Make a window glow without a glow brush

Set up your study

Download the Evening Window palette below, or copy its six hex colors. Use a comfortable sketch canvas and a familiar brush; no premium brush is required. The featured illustration is a visual starting point, not a result you need to copy exactly.

Try it in four steps

1. Fill a canvas with the darkest blue. Place one small rectangle of warm gold off center.
2. Draw a darker frame across the rectangle. Leave generous dark wall around it.
3. Paint a muted blue-gray patch beneath the window to suggest the wall catching light.
4. Add the pale yellow only inside the window, leaving a gold edge visible.

Check your result

If the whole wall is as bright as the window, darken the wall. Reserve the lightest swatch for the lit opening.

Change one thing

Draw a second version with a larger window. Notice how the mood changes as the bright area takes over.