Watercolor seascapes, with their soft hues and fluid textures, offer a painting that can both calm the mind and delight the eyes. If you are a beginner watercolor artist, you might find this intimidating, but it’s actually the perfect start to your artistic journey.
The process is forgiving as watercolor allows the colors to blend freely and you can build confidence with each ebb and flow of the water. With cool blues and warm pink sunsets, you can create a tranquil piece that will give you a sense of accomplishment.
Let’s Talk About It!
Choosing the Right Materials
Let’s pick your colors, paper, and all the necessary materials to create your watercolor seascapes masterpiece.
Watercolor Paints
When painting serene seascapes, you will need to choose your watercolor palette. The hues should reflect the peacefulness of the coastal line. Colors like cerulean blue, turquoise, and a sandy beige color will evoke that soothing feeling you get when you are setting on the beach, lost in your emotions.
My recommendation of a color palette would include:
- cerulean blue
- turquoise
- phthalo blue
- alaziran crimson
- yellow ochre
- raw umber
- bleed proof white or white gouache
I use pan paints, but tube paints would work just as well. Make your color swatches to see and understand how your colors will work together when painting your watercolor seascape.
It helps to plan out your composition before starting not only by choosing your color palette, but also by doing a rough sketch of what you want to create. In the sketch below, I have my color swatches, and my diagram/sketch drawn out.
I divided my image into three sections. The sky, the ocean, and the sand. This gives me the layout of where to place paint and where not to, where to stop and where to begin, etc. No need to be a sketch artist to plan your paintings, as long as you understand what is happening, that is all that matters.
Paper and Brushes
The paper you use plays a great role in likening the realistic water effects in your seascapes. Cold-pressed or textured watercolor paper can enhance the fluidity of your ocean scenes.
I like to use Canson cold-pressed, 140 lb. It will help prevent buckling and allow for multiple layers of paint.
When it comes to brushes, round brushes are versatile and can be used for both broad washes and intricate details. If you have a fan brush on hand, this will come in handy to create textures like waves or foam. A stipple brush also works well for this texture.
Now that you have the paints, brushes and paper, and any other supplies you need like painter’s tape, no bleed white, paper towels, etc., you are ready to get started on your watercolor seascapes.
Mastering Techniques for Watercolor Seascapes
Let’s talk about capturing the essence of coastal tranquility through your watercolor seascapes. From the pink skies to the blue ocean waters and realistic waves, I will take you step by step onto the process.
Soft Serene Skies
Using the wet-on-wet technique with your cerulean blue and alizarin crimson, and yellow ochre, you will create a sky so serene, you will become relaxed and feel that whole beach vibe.
Start off with your cerulean blue with quick whisps over your watercolor paper. Do the same with the alizarin crimson. Finish off your sky with a line of yellow ochre to where you want your sea to meet the sky.
Allow this to dry before moving to the next step in the process. You may have the urge to use a blow dryer to speed up the process, but I don’t recommend that as with wet-on-wet, it may be too wet, and your will move the paint to places you didn’t want it to go. Patience is a virtue, so they say.
Creating Realistic Water and Waves
Before we get to those waves, let’s get some water in there. By water, I mean the sea. This will be a layering process, as there are varying tones to the ocean.
To create a straight horizon line, you may want to take a strip of your painter’s tape and place that right where your yellow ochre ended. This will ensure you have a level sea/horizon line.
Next, use the wet-on-dry technique for the first layer. Starting off with your phthalo blue, sweep your brush across with a nice thick layer right under the tape. If you have ever sat and studied the ocean horizon like I have while sitting on the decks of cruise ships, I have come to have it ingrained in my brain that the furthest part of the ocean is a very dark blue, leaving a thin line of white just above it. By thin, I mean very thin.
As the water moves closer, it becomes lighter, with hints of darkness here and there from shadows from the small waves and churning of the sea itself. With that said, as you move away from your dark area, use a bit more water. When you get about halfway, (remember to leave room for your shoreline of sand) drop in some of that turquoise where you have the wetness of the phthalo blue and bring that turquoise towards your sandy area.
