How to draw a night sky in watercolor, gouache, pencil

The starry sky is amazing - twinkling stars, the milky way shimmering in different colors, a bright moon. At first it seems that it is unrealistic to depict all these details on the album sheet, but it is not difficult. To gradually draw the night sky, like professionals, it is enough to be guided by simple lessons.

Art supplies for watercolor painting

For drawing, choose a desktop and prepare the necessary equipment. The list of art tools:

• A4 or A5 paper with a density of 280;
• set of watercolor paints;
• masking tape;
• synthetic brushes No. 4 and 8;
• white gouache;
• Toothbrush;
• palette;
• pencil;
• picture for sketching;
• eraser;
• water.

Under the album sheet, lay rough paper or another canvas, since during the work the paints will be soaked and possibly printed on the table.

Prepare black and blue shades of the sky, purple colors (ultramarine and carmine), bright green and blue color options. You can add red shades to this color scheme if desired.

Watercolor painting technique

Tools laid out at arm's length. The paper is glued to the substrate with tape so that it does not curl or shift during operation. How to draw a night sky in watercolor step by step:

1. A pencil with gray graphite makes light sketches of the future picture. Draw a horizon line, indicate the stars, the moon and other objects.
2. In this case, the wet painting technique will be used. In this way, smooth aesthetic transitions are achieved. The album sheet is smeared with water with a wide brush to a drawn horizontal line.
3. Using a brush dipped in blue in the palette, hold the paper from top to bottom, while holding the substrate vertically. This will create beautiful overflows. Light tones prevail in the middle of the album sheet, and dark tones prevail at the edges. The image is left to dry for a while.
4. Brush number 4 draw elements. Objects in the sky work in dark colors in the middle of the sheet. In the darkened areas light points are drawn with white gouache - these are stars. The milky way is created with the help of purple, green and blue, which are applied in layers, preferably by a wet method.
   
5. There are no specific rules, you just need to work out the layers in the correct sequence. Dark colors depict grass, rocks and similar objects under the horizon. If the moon is present in the picture, then white glare and lines are applied to the contours of the earthly details.
6. Stars are uneven in size. Large celestial bodies are marked with a brush, and small ones are worked out using a special technique. Dip a toothbrush in white gouache and gently spray the drawing - the main thing is not to overdo it.

The remaining elements, like shooting stars, are drawn with a white pen or watercolors.

Materials and tools for drawing gouache

There are different quality brushes and paints. For training, it is best to buy at a cheap or average price. To work, you need the following:

• jars of gouache paint with shades of purple, emerald green, blue, white, red;
• sheet of paper, cardboard, plywood;
• small, medium and large brushes - ear hair, columns or synthetics, soft and elastic;
• a plastic tablet or plywood for a landscape sheet;
• plastic palette with multiple recesses;
• rag for wiping brushes from paint and water;
• pencil;
• eraser.

After work, tools must be washed.

Gouache painting

If paper is used, then high density, because it will be treated with water. You can’t rush, it’s better to carefully study the original image and focus on neat redrawing. How to draw the night sky in gouache according to the detailed instructions:

1. The paper is fixed to the tablet with tape. It must first be determined whether the ground details will be depicted.
2. They work out the details of heaven and earth with a pencil. You cannot draw lines too much, because it will be difficult to erase them. The boundary of the horizon.
3. Light shades of blue are mixed in the palette and applied to the paper with pre-treated water to the horizon. Dark colors are applied around the perimeter of the sheet. The paint should look like streaks with smooth transitions. You can apply light shades of emerald green and purple.
4. Thin brush strokes indicate stars of white and blue. The moon is drawn with white gouache and a bright glow is applied around it.
5. Details of the terrestrial landscape are indicated by dark blue colors. It can be a forest, mountains or field. Glare is drawn on these elements, since the moon shines on these objects and you cannot make them dark.

At the end, the image is adjusted. On the celestial night luminary, craters are worked out and painted in a light blue tone.

Required Inventory

Drawing a night landscape with a pencil is not as easy as watercolor and gouache. However, the plus is a minimal set of accessories:

• HB, B3, and B7 pencils
• thick album sheet;
• gag eraser;
• fleece for mashing parts;
• Original picture for sketching.

You can not put much pressure on the pencil during the drawing process. The image is drawn in hatching.

Pencil night

In the process of drawing, they put a piece of paper under the arm so as not to stain the image. How to draw a night sky with a pencil using a simple technique:

1. With the HB pencil, the contours of the forest and celestial objects are applied.
2. The space between the stars is shaded with a pencil B3, then shaded with special material.
3. Dark elements are marked with B7 graphite and also shaded.
4. With a light pencil draw small celestial details - the moon and stars.
5. The forest is being worked on with dark graphites.
6. At the end, the eraser causes glare by lightly and partially erasing the contours of objects on the ground.

The more layers in the picture, the more realistic it will be.