Capturing Waves: Painting Ocean Scenes

Painting a beach scene with waves can be a fun and playful project, but it can also be challenging. One of the most important aspects of creating a realistic and captivating beach scene is capturing the movement and texture of the waves. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as using different colours to represent the light and shadow on the waves, adding highlights and white spots to indicate foam, and creating texture by dragging a paintbrush over the surface of the painting. The choice of colours is also essential, with blues and greens being popular choices for depicting the ocean and its waves. Additionally, the composition of the painting should be carefully considered, avoiding centred objects and lines to create a more pleasing and dynamic scene.

Painting the sand

Prepare the canvas:

First, you can prepare your canvas by applying a base colour. This could be a layer of burnt sienna, which can help to warm up the canvas and enhance the colour and tone of your painting. You can also mix burnt sienna with other colours, such as titanium white and liquin original, to create a sketch of your scene before adding paint.

Choose your colours:

The colours you choose for the sand will depend on the lighting and atmosphere you want to create. For a tropical beach scene, you might use a mix of yellow, pink, and white for the sand, as these colours can evoke a bright and playful atmosphere. You can also add a touch of yellow ochre and yellow pink satin series acrylic paint to create a warm sand colour.

Create texture:

To add texture and make your painting more tactile, you can use modelling paste. Apply it to the canvas and smooth it out, then drag a paintbrush back and forth to suggest ripples in the sand. Once the paste is touch dry, mix PVA glue with water and sprinkle sand over it to create a textured surface.

Paint the sand:

Using your chosen sand colour, apply the paint over the textured surface with a wide, flat brush. You can add interest and depth to your painting by incorporating the sand colour into the first wave, allowing it to show through the wave. This can create a sense of movement and fluidity between the sand and the wave.

Add details and highlights:

To create highlights and add depth to your painting, use a flat brush to create lines behind the waves. You can also add white spots along the edge of the wave to indicate foam and create a sense of distance. For a dramatic effect, use a charged brush to lightly drag it over the surface of the painting, creating a textured and atmospheric finish.

Remember, when painting the sand, it's important to consider the lighting and composition of your beach scene. You can add interest by incorporating reflections, shadows, and variations in height and contour. Feel free to experiment and adjust your painting until you achieve the desired effect.

Choosing the colours for the waves

When painting a beach scene, choosing the right colours for the waves is essential to achieving the desired effect. Here are some tips and techniques to help you select the perfect colours for your wave painting:

Start by considering the lighting in your scene. In general, seascapes are easier to paint when the light is coming from the sides or behind the water. This creates a sharp contrast between the face of the breaking wave in shadow and the crest illuminated by sunlight. This contrast between light and dark values, known as tonality, will evoke a dramatic and agitated feeling in the viewer. If you're aiming for a calmer atmosphere, opt for a softer graduation in tonal values.

For a simple wave painting composition, avoid centred objects or lines. Instead, position the focal point of the wave to the left or right of centre. This will help guide the viewer's eye towards the breaking wave. Additionally, consider a high horizon line to emphasise the drama of the foreground.

Now, let's explore the specific colours you can use for the waves:

• For the ocean, use varying shades of blue, such as ultramarine blue or phthalo blue, with touches of green. You can adjust the darkness of the water by varying the amount of blue and green in your mix.
• To create the translucent area of the breaking wave, use a mix of yellow ochre, phthalo green, and titanium white. This area is crucial as it captures the light filtering through the wave, creating a captivating green glow.
• To add depth and texture, incorporate shadows and darker values within the breaking waves. Use more ultramarine blue and less burnt sienna in your mix for these shaded areas.
• Enhance the wave's highlights and whitewater with pure titanium white. You can also add small amounts of white along the edge of the wave to represent foam and spray.
• If you're painting a tropical beach scene, incorporate touches of green here and there to capture the vibrant environment.
• For a textured effect, apply modelling paste to the edges of the waves and create ripples by dragging a paintbrush across the paste. Once dry, mix PVA glue with water and sprinkle sand over it for a realistic, sandy texture.
• For a warm grey tone in the waves, mix titanium white and lamp black with a beige sand colour.
• To create a rich blue ocean, mix phthalo blue with gloss medium and gradually add more medium as you move down the canvas toward the wave until it fades out.

Creating a textured effect

Prepare Your Canvas:

Before you begin painting, prepare your canvas by applying a base layer of paint. This can help to create a warm undertone and enhance the overall colour and tone of your painting. You can use colours like burnt sienna, mixing it with other shades like quinacridone magenta, titanium white, or even a layer of white paint to cover any previous artwork or create a fresh start.

