How Do You Paint Real Looking Flames?
It’s trickier than you think, painting a flame that really looks like a flame. Our minds tell us that flames are orange and yellow, but in reality they’re usually a warm white color with a soft haze of yellow-orange around the center. Before beginning to paint, study images of flames (or candles) and ask yourself what colors are in the photographs of flames and what colors are in the paintings of flames. Choose a subject. This can be done in one of several ways, either you will need to find a picture of flames online, or you will need to take your own pictures. Choose a subject to study and paint from, in order to make the flames as realistic as possible. Sketch the flames (or flame) on the canvas or paper before painting. Sketch lightly and do not worry about details. Keep in mind it is easiest to paint flames against a dark background. In daylight, most fires and flames will be less noticeable to the viewer. Thus, most of the area around the candle will be shrouded in darkness. Paint
