In this tutorial, we’ll be learning how to paint a simple seascape with watercolors. Some people find painting a seascape challenging, but don’t worry. This helpful guide will take you through each step, making it easy to paint a beautiful landscape. Try using this method for other paintings in the future. So, let’s start without any delay!
Table of Contents
Necessary Materials
My basic color palette for painting seascapes is as follows, I tend to use many different artists’ watercolor brands eg Daniel Smith, Holbein, Mijello, etc. But each person has their own custom style and color palette, so this list is only a suggestion.
Pigments: Lavender, Naples Yellow, Yellow Orche, Indanthrone Blue, Ultramarine, Violet, Violet, Indigo, Lilac, Van dyke Brown, Horizon Blue.
Brushes:Â Da Vinci Casaneo Flat brush size 40, small and large calligraphy brush.
Best deals on the materials you need
Reference Photo of Watercolor painting
Below, I provide a reference photo for you to compare during practice. You should not follow the original image but change it. Let’s make it more beautiful by adding by increasing the contrast and saturation.
This tutorial also is a demonstration video available on my youtube channel. Thank you for watching!!!!
How to paint a seascape step by step in Watercolor
Sketch Your Landscape
Before you start working on your artwork, you should make a rough sketch of what you intend to create. To do this, you can take your pencil and lightly sketch out the basic shapes and lines that make up your painting. This allows you to make any necessary adjustments before you commit to the final part.
Once you are satisfied with your sketch, tape all the edges of the paper and press down on the drawing board to secure the paper.
Paint the Sky of Your Seascapes Watercolor painting
We will be painting the sky using the wet-on-wet watercolor technique because this technique allows the colors to blend together in a beautiful and natural way. The end result is a dreamy, loose effect that perfectly showcases the naturalness of the sky.
To begin, I start by preparing the paper with a light mist of water using a spray bottle, which helps create a damp surface for the paint to adhere to.
In terms of color, I chose a mixture of Jaune Brilliant No.2, lavender, Indigo and a touch of turquoise which I was able to mix directly on the wet paper.Â
Paint the sea in the background
While the sky above is still damp, I paint the sea in the background by using a mixture of Lavender, Indigo, and a touch of Indanthrone Blue. Dip your brush into this mixture, and then use broad strokes to apply it onto the surface of your wet paper. I made the edge of the horizon blend into the sea.
Be sure to apply the mixture in different shades, allowing the colors to blend and create an interesting blend of ocean colors.
Painting The Waves & Ripples On Water
Start with a slight layer of color to set up the main areas of lightness and darkness. At this stage, I’m not in a hurry to add detail but am interested in creating a light effect and looseness of color. The colors used in this step are Lavender, Ultramarine, Violet, Indigo, Horizon Blue
Use the darker blue color version by adding Indigo into the previous mixture for the next layer of color after making sure the previous layer is dry. This allows for an added illusion of depth to the ocean waves. This step involves illustrating the movement and texture of water.
Paint the rocks
When painting rocks, apply a light layer of the mixture of Naples yellow and Yellow orche to paint the rock’s color at first. It can help you shape their space on your watercolor painting and then add richness of value.
Find out the direction of the light source. The sides of rocks that are not facing the light source will be darker in comparison to the sides that are directly exposed to the light. Add Van dyke Brown into the mixture of Naples yellow and Yellow orche to paint the dark sides of the rocks.
Continue developing details of the rocks, Waves, and ripples on the water to deepen their value.
Add the final details of Seascapes Watercolor painting
Now, Take out a small brush and focus on painting small details to capture the essence of the ocean’s movement.
Using different shades of blue carefully reflects the natural beauty of the sea.
Keep in mind that this process may require a lot of time and patience, but the end result will make a painting come to life.
Stop when you feel satisfied
We are pleased to announce that the painting is officially completed. Now, it is of most importance to allow the artwork to dry completely. After that, You can then carefully remove the tape to ensure that you do not damage this beautiful painting.
With passion and hard practice. We are able to bring the rugged rocks and crashing waves into a true work of art that symbolizes the power and majesty of the ocean.
Therefore, we hope that you enjoyed the experience of creating this artwork. And I’d love for you to take on the challenge of drawing something awesome of your own. So, go ahead and get started with your art, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!
My Watercolor Seascape Paintings
