharpens your eye no matter what color palette you work with.

Final Thoughts

Push into something new. Whether it’s a limited palette, an unconventional tool, or a scene outside your norm—trying a fresh approach can be incredibly rewarding. For me, Rays of Sunshine scratched a creative itch. Bob often pushes us to create our own world. He teaches us how to paint, which is the easy part, but what to paint is the challenge and that’s up to us. 

Doing things like this gives us the confidence to start taking off the training wheels and creating our own worlds. Have you added a creative twist to a Bob Ross painting and made it into your own? Which one was it? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments. 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to explore more of my site for creative insights and stories. You can also connect with me on my socials—I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Painting!