How to Paint a Sunset on the Ocean | Inspired by Rhode Island

Learn how to paint a sunset on the ocean using acrylics in this painting tutorial. Artist Ashley Krieger is traveling and painting in all 50 U.S. states. Today she takes you to Rhode Island to capture a beautiful sunset on the beach.  I hope you learn a lot and enjoy this video as she paints plein air. ​​

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While we were in Rhode Island we stayed at a very nice RV resort. Luckily they had indoor games because it rained and it rained some more. I was really nervous I wouldn't get a chance to paint in this state. The clouds broke the last evening and I rushed to get everything ready to go. When we got to the beach I had forgotten my easel. I was beyond disappointed. 

My family tried to cheer me up with ice cream and chocolate but I had a hard time getting past my disappointment. The next day we headed to Connecticut only thirty minutes away from this beach in Rhode Island. Then it started raining again for a couple days. I really wanted to get back to this beach and paint.

It usually takes me all week to finish up my painting and prepare a video for Youtube and I was at the end of the week before I could even get a break in the clouds. When the clouds broke we went back to Rhode Island and I was able to capture this lovely sunset and I'm so glad, even if it was "Last Minute."

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Learn How To Paint A

You can find the acrylic art supplies use here. I also used metallic gold and silver Liquitex heavy body acrylic paints. Watch the tutorial to see what colors I used and when. ​​​​​

How to Paint a Beach Scene

1. Paint the background. To make it fast I started with an already painted canvas using mostly white with a little brilliant blue. I covered the entire canvas and let it dry. I did this because the sun sets in about 5 minutes and I needed to save time. I also started with a ready to go palette that had all my colors. 

2. Paint the background land. Add grey to your brush to make the land in the distance. Using a flat brush paint a horizontal line of buildings and such. You just want to get an idea of what is out in the distance and how it looks. Later you will adjust colors and details. 
 
3. Paint in the middle ground.  There is another small peninsula that comes out from the right and I sued grey with a little black to show that. Then you need to paint the land coming into the for ground. When you watch the video I explain how to make the rock shapes and make them look real. You will also needed to paint sand. I made a tan color using my metallic gold, white, yellow and a touch of grey. 

4. Paint the sunset. I had about 5 minutes to get my sunset painted. I focused a lot on colors and where those colors hit. The main color was orange even tho I decided to tone this color down in the last steps. The color of the sun also bounces off the water. To blend the colors into your sky use a wet paper towel, since the blue is dry already, the blending is done creating a translucent color over the blue, like a glaze. 

5. Paint in water. You can make this painting as easy or impressionistic as you want. I just added the waves by creating shadows and light. Watch the video to see how I did this with my flat brush. I also added a darker blue to the water. 

6. Make it your own. If you want to add more details this is the step to do that. I don't share all of my detail work for copyright reasons. I encourage you to make your art unique to you. If you want a reference photo to help you, you can become a Createful Art Member by clicking below to get that perk.  

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