Gouache Sunset on a Wooden Coaster

1. Welcome to the Class: When we talk about beach sunset, I personally love the color combinations that we find in the sky and the water area. Wash is an amazing art medium that you can explore if you want a beautiful matte finish on the surface that you're painting. In this class, we are going to paint a beautiful, vibrant beach sunset on a wooden coaster. Hey, everybody. Myself RudwikPatel. I'm a self taught, independent artist and an interior designer by profession. I personally love to explore different art forms and styles and not stick to one particular thing. So if you are joining me, you'll find a variety of classes that I create. You're going to start by understanding all the art supplies that you will need for the entire class. No need to worry at all. For the entire class, you'll need some basic art supplies, and in case you want to take up the entire project on a paper, that is absolutely okay. You're going to talk about the gauche colors that you will need for the entire class. You're going to start by creating a beautiful sky area, which includes a lot of blue color in it. You're going to paint some beautiful abstract clouds in the sky area. Then we are going to paint the water body having a beautiful gradient effect in it, followed by some beautiful waves that we are going to paint in detail. For completing the entire painting, we are going to use some basic painting techniques that you will definitely enjoy. It will definitely increase your hand movement and painting skills. At the end, we are going to paint a beautiful sun and its reflection effect onto the water body. By the end of the class, you'll have a beautiful sunset painting on a coaster using the medium of gouache colors. It's a very short class that will be completed in 30 minutes. I'm very excited to share this class with all of you. So without any delay, grab your art supplies and join me on this creative journey. 2. Art Supplies: Hey, everybody. So before we start with the class, let us talk about all the art supplies that you will need for the entire class. No need to worry at all. In case you are missing out on any particular art supply, you'll find it very easily in any nearby local art store, or you can go for any other good alternative as well. So let us start by talking about the brushes that you will need. So for the entire class, you'll need three basic brushes. Let us talk about two of them first. So the first one is a flat brush of size seven. The second one is a round brush of size four. Then we have the last brush, which is a detailing brush, which is a round brush basically of size zero. Then next up, I have a simple pencil that we are going to use to draw a basic reference line. Then next up, we have a simple tissue paper that is very important to keep side by when you are painting. It will help you to remove excess amount of water and color while you're painting. Then next up, I have a simple color palette that you can observe. Always try to have a color palette, which is having enough space to take out multiple colors in it and mix the colors well. It's a simple fiber color palette. You can go for any other good alternative as well. Then next up, I have a simple glass container in which I have kept some clear water, which we will use to clean the brushes and mix the colors well. Then the next art supply is the main art supply for the entire class, which is the wooden coaster. You can find this wooden coaster very easily in any nearby local art store. Its diameter is approximately 5 ". And if you want to paint the sunset on a watercolor paper, that is completely fine. Now let us talk about the gouache color that you will need. So the first one is white. The second one is ultramarine. Then we have Coval blue, serleine blue, turquoise, and black. These are six basic wash colors that you will need for the entire class. In case you are missing out on these shades, you can go for any other good alternative, as well. So these are all the art supplies that you will need. Now let us move towards the next part. 3. Painting the Sky: Everybody. So now let us start with the first step, which is painting the sky. So you can observe that I have placed my coaster on the desk surface. I'll be using a simple pencil to draw a simple horizontal line. It basically divides the sky area and the water body. You can observe the way I have placed some clear water, or tissue paper, and the color palette nearby. Let us start with the first color. So the first shade of blue that I'm using is ultramarine. I have taken some color in the color palette. I'll be using my flat brush of size seven and take a little bit of water, mix it well with the color. No need to hurry at all. Try to get a nice thick composition. Try to have less amount of water and more color so that you can get a nice thick, solid color. Now, use the brush in the way I'm using right now and simply apply it above the horizon line. No need to hurry at all, and make sure that you do not move your brush below the horizon line. If you find that your color is getting finished from the brush, you can definitely take some more color from the color palette. Since it's a wooden surface, it will absorb some of