Marcus Chen
The ocean is a diverse and ever-changing subject for artists, with its colours varying from crystal clear turquoise to deep blues and greens that almost appear black. When painting the ocean, it is important to remember that it is never just one colour and that its appearance is affected by factors such as location, climate, and the surrounding landscape. Artists have a variety of paint colours to choose from when attempting to capture the beauty and diversity of the ocean, including ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, cerulean blue, and phthalo green.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of colours | 1 or more |
| Colours | Turquoise, Teal, Blue, Green, Indigo, Yellow, Ochre, Sienna, Crimson, White, Grey |
| Paint type | Watercolour, Oil, Acrylic |
| Technique | Layering, Blending, Mixing |
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What You'll Learn
The ocean is never just one colour
When painting the ocean, it is essential to consider the surrounding landscape and underwater world. Cold climates tend towards darker blues, while warmer climates offer lighter shades. The ocean at sunset invites a whole different palette, with reds, pinks, and oranges reflecting off the water.
To create a sense of depth and translucency in your ocean paintings, layer your colours and blend them smoothly. Start with the darkest areas, then add mid-tones, adjusting their values to create form, and finally, add highlights. Use a variety of brushes, from small detail brushes to soft blending brushes, to capture the intricate details and textures of the ocean's surface.
When mixing colours, it's best to start small and gradually adjust until you achieve the desired shade. For ocean waves, a mix of ultramarine blue, phthalo green, and titanium white can be used, with variations in the proportions to create darker or lighter tones.
The ocean provides an endless source of inspiration for artists, with its ever-changing colours and moods. Capturing its essence on canvas is a challenging yet rewarding endeavour, inviting creativity and a keen eye for detail.
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The ocean's colours vary by location
The ocean's colours can range from crystal clear turquoise, like the beaches of Greece, to deep inky greens and blues that almost appear black, like what deep-sea fishermen might see. A sunset over the ocean might call for reds, pinks, and oranges, while the shallows of a beach might be the colour of the sand below, like Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre.
When painting the ocean, it is beneficial to mix most of the colours first and to start with the darkest areas before moving on to mid-tones and highlights. A variety of blues and greens are often used to capture the ocean's colours, such as ultramarine blue, cobalt turquoise, and phthalo turquoise. Darker shades, like indigo, can be used for the horizon or the deepest parts of the ocean.
The location can also influence the colours chosen, with colder climates tending towards darker blues, while warmer climates might lean towards lighter shades. The surrounding landscape and sea creatures can further expand the palette, with colours like grey for rippling waves, white for seafoam, and shades of green for the underside of crashing waves.
The ocean is a diverse and ever-changing subject, and artists have the freedom to experiment with different colours to capture its beauty.
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Using acrylic colours for the ocean
When painting the ocean in acrylics, it's important to remember that there is no single "ocean colour". The colours of the ocean vary depending on the location and lighting conditions. For example, the ocean in Queensland, Australia, is known for its turquoise tropical waters, while the Great Australian Bight exhibits deep blues. Thus, it's a good idea to create a labelled colour palette before you start painting. This can serve as a useful reference point for the present painting and future works.
For a mid-summer ocean with high waves, Southern Blue Ocean with varying additions of Titanium White is a good choice. Cobalt Blue is another option, especially for a particularly bright painting. Prussian Blue is a very dark blue when used straight from the tube, but it becomes quite transparent when used thinly. Cobalt Teal is a lighter shade that you can use for the top section of a wave, while Titanium White can be used for the wave foam.
If you're going for a rich deep blue, Phthalo Blue with a touch of Ultramarine Blue works well. You can brighten the blue by adding Cerulean Blue, which is ideal for depicting shallower water. For an overcast, grey tone, try Matisse Mineral Blue.
When painting the sea, you can mix blues in a range of tonal values by taking the sky colour and adding varying amounts of French Ultramarine, Viridian Green, and Titanium White. Yellow Ochre can be added to White to create the colour of the beach. To create shadows and neutralise the mix, use Burnt Umber. When mixed in equal parts with Ultramarine, this will make black.
