Artist Tip #33 - Painting "Lobstah" Step-by-Step

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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