your color, and that's why you have to take some color again from the color palette. In case you find that the saturation of the color is a little bit less, try to have less amount of water in your brush. Simply dab your brush onto the tissue paper. The best part is that you can rotate the coaster in case you want to get a comfortable position while painting. So you can observe that we have applied a beautiful patch of ultramarine just above the horizon line. I'll be just cleaning my brush, tab it onto the tissue paper. Let us take another color which is going to be bal blue. So I've taken some bal blue in the color palette. Again, we'll mix it well with water. Try to have less amount of water and more color. Now simply apply the bal blue on the upper portion of ultramarine so that we can get a beautiful variation in the color. We are basically going to create a nice gradient effect. That's why we are using different shades of blue. You can observe the difference between both the colors right now. Now, in order to blend both the colors, it's a very simple and easy step. You just have to clean your flat brush in water, dab it onto the tissue paper, and simply apply the brush between both the colors. No need to hurry at all. The more horizontal strokes you'll apply, the better blend of both the colors you'll get. The best part about gouache colors is that you can regenerate the color if you want to by adding a little bit of water on the surface. So right now you can observe that we have got a beautiful gradient effect between cobal blue and ultramarine in the bottom portion. Now we have some topmost portion left where we are going to take a lighter shade of blue. I hope that you got an exact idea of how to create a beautiful gradient effect. Now, if you find that there is any certain portion where you find the color is not applied properly, you can take some more color from the color palette and apply it on that particular area. Now I'll be taking some serlein blue in the color palette. Take a little bit of color in the color palette and let us add it with a little bit of turquoise. So we're going to combine both the colors together. And we are going to apply it on the topmost portion. So mix the colors well, add a little bit of water, not in an axis amount. Try to have a thick coat of water on the topmost portion. Be a little bit careful near the outline of the coaster, and just use the tip of your flat brush. Now, simply, we are going to apply the color patch on the topmost portion, and we are going to blend it with the cobalt blue. No need to hurry at all, take your time and paint it slowly. Now simply clean your brush in water, now dab it onto the tissue paper and make it a little bit dry. Now, you have to apply these horizontal strokes in the similar way that we did with bal blue and ultramarine, and you'll observe a beautiful blend of all the three shades. So it basically creates a nice gradient effect in the entire sky area. The more horizontal strokes you'll apply between the colors, the better blend you'll get. Just make sure that you clean your brush well in water, nab it onto the tissue paper to make it a little bit dry, and then you can reapply the horizontal strokes. So this is how we have created a beautiful background for the entire sky area. Now let us paint some beautiful abstract clouds as well. I'll be taking some white color in the color palette. And you're definitely going to enjoy the entire process of painting the clouds. Take a little bit of water in your flat brush, and you can add a little bit of turquoise and serlein blue in white color to get a light shade of blue color because we don't want the clouds to be in a very contrast manner. That's why I've added this little color. In case you want to paint the clouds directly using a white color, it is completely fine. You're free to explore and experiment. Now using my flat brush in this particular angle, I'm getting these thin strokes, and you just have to randomly apply these horizontal lines, combining together to form an abstract cloud in the sky area. No need to worry about the sharp white lines. We are going to make them a little bit blur and dull. So once we have applied the white lines, just dab your brush onto the tissue paper, clean it well in water, and reapply it on the strokes that we have applied initially. You'll observe that the saturation of these strokes will decrease a little bit, and the clouds will also get a little bit of blend with the background color. One thing that you have to take care of is that no need to apply a lot of pressure. If you'll apply a lot of pressure, your clouds will completely blend and it will not be that much visible. So you can observe a lighter shade of some cloud effect that we have created right now. Now in certain portions, you can apply some dark shadow effect as well by taking a little bit of ultramarine from the color palette, and you can apply it on the bottom portion of the clouds that we have painted. No need to worry about the solid white patches that we have created. We are also going to add few more strokes to make the clouds look a little bit more attractive and aesthetic. Right now, I'm just creating this little shadow effect by adding