how to paint desert sand with Oil Painting | Paint with Dilip Art

Nature sustains beauty in every shape and form. It is beautiful when a river runs through lush green valley; it is beautiful when rain does not want to cease; it is beautiful when a new life begins. Nature’s beauty never wanes even when there are no water, no greenery and no sign of life. With all its extremeness, desert is beautiful in its own way.

The technique that I have adopted for this painting is quite easy, ideal for beginners. You will notice that when I will paint the sand dunes. There, I have used the main shade of the sands as a base, over which I applied white for the lighter areas and dark brown for the darker areas. But, neither the white nor the brown will be harsh as it mixes with the base color and turn into perfect shading.

Canvas – 24ʺ x 18ʺ

Oil Colour – Prussian blue, Flake white, Chrome yellow deep hue, yellow ochre, cadmium red, burnt sienna

Brush – Flat brush no. 2, 4, 8, 12; flat brush 2”

Step 1

First, I am going to paint the sky. I want the sky to be clean blue that will have a pink tinge on the horizon. I am using the pink shade to add some softness to the landscape. To create the effect, I am using three shades, pale blue (blue + white), pale pink (red + white) and pale yellow (white + chrome yellow). I put the colors horizontally on the canvas with blue on the top, pink in the middle and yellow on the bottom. The yellow section will provide some shading to the pink hue and serve as a base to the dunes on the background. I blend the colors with a big flat brush to create a seamless gradient. After that, I add some more blue paint to the top section to intensify the color and blend it as well.

Step 2

Then I move on to the mighty sand dunes. Constantly moving as the wind wishes, the dunes seem to be alive.With a sandy yellow shade (yellow ochre – this shade should be used as it is. It should not be mixed with any other shade), I paint the shapes of the dunes and cover the rest of the blank canvas, leaving a bit of portion on the foreground. I will work on that blank area later.

Step 3

It’s time for some shading. The dune will not come to life until light and dark play their parts. I take some white paint and use it to shade and shape the dunes. For the shadowy sides, I am using a darker shade, burnt sienna. Of course, I am blending them really well, as it is extremely important in shading. All the highs and lows and the contours are visible now, making the dunes prominent.Then I move on to fill the blank space I left before.

Step 4

Next step is all about creating details. Using white shade, I do some light-sourcing, make the waves on the dunes and also create faint hint of sand blowing away from the dunes. I use darker shade (burnt sienna) to emphasise the features of the dunes and some shading as well.

Step 5

After a bit of touch up here and there, the dunes are almost done. I think the sky needs a little more definition. So, I take bit of pink shade that I have used a while ago, to create a bit of cloud across the sky. Clouds are a rare sight in deserts, so this addition will make the scenery even more special. I am keeping some parts of the faint clouds little bit pinker than the others. I want the sky look sunny on one edge and blue on the other. Using some pale yellow (chrome yellow + white), I create the sunny portion and add blue on the opposite side. I put little bit of white in some parts of the clouds. Then I blend them all together. Lastly, I shape the dune on the foreground using darker hues (burnt sienna).



So, that’s it, my desert landscape is ready. Don’t forget to let me know your views on this painting. See you soon.