We started today with an underpainting that is with blocked in color beginning with the lemon yellow.  Top left is a mix of cobalt, purple and raw umber.

We next started to blend and mix on canvas the red mixture over the yellow and blue to achieve the orangy color and somewhat purple/blue.  The re mixture is cad red with white.

Here we completed the rest of the sky while adding in any other colors  we felt looked appropriate especially in the bottom left corner.

Begin adding in small yellow clouds on the right hand side. As long as you have a coral color and the value is correct, the yellow will pop well against it.

Here’s what it looks like when you add in the suns rays.  It matches the medium coral like color then leaving yellow to show through for the “corona” of the small clouds.  Use the same color to add in the small clouds. Be sure to leave the yellow around the edges of the clouds to form the corona or outline.

Here is the photo close up showing the small clouds at the sunset.

Add in the land line with purple and raw umber and cobalt blue.

Here’s a close up to show how I added a rose and yellow mix at the tip of the landline to simulate the “glow” of the trees along the sunset. 

This shows the land line with more variation of lights and darks throughout. Keep the values close together, all on the darkest side of the value scale.  Colors to use are purple, raw umber, cobalt, in some areas rose, and in some areas you can add just a touch of white to the dark mix to dull an area for another value. Just play with this section.

Today, we worked on the water.  Add on the left a mixture of cerriliun blue plus either lemon yellow or lime green and white.  This will make the turquoise.  Then lay in on the right side a mixture of cobalt blue, very little purple, very little raw umber and very little white. Use a medium wide short angled sable brush.

Next we blended the 2 colors together in the middle.  We also added white to the turquoise mixture in the middle to show the light reflecting from the sun onto the water.

Here we started to add the red reflection onto the water.  We used cadmium red and white mixture and blended onto the blue so that it “mixed on the canvas”.  I also went back into the middle with the white and turquoise to integrate into the red color.  I added some darker turquoise in some areas of the water to start to see some dimension.  And the strokes are thin left to right to simulate soft water surface ripples. 

In the center of the water, take the turquoise mix and add more white to the mixture and add it here so that the water appears to have reflection from the sun. 

This photo shows another value of the turquoise added to the left of the center point to graduate the light to dark form middle to left. We also added a little thicker cad red and white in the areas where the red part of the sky reflects on the water to the right for more vibrancy.  

Now to add the trees.  Start with sketching them in for placement and composition like you see on the smaller tree on the right.  Then add thicker areas of paint in the heavy trunk and areas of the leaves that are clustered with dark.  Use raw umber and cobalt blue.  You can also add some purple to that mix.  Then begin adding the palm leaves with a dagger brush for the finer lines.  Keep the paint consistency “juicy” to allow for best effect. 

Here is a close up of a palm leaf.  There is a highlight color used which will give the tree and leaves dimension.  Use the same turquoise used for the water over the dark color and it will blend and become a deeper value, yet create a highlight on the leaves and tree.

Continue adding in leaves onto next tree.  

Now add in the highlights here and there onto the leaves and anywhere necessary.  Remember to add leaves coming forward to give dimension o the tree.  Use the turquoise color – white, cerulean blue and very little yellow mix.

This is the complete piece although I may take out the 2 leaves on the right.  Let me know your thoughts!  Thanks!