these darker shades in the bottom portion. You can observe the way I'm using my flat brush in an angle to get these thin strokes. Trust me, you'll be definitely able to get a beautiful blend between the gauche colors once you start working with it. So no need to worry about getting a beautiful gradient effect or painting the clouds. You just have to use your brush in a careful manner and observe the capacity of water that you are taking. So now, I'll be taking a few more strokes of solid white color, which we have added with a little bit of turquoise and Kobal blue. You can reapply these thin strokes randomly in the sky area. And basically applying these strokes in the topmost portion, you can also add few strokes in the bottom part near the horizon line. So we are done with the sky area. Let us move towards the next part. 4. Painting the Water: Hey, everybody. So we are done with the sky area. Now let us paint the water body. So now we are going to paint the water in the bottom portion below the horizon line. So I'll be taking a little bit of turquoise in the color palette since the color is finished from the color palette. Take a little bit of cobal blue as well. We're going to mix them well, and we're going to start by applying the first color just below the horizon line. Now it's a mix and match of all the shades together, so it is not at all compulsory for you to get an exact shade. There can be a little bit of difference, and it is absolutely fine. So I'll be taking a little bit of water, get a nice thick consistency. Try to have less amount of water, of course, so that you can get a beautiful thick coat of color. Now, use the tip of your flat brush carefully. You can use the flat brush in an angle to paint below the horizon line in a careful manner. No need to hurry at all and make sure that your brush do not move above the horizon line. It will spoil your sky area. Now I'll be applying a little patch of this particular shade below the horizon line. And similarly, we are going to create a gradient effect in this particular water body area as well. You can be a little bit careful near the outline of the entire coaster, as you can observe, it's looking really nice once you paint near the circumference of the entire circle. In case you find that your brush is having excess amount of water in it, just simply dab it onto the tissue paper. Now we are already having a little bit of serlein blue in the color palette. Take it from the color palette, add a little bit of water, and apply it just below the turquoise and cobal blue that we have applied below the horizon line. You can right now observe a difference between both the colors, but we are going to blend them together to create a nice gradient effect. You can observe that I'm being a little bit careful near the circumference of the entire coaster. That's because I do not want to paint on the dark brown color of the coaster. So no need to hurry at all. Take your time and paint in a very slow and steady manner. Now, once we are done applying this particular color, we are going to blend both the colors together as well. So just simply clean your flat brush, dab it onto the tissue paper, make it a little bit dry, and apply these horizontal strokes between both the colors. The more horizontal strokes you'll apply, the better blend you'll get. So now you can observe that we have created a beautiful gradient effect in the water area as well. Now, to create some nice wavy texture and to add some depth in the water body, you're going to take a little bit of white. I'm adding a little bit of turquoise and cobalblue in it. And I'm going to use my round brrush of size four. No need to hurry at all. I'm going to apply these little horizontal strokes just below the horizon line in a very random and natural way. There is no specific way of applying these horizontal strokes. So're free to explore and experiment and add these strokes randomly according to your convenience. It is completely fine. Right now, if you observe carefully, these strokes are looking really sharp. You're going to make them a little bit blur by just adding a little bit of water. You can reapply these strokes on that particular area, and you'll observe that these strokes will get a little bit less saturated, and it will get a nice blend with the background color as well. It's a very simple and easy step. You just have to take a little bit of water in your brush, simply dab it onto the tissue paper and reapply the horizontal strokes. You can apply these strokes in the bottom portion as well. It is completely fine. Since we have a beautiful plain gradient water body in the background, you can take a little bit of white color from the color palette and just add these little horizontal strokes in the bottom area. While you're working with a round brush of size four, try to be a little bit careful. Use the tip of your round brush to get thin strokes and try to apply very less pressure on it. If you observe carefully by adding these horizontal strokes, we create some nice details in the water body as well. Let me tell you once again that no need to worry about adding the horizontal strokes in the exact same way I'm painting right now, it's a very random and