Depicting the sun in a painting is half the battle.

It is
much more important to convey the mood of a sunny
day, to make the warmth tangible. Then the viewer will
definitely hold his gaze on the picture for a long time
and will not just admire it, but want to be inside it.

Five simple tricks will help to convey the feeling of

light and warmth in your work, which even a beginner
can cope with. I will tell you about them using
the example of the paintings of the Sunny Marathon
with Elena Vlasova. I invite everyone to register!

I’m going
to the marathon!

Let’s get acquainted!

My name is Elena Vlasova, and I
am a professional watercolor artist.
I graduated from the Moscow State
Pedagogical University named after
Lenin and Academy of Watercolor
and Fine Arts of Sergey Andriaka,
I participate a lot and win in Russian
and international exhibitions
and competitions.

Since 2013, I have been teaching

the art of watercolor to others, and over
the years I developed techniques that
allow me to teach drawing spectacular
and colorful paintings even to those
who do not remember the last time
they took up a brush.

So, let’s move on to the promised

techniques ;)
 Technique No. 1
The Sun in the Sky

If we want to show bright sunlight, we do it in several

stages. First, we leave an unpainted white spot in the sky
where the sun is supposed to be. Then we form a yellow,
golden, or pinkish halo around this spot, depending on the
time of day in the painting. This will be our bright sun.

And in order to harmoniously fit it into the sky, we should

stump the edges of this halo with a wet brush — then
the sun’s glow will smoothly flow into the space of the sky
and clouds.

This technique is used in the «Lighthouse» painting — here

the sun breaks through the clouds and paints them with
its light.
 Technique No. 2
The sun illuminates
the surrounding objects

How do you show that the sun not only shines brightly,
but also illuminates everything around you? It’s easy!

To do this, we add objects to the picture that the sun

needs to color, such as a forest on the horizon, mountains,
or a seashore. And then, inside our objects, we make a color
gradation from warm and light to dark and cold.

For example, in the painting «Frosty Morning»,

the forest on the horizon and the tree branches closer
to the foreground are illuminated in this way: closer
to the sun, these objects are warmer in tone, and farther
away from it, they are colder, as if in a little shade.
 Technique No. 3
Sun in the forest

If we want to depict a sunlit forest or just trees, there is the

following technique: we do not draw some of the objects, that is,
trees; we leave the unpainted places among them and create
a sun flash.

Why is that? The fact is that when the bright sun shines directly
into our eyes, we do not see some of the objects in front of us,
their contours are light-struck. Take a look at the painting
«The Sound of the Forest» – such a technique is used there.
 Technique No. 4
Sunlight through
the foliage

This technique is good to use when depicting foliage

or shrubs in the sun. To convey this glow effect, we again
leave unpainted places along the contour of plant
fragments (for example, leaves or branches).

By the way, this is where the masking fluid can come

to the rescue: we use it to cover small areas that we don’t
want to touch with paint, and then, after finishing work with
the color, we remove the liquid — by this time it will have
hardened and turned into a film.

Look at the painting «Blooming Mood»: it does not depict

the sun itself, but conveys the mood of a sunny day — due
to the fact that the tree in bloom seems to be in a light halo.
 Technique No. 5
Sunflecks

We can show that space is filled with the sun without

drawing the sun itself, or even the sky. In case there is glass
in the painting – as, for example, in the painting «Tulips» –
the sunflecks will help us. Our goal is to create a contrast
between bright sharp sunflecks and cold shadows.

The main secret here is that we do not paint the flecks

in detail, that is, we leave clean paper in places that
are most strongly lit by the sun. This makes the watercolor
drawing light and airy.

By the way, this technique fits perfectly not only in scenes

with glass objects, but also in those where there is water:
rivers, streams, lakes.
 Shall we draw
together?

We are going to study all these techniques, as well

as other useful watercolor techniques, at the «Sunny
Marathon with Elena Vlasova» - it lasts 5 days
and is held online.

And, of course, we will paint spectacular, sun-

filled paintings: «The Sound of the Forest»,
«Frosty Morning», «Blooming Mood», «Tulips»
and «Mountain Air».
That’s the kind of beauty
we’re going to draw!
 The records of the broadcasts will be available
in your personal account while the broadcasts are
going on + 3 more days so that you definitely had
time for everything! You can also sign up for paid
participation, and then you’ll be granted a life-time
access to all the lessons!

I want to take part in the

«Sunny Marathon!»

And if you carefully watch all five broadcasts and collect

five secret letters, you will receive a gift from me: the sixth
picture «Lighthouse».

You will draw an atmospheric scene with the sea

and a lighthouse against the background of sunlit clouds.

I look forward to seeing you

at the course!

Sign up for the marathon