How To Draw A Forest Scene At Sunset

Drawing a picture of a forest scene at sunset is a stimulating art project for people who enjoy creating landscapes. I love to draw because in our modern world it is the one thing we can still do without a machine. Yes, I used a camera and a scanner to share what my illustration looks like on this hub, but the drawing itself was created with my very own hands. This sunset sketch drawing was created by using several photographs I took of the view of Mount Baldy from the San Bernardino Mountains, and by using my own artistic license to create a sunset with a moon in the sky. Usually the full moon is never above Mount Baldy at sunset (the moon is visible in the early morning), but for this drawing I decided to make it this way. The beauty/creativity of artwork is that you can do anything you want under the sun, even if that includes drawing a sunset!

Although the above picture was taken in the early morning, it served as the inspiration for my sketch because I liked the location of the moon in the sky. Below are a few of the sunset photographs I also used as ideas for designing my forest sunset drawing.

By gathering together a few sunset photographs I took up in the San Bernardino Mountains, I was able to design a sketch to my liking.

Using a print-out of a reference photograph for sketching can be more convenient than using photos on the computer for actual reference. However, I also like to refer to pictures on the computer because I have the ability to zoom in to see details, and in the past I used a magnifying glass to do that.

In this phase of the sketch I am added more detail to the trees as I continued to draw the forest scene.

For this art project I used a violet-blue colored pencils to begin shading in the peaks of Mount Baldy. The tops of the peaks remained white in patches to mimic the snow that is on these mountains.

I used the violet-blue colored pencil to finish coloring in all the areas of Mount Baldy that were not covered in snow.

Using the darker blue colored pencil helped to give the mountains a bit more depth, mimicking the shadows of sunset.

I used a light pink colored pencil on the snow portions of Mount Baldy to make it look like the sunset is reflecting off of it.

The sunset sketch really begins to come together when I started to add the light pink color to the top of the sky.

Here I used a bright pink colored pencil to shade in the bottom part of the sky. The light pink and the dark pink color blends together to create a striking sunset in this sketch.

In this phase of the sketch I used two shades of gray colored pencils to fill in the moon.

I am creating my piece of sunset art by shading in the silhouette of the pine trees and the mountains with a black colored pencil.

I continue shade in the silhouette of the mountains and the pine trees. The details on the pine trees in the distance were the most fun to create.

In this phase of the sketch I am using the black colored pencil to create the shape of the mountains in the sunset silhouette. Also, I am filling in the tree trunk in the foreground, which is beginning to take shape. I lightly shade in with black for portions I want to be lighter, and darkly shade in for the darker portions.

Using my colored pencil to create the shading for the mountains and the trees was quite soothing. When my sketch is completed, I am feel satisfaction and closure. Taking pictures of the drawing process helps me learn new things about my art work, and what I might do differently next time around.

I purchased a simple white frame to hang my forest sunset sketch on the wall. As I create more art work over the years, I have learned that a cheap and creative way of decorating my home is to display my own work. So if you have a sketch that you are particularly fond of, just purchase a frame to hang it on the wall. Happy drawing!