Master Van Gogh's Starry Night: A Painting Guide

Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night is a famous oil-on-canvas painting created in June 1889. It is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art. The painting depicts the view from the artist's asylum room window at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, just before sunrise. With bold colours and brushstrokes, Van Gogh captures the sweeping landscape, including an imaginary village, and the celestial beauty of the night sky. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of creating your own simplified version of The Starry Night painting, exploring the artistic style of Van Gogh and gaining a deeper appreciation for this iconic work of art.

Painting supplies and preparation

To recreate Van Gogh's "Starry Night", you will need the following supplies:

• A set of 5 high-quality brushes
• A 16x20 canvas
• Acrylic paints
• A disposable palette
• An apron

You can purchase these supplies individually or as part of a kit. The Painting to Gogh kit, for example, includes all of the above supplies as well as an aluminium easel and a video tutorial.

Once you have gathered your supplies, you can begin preparing your painting. Start by laying your canvas in horizontal landscape mode. Paint your entire canvas ultramarine blue, leaving a small gap at the bottom. This will serve as the base for your starry sky.

Next, you will create the landscape. Paint the bottom land area with phthalo green. Add a light blue hill behind the phthalo green land on the right side of the canvas. Then, paint a mountain range with light blue mixed with ultramarine blue.

With these steps, you have prepared your canvas with the basic colours and landscape outlines, and you are now ready to start bringing "Starry Night" to life!

Base colours and layers

To begin painting your version of Van Gogh's Starry Night, you'll want to start with the base colours and layers. This will form the foundation for the rest of your painting.

First, lay your canvas in horizontal landscape mode. Van Gogh's original painting is a view of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, seen from his asylum room window. Now, use a 3/4 inch wash brush to paint your entire canvas ultramarine blue. Leave a small gap at the bottom of the canvas. This blue base will evoke the night sky that Van Gogh gazed upon and captured so famously.

Next, paint the bottom area, or the land, with phthalo green. This will represent the rolling hills and fields of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. You can add some texture to the green by mixing in some yellow and white.

Now, paint a lighter blue hill behind the phthalo green land on the right side of the canvas. This will add depth to your painting and create a sense of distance. Then, paint a mountain range with light blue mixed with ultramarine blue. Van Gogh's painting includes the diagonal line of the low-rolling hills of the Alpilles mountains, so be sure to include this element in your composition.

At this point, you have the basic landscape layers of your painting. You can now add some details to the sky, which will bring your starry night to life.

Adding the moon

To add the moon to your painting of Van Gogh's Starry Night, follow these steps:

Begin by mixing a light yellow colour on your palette. You can create this by adding a small amount of white paint to your yellow. Using a medium-sized round brush, paint a circle in the upper right corner of your canvas. This will be the base of the moon and should be quite subtle, so be sure to use a light touch when applying the paint.

Next, mix a slightly darker shade of yellow by adding a touch of orange or brown to your previous mixture. Use this colour to add depth and shadow to your moon. Focus on the lower right side of the moon, adding a slightly larger circle of this darker shade, blending outwards as you go. This will create the illusion of a three-dimensional sphere.

Now, add some white highlights to the moon. With a small amount of white paint on your brush, lightly dab the upper left side of the moon, blending outwards. This will create a glowing effect, giving the moon a sense of luminosity.

Finally, use a small, detailed brush to add some texture to the moon. With a darker shade of brown or grey, lightly dab a few small craters onto the surface of the moon, giving it a more realistic appearance. You can also add a few subtle grey shadows to the lower right side, further enhancing the three-dimensional effect.

Remember, Van Gogh's style is characterised by bold colours and swift brushstrokes, so don't be too precise or meticulous with your moon. Keep your brushstrokes loose and expressive, capturing the essence of the moon rather than a photorealistic depiction.

Painting the stars

Next, you should lay your canvas in a horizontal landscape mode and paint it entirely in ultramarine blue, leaving a small gap at the bottom. This will create the night sky effect. Then, using a lighter shade of blue, paint a hill on the right side of the canvas, adding a further mountain range using a mix of light blue and ultramarine blue.

Now, it's time to add the stars! Using a piece of chalk, draw large and small spirals in the sky, and then paint these spirals with light blue. Add a light yellow circle in the upper right corner for the base of the moon, and then paint smaller circles throughout the sky for the stars themselves. You can also add some yellow dash lines along the horizon and on the light blue spirals to create a sense of movement and light.

For added texture and depth, use cadmium orange hue to paint some subtle wavy lines over the black areas of the sky, blending it in while the paint is still wet.

There you have it—your very own starry night sky, inspired by Van Gogh's iconic painting!

Final touches and details

Now that you have the base of your painting, it's time to add the final touches and details to make it truly come to life. Remember, Van Gogh's style is characterised by bold colours and swift brushstrokes, so don't be afraid to be expressive!

First, use cadmium orange hue to paint some wavy lines over the black sky. Make sure to do this while the black paint is still wet so that the colours blend together. These orange texture lines should be subtle, adding just a hint of warmth to the night sky.

Next, add some stars to your sky. Using a light blue colour, paint large and small spirals in the sky, creating a sense of movement and energy. Then, paint a light yellow circle in the upper right corner to represent the moon. You can also add smaller yellow circles throughout the sky to create a starry effect.

To add further depth and dimension to your painting, use yellow dash lines along the horizon and on the light blue spirals. This will help to create a sense of distance and perspective. Additionally, you can add some white dots or small white spirals to represent twinkling stars in the distance.

Finally, enhance the foreground of your painting by adding details to the village and the cypress trees. You can use dark green or black paint to create silhouettes of houses or trees, adding a sense of mystery and intrigue to your composition. Don't forget that Van Gogh often exaggerated the scale of the cypress trees in his paintings, bringing them closer to the picture plane.

With these final touches and attention to detail, you have now created your own interpretation of Van Gogh's "Starry Night". Congratulations! You have successfully emulated the style of a master artist and created a beautiful work of art.

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