Color Palette for intense sunsets

Usually, I start a new painting based on a scene or a photo. I try to match the colors in the photo, or when I paint on location, I try to match them with what I see in front of me. But to get a fresh perspective, we can switch things up a little.

Why not start with the choice of colors and deciding on a subject based on that?

When the sky is on fire

A few weeks ago, we were sitting on the terrace of a restaurant in Paphos, witnessing this amazing sunset. The colors grew more intense with every passing minute. I have seldom seen a sunset with so dark and intense colors. The glow remained almost until darkness fell, as you can see from the city.

These colors make a very nice color palette. If you want to recreate it, you can see which colors I used to mix it below. All colors I used are from Winsor & Newton. 

Inspiration can come from many origins. In this case, we take colors from a photo. But you can paint a whole different scene with them. It doesn’t have to be a sunset.

The color mixes: 

Dark Blue: 

Indigo + Payne's Gray

Light Blue: 

Indigo + Payne's Gray + Cerulean 

Dark Orange: 

Winsor Yellow + Winsor Red

Light Orange: 

Lemon Yellow Deep + Winsor Red + a lot of water

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