Choose the Right Brushes:

Selecting the right brushes for your painting is essential. For creating textures, flat brushes are particularly useful. A flat bristle brush can be used to paint the translucent area of the wave, and the flat part of the brush can create lines to highlight ripples and add texture to the water.

Layer Your Paints:

To create depth and texture in your painting, layer your paints. Start by identifying the dark values and shadows in your scene and paint those first. This will make it easier to build up the lighter areas and get the correct saturation of colours. Use varying mixes of colours like ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, titanium white, and a touch of alizarin crimson for the shadows in the breaking waves. Adjust the ratios of colours to make certain areas darker or lighter, such as using more ultramarine blue and less titanium white for darker values.

Add Texture to Waves:

To add texture to the waves, you can use a combination of colours and techniques. First, paint the wave using a mix of ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, phthalo green, and titanium white. Then, add highlights to the ripples using a flat brush and colours like titanium white or Chinese white, which is more translucent. To create even more texture, you can lightly drag a charged brush over the surface of the painting.

Create Sand Texture:

For an interesting tactile element, you can create a sand texture by applying modelling paste to the canvas. Smooth it out and then mix PVA glue with water, and sprinkle sand over it. Once dry, apply paint in a sand colour using a rough mix of Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, and a touch of Yellow Pink Satin Series Acrylic Paint. This will give your painting a unique, three-dimensional feel.

Consider Tonality:

Tonality refers to the relationship between lights and darks in a painting. To create a dramatic and agitated feeling, use sharp contrasts between light and dark values. For a more restful feeling, use a softer graduation in tonal values. Remember that as you move forward in a painting, darks get darker, and lights get lighter. Adjust your colours accordingly to create the desired effect.

Painting the horizon

Choosing a High Horizon Line:

Start by deciding on the placement of your horizon line. A high horizon line, positioned closer to the top of the canvas, can emphasise the drama of the foreground and create a dynamic composition. This is a common choice for seascapes, as it allows you to showcase more of the ocean and any breaking waves.

For the horizon line itself, mix a colour that will blend seamlessly with the sky and sea. You can use a combination of ultramarine blue, phthalo green, titanium white, and burnt umber to create a desaturated mix that works well for this purpose. Apply this colour along the chosen horizon line, using a flat bristle brush.

Adding Details:

Once the horizon line is established, you can begin to add details to the sea and sky. Paint the areas in full sunlight, using colours like yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, and cadmium red light, being mindful to use these colours sparingly to avoid oversaturation. Then, add the shadows and darker values, using mixes of ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and titanium white, adjusting the ratios to create the desired darkness.

Creating Waves:

When it comes to painting waves, start by outlining the highlights with pure titanium white. Then, mix titanium white with cobalt teal and phthalo green to paint the translucent area of the wave. As you move towards the trough, introduce ultramarine blue to your mix. For dramatic effect, consider the lighting and tonality—seascapes are often easier to paint when the light is coming from the sides or behind the water, creating a sharp contrast between light and shadow.

Final Touches:

To add texture to your painting, you can use a dry brush technique to paint sea mist and spray coming off the tops of the waves with a mix of titanium white and a touch of yellow ochre. Remember, as you approach the horizon, soften the focus, making the breaks in the water less defined and less sharp. This will create a sense of depth and perspective in your beach scene.

Adding details and highlights

Once you have sketched out your beach scene and blocked in the main areas of shadow and sunlight, you can start adding details and highlights to your painting.

If you are painting a wave, the translucent area of the breaking wave is the main focal point. You can use a mix of yellow ochre, phthalo green, and titanium white for this section. To capture the light peeking through the wave, add a little more titanium white to the mix. You can also add a touch of yellow to the white to create a warm grey and paint this into the wave.

To create highlights on the ripples, use the flat part of your brush to create lines behind the waves. You can also use a dry brush to paint sea mist and spray coming off the tops of the waves with a mix of titanium white and a little yellow ochre.

If you want to add texture to your painting, you can apply modelling paste to the edges of the waves and lightly drag a paintbrush back and forth across the paste to suggest ripples. Once the paste is touch dry, mix PVA glue with water and sprinkle sand over it. Once this is dry, you can apply paint.

To create a sense of depth and make your painting more dramatic, pay attention to tonality and the contrast between light and dark values. The light should get lighter and the darks darker as they come forward in a painting. Distant objects will have a much narrower graduation between tone. You can also add more texture and variation in height and contour to your waves to make them more dynamic.

Finally, remember that the horizon line of the sea should never be in the middle of the canvas as it can distract from the composition. A high horizon line can emphasise the drama of the foreground and make your painting more atmospheric.

Frequently asked questions