Watching sunset and sunrise in the Philippines were a few of my pleasures when traveling solo. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, I can hop on to different islands, go to different beaches, and just watch the sunset or sunrise alone or with friends, or with fellow travelers I met. Lately, I am having the blues. Maybe blame the cold weather here in France. I am here in the countryside so no heavy snow at the moment. Also, we are getting sick almost every month and it's giving me low energy. Part of me is missing the kiss of the sun on my skin. ![sunset.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/23yd1UkzGztod9mxJqciaQv9M2g3d6ffyrsKVGUJdJHoD6ieAmysEJNEy9BT54VZqFUpF.jpg) I miss the sunburnt skin already. The photo above is me sunset-watching on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines in the year 2016. I also want to make the photo above my reference photo for my future painting. Not now, I am too scared to paint as I find it difficult. I've seen a few Hivers sharing photos on their blog so I couldn't help but comment if I can use their photos as a future reference for my painting. :D ## How to cure this ache of missing the sunset? For the past few days, I have been blogging about my sunset and sunrise views from my hometown. Blogging about it is not enough. Part of me wants to be more creative and I got curious about how to paint the sunset and sunrise colors with gouache painting. **Related Article: [I Enjoyed the Sunset and Sunrise View while Working on my Laptop from my Hometown](https://peakd.com/hive-141359/@itravelrox/i-enjoyed-the-sunset-and-sunrise-view-while-working-on-my-laptop-from-my-hometown)** ![20240119_194146.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/Eoke8WC5kA1D6LPEdcdRQi66y5VSL8L6nCKpM9m961543oEjGxaAvJHdLyvY3kLHCQM.jpg) I got into Pinterest and I found several tutorials on how to blend the colors. I was amazed at how I made it. I got scared because I wanted my painting to be perfect. But it's been a while since I never got into painting. That was 11 years ago when I was being artsy. ![20240119_194159.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/EoEqzjrKdUNAotxUyLKrF67rdJPAAvjbTpVCmFFDPUZqum6XQ6TiFmaWretMPbeuDLv.jpg) I need to practice and get into painting the sunset/sunrise/sky mood board in an A5 sketchbook. Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration. From one board to the second, I enjoyed using the following colors: red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, lemon-yellow, violet, purple, black, and white. ![20240120_003231.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/Eos1p32NWtPd7QLR8xV6gGnSnSZPZsXNfjgwzU4UAVtdVqo9iiQQ8hZrqNSGGKsom1w.jpg) I also explored other colors: purple, pink, and shades of blue. This time, you can see I painted the night skies or a few sceneries after the sun sets. ![20240120_002750.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/EpEJJMmL5xmHRR5B7ksHCjrXLshLjTCiZd95eQhc5gWdDU2aApfVVtYrHhBQ41ESPhL.jpg) For about 3 hours, I was able to do 6 boards. The most favorite thing among the 6 boards is painting the coconut trees. I miss drinking fresh buko or young coconut juice and it is also good for your health, especially for cleansing the kidney. After painting the 6 boards, I immediately fell in love with them. I couldn't believe my own eyes I was able to paint like this. Thanks to Gouache Paint for having the vibrant colors. I never used gouache before. Among all the 6 boards, the most eye-catching mood board for me is the second to the top. It reminds me of the Lion King animated movie. For now, I am not confident about painting sunset/sunrise with the seawater or lake. I still need to practice. I know I have several sunset/sunrise beach photos in my hard disk storage just the Philippines alone. ![20240122_142225.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/itravelrox/Ep3fFEuG2zwhW2s62EjT7XacUhMKw8ZX1Qpcj2rCio7xzzGxoEUbgHfYKYDRxrwCHis.jpg) I was able to continue painting after two days. For the last two boards, the upper right is about the three mountains and a calm blue water, I just want to test myself if I could paint a simple lake. And the last board, the lower right is a lone pine tree in the snow. Painting water and snow is kind of tricky for me so I need to learn more about how to paint those. Upon completing all 8 boards, I am loving it more. The final artwork has been completed. It is really pleasing to my eyes I couldn't help but stare all the time even before going to sleep. This is my first mood board in gouache painting and so far, the most favorite. I made a second mood board consisting of 4 boards. I finished it already. But the first is just kind of special. My husband is encouraging me to paint our travel photos from Spain. That's one of the plans. I am also planning to paint Mount Fuji as I have a photo from my first solo trip to Japan back in 2015. Painting is a therapy. The best way of looking back to your travels and traveling back in time is to paint them. Anyway, I've been suffering from stress and anxiety for a few years after my mother's death and after giving birth to my kids. I deserved to do this art therapy. **Related Articles:** - [I Miss the Smell of the Airport](https://peakd.com/hive-125669/@itravelrox/i-miss-the-smell-of-the-airport) - [I Miss Exploring Places on my Own](https://peakd.com/hive-125669/@itravelrox/i-miss-exploring-places-on-my-own) - [I Miss Getting Lost in a New City](https://peakd.com/hive-125669/@itravelrox/i-miss-getting-lost-in-a-new-city) ---

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Roxanne Tamayo - www.itravelrox.com _{Welcome to iTravelRox! Roxanne Tamayo is a Cebuana who is a traveler. Now a mom of 2 kids and a wife. She is a travel blogger and a digital nomad. As a Virtual Assistant, she does a lot of things like content writing, WordPress web design, WP updates and maintenance, graphic design, and photo editing. She is into wedding photography, as well.} _{If you like iTravelRox's content, please don't forget to upvote and leave a comment. She will share a lot of stories about solo travels, motherhood, family travel, and working as a VA.}