Time for waves and foam. Use your #2 round tip to delicately paint the white foam at the water’s edge. Incorporate subtle touches of spray with light dabs around the foam. Use your white gouache or bleed proof white to create these effects.
To finish off that shoreline, grab more yellow ochre and paint along the foamy edges to give the appearance of #1 – shadow, #2 – wet sand. Take your damp, clean brush and smooth out the area in case your yellow ochre was too strong. You want to blend it in, but still keep the integrity of the shadow/wet sand.
For the waves in the ocean, take the tip of your brush with your white medium and follow along where you may have dark areas and paint short wavy lines here and there.
Adding Extra Detail
For added detail to your watercolor seascapes, here are some tips and techniques for you to try.
Enhancing Realism with Texture
Texture plays a big role in creating a realistic seascape. You can use items like salt, sponges, or masking fluid to add depth and dimension to your paintings.
- Salt: Sprinkling salt onto wet paint creates a unique texture resembling foam or spray on the water’s surface. Experiment with different types of salt for varied effects.
- Sponges: Dabbing a sponge lightly onto your painting can mimic the soft edges of distant waves or the rough rocks along the shore. Cut your sponge into different shapes for versatility.
- Masking Fluid: Use masking fluid to protect areas of your paper from paint, allowing you to create precise details such as highlights on waves or the sparkle of sunlight on the water.
- Splattering: Use an old toothbrush and white gouache to splatter your seafoam onto your watercolor seascape.
Experimenting with different techniques can let your creativity flow to capture the tranquility of the coast in your watercolor seascapes.
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Final Touches and Personalization
Don’t forget those final touches to truly make this watercolor seascape your own. From added additions to your signature, make it your own.
Bringing It All Together
By adding more texture and depth to your watercolor seascapes, you can bring your artwork to another level. Depending on your skill level, you can add delicate seashells, or seagulls soaring in the sky (or sweeping down for forgotten french fry). You can also add more depth to the ocean by using darker hues.
Sometimes, when you walk away from your painting for an hour or so, you will come back and find areas that you missed, or where you feel you could add more. Just remember, don’t overthink it and don’t overwork it.
Signing Your Masterpiece
Always sign your artwork. It makes it your own. You can use your full name, initials, or a unique symbol to add that personal touch. It establishes ownership to your painting.
Experimenting with different signing styles will help you find what suits your artistic vision the best.
Framing and Display Options
If you choose to frame your watercolor seascapes, choosing the right one is important to enhance the visual appearance. For coastal watercolors, a simple white frame will help to keep the focus on your artwork.
Remember to keep your framed watercolor seascapes out of direct sunlight to prevent premature fading. Also keep in an area where humidity is not an issue.
Infusing Your Personality
When painting your watercolor seascapes, try incorporating elements that resonate with your personality or to you personally. A favorite beach spot, special seashells you’ve collected, or colors that remind you of your coastal memories.
For me, since we like to cruise, my favorite scenes are from the deck of the ship. I like to sit on my comfy deck chair and just gaze out into the vastness of the ocean to remind me just how big this beautiful earth is.
Now that you have learned how to make a simple, easy seascape, continue to practice and experiment with other hues. Embracing watercolor seascapes allows you to tap into a therapeutic hobby that calms the mind and enriches the soul.
If you are a beginner, watercolors are wonderfully simple, making it the perfect pastime. The forgiving nature of watercolors mean that you don’t need to be perfect. It will allow you to experience and share the calmness of the sea with every brushstroke.
Grab those brushes and let those calming, soft colors of watercolor seascapes flow. Every artists starts somewhere, and your coastal escape awaits you!
For more resources on Watercolor Seascapes:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art article on Winslow Homer
- The National Gallery article on Joseph Mallord William Turner
Stay Colorful, Stay Creative, and HAVE FUN!
~Laurie
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