In this artist tip, I'll take you through my process of painting a New England seascape. I enjoy painting seascapes, and have visited the Maine coast often to gather reference material for my paintings. This painting is of a lobster boat I saw in the harbor in Rockland, Maine, a few years ago.
I begin all of my watercolor paintings with a simple pencil sketch on dry watercolor paper. For this painting I used Arches 140# cold-press paper cut to 7.5x11". I use a #2 mechanical lead pencil and a white plastic eraser. I try to draw enough details to provide an accurate guide for my painting, but not so much that I cannot make changes as I paint:
Before I begin painting, I wet the paper on both sides, and then dry the top surface with a towel. The dry surface holds painted edges, while the water within the paper makes it easier to achieve smooth washes with no blooms.
I rewet the sky to keep it soft, and then painted it with a light wash of blue and purple, leaving some white areas to represent wispy clouds. I extended this wash down through the horizon. Next, I painted the distant hills while the sky was still damp to give the hills a soft edge and a feeling of distance:
I then painted the water, leaving some white areas to represent foam. I painted around the boat. I don't like to use masking fluid because it can leave hard edges, and can make a painting look "tight" or "rigid".
Next I painted the large areas and major shapes of the boat. Figures always make a landscape of a seascape painting more interesting. Shadows are also important. It's good to have both white and darks in your center of interest to draw the eye to it:
To complete the painting, I added more details like the masts and rigging, the sea birds, and the distant sailboats. I used white gouache for some of these shapes, which works fine for thin lines and very small areas. I also added some dry brush strokes in the foreground water to give it more interest and bring it forward:
This is my usual approach to landscapes and seascapes: first, paint earth and sky; second; paint the major shapes of the subject; finally, add details for interest.
As of this posting, the painting Lobstah is still available for purchase for $100 including shipping in the US. Just
click here for more details.
I hope you found this step-by-step explanation useful. I've also turned this step-by-step demo into a YouTube slide show for your enjoyment and education. Just
click here to watch the video.
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