A few years ago, inspired by the swimmers during warm ups at a swim meet, I created the watercolor painting below. I loved the perspective of the painting, but always wanted to create another version with richer more saturated colors. And I did – see my steps below. You can order the new Swimmers print on canvas, paper, acrylic, and more on Zazzle – just click here!

As I started, I taped off the edges with thick painter’s tape, to create a white border. First I painting the swimmers, so I could add blue (water) over parts of them, so those parts looked like they were underwater.

When the swimmers were completely dry I painted the blue pool water. I marked where the swimming lanes would be and tried to keep the blue in these areas lighter.

I painted the swimming lines next using a flat brush and red watercolor paint and white gouache.

I added more blue to darken the water in spots and added white gouache around the swimmers for splash.

I love how it came out. The richer colors make such a difference. Makes me want to dive right in! The perfect painting for the swimmer in your life and you can now order the new Swimmers print on canvas, paper, acrylic, and more on Zazzle – just click here to visit my Zazzle shop!

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