DOME EFFECT (GRADIENT TECHNIQUE)

In this article, you will learn how to make an advanced level gradient to obtain a realistic multi-tone sky.

For this occasion, we will only use a brush and a material that you have available in your home kitchen.

The final gradient is worked with 7 colors in total.

To carry out this sky we will use the “dome” effect.

What is the Dome Effect?

It consists of making the gradient or blur in a circular shape, like an arc, in order to obtain a more realistic transition of the sky.

This type of gradient or blur is usually used especially in sunsets or sunrises where the variety of colors predominates.

Let’s start from the darkest area to the lightest.

We start covering the first and the second layer of paint with dark tones.

Once we have painted the two layers, we proceed to make the first gradient.

The size of the brush will vary according to the size of our support or mat board, you can use a number 4 or 8 brush.

It is essential to make a color gradient so that the brush is clean and semi-dry.

Otherwise …

… the gradient will be affected.

We may dirty it with another color and end up ruining the surface.

The brush has to be semi-dry to integrate one color with another so that we do not get a streak or a very marked division.

We make a kind of sweeping and we blend one color with the other.

We go little by little working the different zones, remember to clean and dry the brush.

We are always going to work the brushstroke of a sky horizontally.

If we do it vertically, the sky will give us a rainy effect or it may look unrealistic.

While we are adding a new color we repeat the same procedure of blurring.

We can vary the size of the brush for the procedure.

As we approach the lighter area of the sky, the gradient will be smaller and more detailed, so it requires a smaller brush.

The gradient is one of the fundamental techniques in painting, not only used in landscapes, but in most of the objects in a work.

The biggest problem here is that if you don’t know how to do it correctly, in general, the lines are marked and the brushstroke is noticeable, which diminishes the realism.

I hope you find this article very useful.

Mario Martinez.

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