Process for Painting the Beach in Watercolor

February 17, 2017February 19, 2021 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

There is a real benefit to painting the same subject over and over. You get better at it, and after trying different things, over time you develop a process. You develop a series a steps that you follow every time you paint.

Process for painting watercolor seascapes

Here is a summary of my process. Keep reading for links to more in depth resources.

Mix seascape colors – I mix blues, greens, and browns from ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, and cadmium red.
Mark the horizon line. I use painter’s tape to achieve a straight horizon line.
Paint the ocean water closest to the horizon darker and bluer.
Paint the water in the cresting wave lighter and greener.
Paint the shallow water near shore brown.
Paint the sand. The sand is darkest closer to the ocean where it is wetter.
Paint the crashing waves with white gouache.
Paint the foam with white gouache and a flat brush. Horizontal lines help this area appear flat.
Add shadows to the breaking wave.
Paint the sky as a blue fade that is lighter closest to horizon.

Easy Watercolor Seascape online video lesson for beginners — My video lesson shows you the complete process for painting seascapes. **Learn more here.**

Learn more about painting watercolor seascapes:

I share my step by step process for painting watercolor seascapes in the following tutorials. Choose the format that works best for you:

Printable tutorial – step by step with photos of each stage of the process
Video lesson – 34 minute video lesson
Live Zoom lessons – coming soon! Check here for updates.

For a steady stream of watercolor tips and tricks…

Read “Tips on Painting Waves in Watercolor”

Ready to get started in Watercolor?

The Beg inner Watercolor Exploration Guide is for you! And it includes the Watercolor Seascape Painting Tutorial!

Learn the fundamentals.
Practice with exercises & projects.
Discover a love of watercolor!

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Process for Painting the Beach in Watercolor

Beach Heart

February 13, 2017 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Beach Heart painting Painting this beach heart was as peaceful and relaxing as sitting on the beach itself. Before I sat down to paint I was looking through my work for something to post on Valentine’s Day. I usually don’t post things from my archives – not that there is anything wrong with that. It just sometimes feels disjointed from what I’ve been working on.

With Valentine’s Day and hearts on my mind, I sat down to paint and thought of a beach scene in the shape of a heart. I think practicing, and working out a process for painting the beach, was a great help in painting the heart from start to finish in one sitting. Ah the sense of accomplishment!

Have a happy Valentine’s Day!

Adding beach bodies to my paintings

February 9, 2017 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Painting figures on the beach I’m proud of the progress I’ve made since starting to paint the beach on January 1st. I feel as if I’m finally capturing the movement of the waves. But something has been missing. Around here on a beautiful summer day the beaches are packed with people. Sometimes we struggle to find a good spot down by the water.

So, I’ve been collecting my photos that include people and trying to incorporate them into my paintings. Last night I did some loose brush sketches. Painting figures in my sketchbook

Today, I worked on refining the water in a painting where I had penciled in several people. Then I erased the pencil lines and using a watercolor pencil drew in the figures so I knew where to add paint. Figures don’t come easy to me and I have to work at a figure to get it right. Watercolor pencils are great because it’s easy to “erase” your lines by wetting them. You can mix the lines into the other colors or absorb them onto your brush.

I’m hoping if I focus on beach bodies for a while, I’ll see progress, like I’ve seen with my waves.

Here’s my favorite wave painting so far. Painting waves in watercolor

Have your read these posts yet?

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Painting within a theme for 31 days

February 1, 2017February 1, 2017 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Painting the beach my 31 day project This month I worked almost daily painting the beach. It’s a place that is very close to my heart. I grew up just a few blocks away from it. My mom referred to it as our backyard. I played there, I worked there, and eventually brought my own kids there.

That's me on the left, age 3 or 4 — *That’s me on the left, age 3 or 4.*

I learned a lot this month. I’ve tried different techniques to capture the foam of the ocean – leave the white of the paper, use a white gel pen, use lots of white gouache. I’ve used different blues in my ocean mixture. I painted landscapes, as well as people close up. But, I feel it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more for me to learn and explore within this theme. So, not surprisingly, I’m continuing with my beach painting project. It probably would have been better to declare this a 100 day project from the start. Although that would have been a bit intimidating.

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