natural step. So it is absolutely fine if you observe carefully the movement of the brush that I'm doing right now and don't worry about these strokes. You can just add them according to your convenience. I'll be taking a little bit of ultramarine in the color palette which is basically a little bit darker shade of blue to create some nice shadow effect, I'll be taking my round brush of size four again. Take a little bit of water to lose the color up and simply I'll be adding it below the first horizontal strokes that we applied in the water body. To create a nice shadow effect and it will also enhance the white strokes as well. So I'm just using the tip of my round brush and apply very less pressure on it to get a nice thin stroke. In case you find that your brush is having excess amount of water in it, just simply dab your brush onto the tissue paper so that axis amount of water will be removed. Now to create some more depth, I'll be taking a little bit of black color in the color palette, mix it with ultramarine to make the saturation of black color a little bit less, and we are going to apply it below the horizon line. By doing this, we create some more shadow effect and it creates some nice depth near the horizon line. These steps are absolutely same. You just have to create these horizontal lines randomly. If you apply it below the white strokes, it will look even more nice. So we are done with the water body. Now let us move towards the next step. 5. Painting the Waves: Hey, everybody. So we are done painting the water body. Now let us paint the waves in detail. So using the same round brush of size four, I have taken some solid black color in the color palette, mix it well with water and try to have less amount of water and more color so that you get a highly saturated solid black color. So we are starting by creating a simple horizontal line, which is a little bit tilted. So you can observe that I have started from the left hand portion slowly moving towards the right hand side. So this is basically a nice shadow of a big wave. Similarly, we have to create another horizontal line just below the first one. Try to have a little bit of space between both the lines. You can make the line a little bit thicker by applying multiple horizontal strokes. Now simply, I'll be creating another horizontal line by leaving some space, and below that, we are going to paint it completely solid black since it's the landscape area in the bottom portion. No need to hurry at all, take some good amount of solid black color in your brush, make a good composition of water and color together. Try to have less amount of water and more color. Now slowly start applying the color patch in the entire bottom portion. If you find that your brush is having excess amount of water in it, just simply dab it onto the tissue paper so that excess amount of water will be removed, and you'll be able to get a nice, highly saturated black color. You have to be a little bit careful near the circumference of the entire circle. So paint a little bit slowly near that particular area so that you get a perfect circular shape. So as you can observe, we have applied a nice solid black color in the entire bottom portion, which is the landscape area. Now, in order to make the waves look a little bit more in depth and detail, what we are going to do is using the same round brush of size four, take some solid black color in it, and simply start applying these horizontal strokes in the right hand side. Similarly, we are going to apply these little horizontal strokes on the left hand portion as well. No need to complete the entire stroke. You just have to keep it incomplete and just leave the stroke. So you can observe a beautiful depth on both the sides. Whenever you want to create a nice, natural horizontal random stroke, there is a simple technique that you can follow. Try to use the tip of your brush and apply very less pressure so that you get a nice thin horizontal stroke. No need to worry about getting a perfect horizontal stroke. It comes with practice, so no need to worry about perfection. Now as you can observe, I have applied few horizontal strokes on the topmost right hanside portion. Similarly, you can randomly apply these strokes just below the waves. So you just have to simply use the tip of your round brush to create these random horizontal strokes. In case you find that your color is getting finished from the brush, you just have to take some more color from the color palette and in case you find that there is excess amount of water in your brush, just simply dab it onto the tissue paper. I'll be creating a little bit of landscape just above the horizon line, starting from the left hand portion. You just have to create this little solid black patch. Similarly, we'll be adding this landscape area in the right hand side as well, just above the horizon line. You can improvise the topmost portion of the landscape area by adding a nice outline on the topmost portion. So we are almost done painting the landscape area just above the horizon line. Now I'll be using my round brush of size zero, and we are going to take some solid white color in the color palette. So we want to make a beautiful sun, take some