Turn A Sketch Into A Quiet Seascape Painting
Develop Shapes, Colors and Values For A Finished Painting
In this lesson, we start with a simple, quick seascape sketch and develop it into a finished painting. We go through the process step-by-step making it an easy lesson. We start with a quick sketch. It’s better to have that as a start – click the link below to create the quick sketch.
Start With A Sketch, Finish With A Painting
In this lesson, we start with a completed two-minute sketch and develop it into a finished seascape painting. We’ll develop the unfinished sky and foreground, show light and form on the rocks and create reflections in the water.
The subject is a quiet seascape scene with gentle light falling on the water and rocks. The quick sketch may seem frantic and off-putting. Finishing it off is a skill-builder of its own – using a deliberate, thoughtful approach with washes and mark making to create solid form and structure to the rocks and enhancing the reflections in the water.
Seascape As Subject
A once popular subject among artists, the seascape has lost some favor. Newer methods and techniques favor other subjects. There is also the intimidation factor – oceans and moving ocean water seems difficult and complex.
This lesson features methods and techniques that make it easy to represent a calm ocean quickly and simply.
The Essence Of Subject
The real key to capturing any subject in any medium is simplification and a focus on its essence. For any subject with water horizontalness and reflectivity are key ‘essences’. Both are easily represented by well considered, horizontal brush strokes. Get some practice with each in this lesson.
Rocks, whether along a coastline or as an element of a landscape scene also have key elements that support the right look in a painting. Angular shape and rough texture are two of these. Practice on both are also offered in this lesson.
What you’ll need
- Finished Sea, Rocks and Water Quick sketch
- Colors: Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue
- Brushes – Medium and Small Rounds, Rigger
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Related Lessons
Rocks In Water
The lesson above begins with the fast sketch created in this lesson. It’s best to do this one before starting the lesson above.
Fast sketches with a time deadline are great for many reasons. The first is that you get to do a little watercolor painting very quickly – so if you are short on time, it’s perfect!
Plus you’ll have to work very fluidly, just to be able to get the painting done quickly. So, you’ll get a chance to practice wet-into-wet technique in every painting. And, you’ll have to develop the ability to simplify the subject, and to be decisive with the brush!
How To Paint Angular Rocks
Rocks are a common element in both landscape and seascape paintings. They can seem smooth and rounded or sharp-edged and jagged.
Hard-edged rocks are, in many ways, similar to cubes. Like cubes their faces are more likely to look flatter than rounded. And, as mentioned, their edges are very distinct, with both hard and rough textures along the length of the edge. The edges make it easy to depict their form by showing the clear change between faces that are lit and those in shadow.
As always, a few basic watercolor techniques, used in the right way and in the right places are all you need to create, great looking, hard-edged rocks.
In this lesson you’ll learn how to paint those sharp-edged rocks using easy techniques.
How To Paint Water
This set of lessons teaches the basic ideas, techniques and methods needed to get great looking water in your watercolor paintings.
Water is one of the more challenging subjects in to paint. It has several important characteristics to dublicate and it very complex - even the stillest of water is constantly moving.
These lessons will guide you through by showing what you need to know and demonstrating the techniques that work.
Landscape Painting Lessons
Seascape Painting Lessons
Still Life & Floral Painting Lessons
