Learn how to paint a lavender field during golden hour all with acrylic paints!
Step 1: Paint the Sunset Sky
Start with a black canvas — this is the secret to making colors pop in this lavender field painting easy technique.
Using a flat brush, begin blocking in your sunset sky from the horizon upward. Apply a bright cadmium yellow right along the horizon line where the sun sits. Blend outward and upward into cadmium orange, then transition into a warm coral pink, and finally sweep into a rich cobalt blue toward the top of the canvas. Work quickly while the paint is wet to blend the colors smoothly. Use light, sweeping horizontal strokes. At this stage, leave the bottom half of the canvas black — the land comes later. Add a faint dark silhouette of rolling hills along the horizon using a mix of burnt umber and black to anchor the composition.
Step 2: Refine the Sky & Add Background Trees
Now deepen and refine your sky. Go back in with your blues at the top to intensify the richness, and reinforce the glowing golden center around the horizon with more yellow and orange. Add soft pink and lilac cloud streaks across the mid-sky using a dry brush and light, feathery strokes — these add atmosphere and movement.
On the horizon line, paint the silhouettes of tall, slim cypress trees using a small liner brush and a dark mix of sap green and black. These trees create a strong focal point and give the painting a classic Provençal feel. Also suggest a loose tree line or hillside on the far left using the same dark mix, keeping the edges soft and natural.
Step 3: Block In the Lavender Field
This is where your lavender field painting easy style really comes to life! Using a flat or fan brush, begin painting the lavender rows starting from the center of the canvas (just below the horizon) and working toward the bottom foreground.
Create perspective by making the rows narrow and close together at the top, gradually widening and spacing them as they come toward the bottom of the canvas. Use medium purple mixed with a touch of grey-blue for the rows in the distance, and deeper violet and bright purple for the rows in the foreground. Leave thin strips of warm ochre and orange between the rows to suggest the golden sandy earth between the plants — this contrast is what makes the field glow. Tap or dab the paint on with the corner of your brush to suggest the fluffy texture of lavender blooms.
Step 4: Add Final Details & Foreground
Bring the painting to life with finishing details. Deepen the foreground lavender with a mix of purple, magenta, and a touch of white — dabbing short, upward strokes to suggest individual flower clusters. Add lighter lavender highlights along the tops of the rows closest to you to create dimension.
Enrich the sunset sky further with wisps of warm pink and gold clouds using a dry brush technique. Add tiny dots of bright yellow-white at the sun’s source on the horizon for a glowing light effect. Touch up the cypress trees in the background with a hint of dark green, and add loose, organic tree silhouettes in the foreground corners using dark tones to frame the scene. Finally, blend and soften any harsh edges in the sky to unify the whole painting. Stand back, take it in — your lavender sunset is complete!