good amount of white colour, mix it well with water, try to have less amount of water and more color. Now using the brush, we are going to create a simple circular shape in the sky area. No need to hurry at all. You have to do this particular step with a lot of patience and try to paint it slowly. You just have to create a simple circular shape. In case you want to experiment, you can decide the position of the sun according to your convenience. It is completely fine. So I've taken a little bit of space from the horizon line, and I have painted this beautiful sun, having a simple circular shape. You have to use the tip of your round brush and try to apply very less pressure on your brush. So now using the same brush, we are going to create a nice reflection effect of the sun onto the water body. So you just have to take some more white color, apply a nice thin stroke just above the solid black line of the wave that we have created. We are just going to vanish the entire line once we come towards the ends, and we are going to keep the line a little bit thick on the center portion. That is because the reflection is going to be maximum on the center portion of the entire wave. So in order to get a thick line, you just have to apply a little bit more pressure. You can reapply some horizontal strokes in that particular area as well. And once you come towards the ends on the right and left hand side, you just have to apply very less pressure on your brush. Use the tip of your round brush and get a beautiful thin white stroke. Now, you can observe that the waves get a little bit more enhanced. You can reapply white colour on the sun to get a nice vibrant solid white color as well. Now to enhance the entire water body a little bit more, I'm going to mix a little bit of turquoise and cobal blue in white color. And now we are going to add a beautiful reflection effect, and it's a very simple and easy technique. So we are going to start just below the horizon line. You just have to use the tip of your round brush and create these little horizontal strokes in a very random and natural way. Try to attach all the horizontal strokes together, and slowly, we are going to move towards the bottom area. You can observe the way I'm decreasing and increasing the size of the horizontal strokes that I'm making. If you find that your color is getting finished from the bra, feel free to take some more color from the color palette. Slowly, we are going to move towards the bottom area, connecting it with the waves that we have painted. But make sure that you do not apply these solid white strokes on the solid black color. So I have left the solid black line, and again, we are going to apply the same reflection effect on the bottom part. The more horizontal strokes you'll apply, the better your reflection effect is going to look. So you can observe carefully the way I'm using the tip of my round brush. I'll be adding a little bit of reflection effect on the bottom area as well. So if you observe carefully, I have added the entire reflection effect just below the sun that we have painted, and it looks really aesthetic. You're free to experiment and explore and decide the position of the sun. Wherever you paint the sun, just make sure that you paint the reflection effect just below that. Now in order to create the reflection effect, a little bit more vibrant, I'll be taking a little bit of solid white color in the color palette Now, this time we are not going to add cobal blue and turquoise in it. It is completely white. Add a little bit of water and try to have less amount of water in it. Now, similarly, I'm going to just add solid white strokes just below the sun onto the reflection effect. But this time the horizontal strokes are a little bit smaller than the first one, and we are just going to repeat the same steps. So we are done with the entire painting. Now let me take you a little bit closer so that you can observe all the details carefully. You can see the way we have combined minimal elements together to form a beautiful beach sunset. The painting is not at all complicated. It takes basic painting techniques and a minimal colour palette. I hope that you enjoyed creating this particular gouache painting on a coaster. You're free to explore and experiment with the entire scene, and you can also create it on a watercolor paper as well. I'm very happy to share this class with all of you. You can also experiment with the entire color palette. So now let us move towards the next part. 6. Class Conclusion: Hello and welcome to the class conclusion. I hope that you enjoyed the entire class. You are free to explore and experiment with the entire class. In case you do not want to create the beach sunset on a coaster, you are free to do it on a watercolor paper as well. Just enjoy the process of creating. It would be really great if you leave a review for the class as it encourages me a lot, and my class can reach many more students like you. Feel free to ask any questions or doubts related to the class in the discussion section, and do not forget to add your class projects. At the end, I would like to say, keep learning, keep practicing. Thank you so much for joining the class and happy painting.