To get the perspective correct, paint the distant waves closer together and the nearer waves further apart. As you move closer to the beach, add more Yellow Ochre and Viridian to the wave colour. You can add shadows using the darkest sea colour and the edge of a painting knife or a fine liner. To add the leading foam edge, use a rigger brush and white to add a few breakers. To add more detail to the foreground, add some white foam on the water and reflect the breakers in the water to give it a 3D effect.
Remember, you don't need to be too precise with your colours. Feel free to experiment and make adjustments as you go along.
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Watercolour paints for the ocean
When painting the ocean, it's important to remember that the sea is never just one colour. Many factors can change its hues and tones, from location and climate to the surrounding landscape and sea life.
When it comes to choosing the right watercolour paints for the ocean, it's a good idea to start by considering the specific scene you want to depict. For example, crystal clear turquoise waters like those found in Greece will require different colours than the deep blues and greens of the open ocean. The time of day can also play a role in your colour choices, with sunsets calling for reds, pinks, and oranges, while backlit waves might require titanium white with a touch of burnt sienna.
For shallow waters, the colour of the sand below can be reflected, with colours like Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre being good choices. As the water deepens, you can gradually reduce the amount of sand colour while adding more blue and green. Some recommended colours for this transition include Cobalt Turquoise by Schmincke and Phthalo Turquoise shades, which offer intense, vibrant pigments.
For the darkest areas of the ocean, such as the deep blues and greens of the open sea or the shadows of crashing waves, colours like Indigo and Ultramarine Blue can be ideal. These colours can also be mixed with a small amount of yellow oxide to create a darker tone.
It's worth noting that you don't always need to rush out and buy new paints. By mixing and layering the colours you already have, you can often create a wide range of hues suitable for painting the ocean. Additionally, feel free to experiment and adjust your colours as you go to capture the unique character of the seascape you're aiming to depict.
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Colours for painting sea tones
When painting the ocean, it's important to remember that the sea is never just one colour. Many factors can change its hues and tones, from the location and climate to the surrounding landscape and sea life.
A good tip is to use the art supplies you already have and not feel pressured to buy new colours. You will likely find that you have many appropriate colours in your current selection. For example, you can use blues and teals for traditional large bodies of water, but don't be afraid to experiment with other colours as well.
When painting translucent ocean waves, you can start with the upper section of the wave using a mix of ultramarine blue, a small amount of phthalo green, and titanium white. Then, mix a darker tone of the same colours, adding more ultramarine blue and a little yellow oxide, while using less titanium white to make it darker. This darker colour will be used for the transition zone between the upper and lower sections of the wave. For the lower section, mix ultramarine blue, yellow oxide, and phthalo green, and adjust with titanium white as needed.
When painting the sky and horizon, use colours like cream, light aqua, and darker aqua, going from light to dark, bottom to top. Then, add a transitional shade between the horizon colour and the blue at the top of the canvas. Finally, paint the darkest blue at the top and blend the colours smoothly.
Watercolour is a perfect choice for capturing the sea as it is transparent, just like water. You can build up colours in transparent layers to suit your beach scene. In the shallows, the sea can reflect the colour of the sand, with colours like Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre, while deeper waters can showcase more intense shades like Cobalt Turquoise and Indigo.
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Frequently asked questions
The ocean is never just one colour, and many factors can change its hues and tones. The location of the ocean you're painting will often affect the colours displayed in the water. For example, the ocean in Queensland, Australia, is turquoise, while the Great Australian Bight is a deep blue. The time of day and weather will also affect the colours—a sunny day will produce lighter colours, while an overcast day will produce greyer tones. You can use a variety of blues, greens, and even reds, pinks, and oranges to capture the ocean's colours accurately.
To create a rich deep blue, you can use Phthalo Blue with a touch of Ultramarine Blue. Cerulean Blue can be added to brighten the blue and is useful for painting shallower waters. For a grey tone, try Matisse Mineral Blue. You can also experiment with Cobalt Blue, Prussian Blue, and Southern Blue Ocean.
Pthalo Turquoise shades are popular for their intense, vibrant pigments. Cascade Green by Daniel Smith is also a favourite, as it's a granulating pigment that separates into blues and golds when diluted.
You may need colours like cream, aqua, grey, black, and white to paint the sky, ripples, waves, and foam. You can also use burnt sienna, quinacridone crimson, and yellow oxide to add depth and variation to your painting.
