Seascape artists learn paint water, waves, sky, and light.
Ocean scenes make a wonderful subject for a painter. Artists use a variety of media, including acrylics, oils and watercolors, to represent the beauty of the ocean. With practice, you can learn paint water, waves and sky skillfully.
Instructions
1. Draw a line with a pencil across the canvas where you want the horizon to be. Place a strip of masking tape along the bottom of the line, across the width of the canvas.
2. Mix the colors for your sky. For a blue sky, mix ultramarine blue, thalo blue and white. Thin with a small amount of water and gloss medium. Brush the paint all over the sky area with a large brush. Add a little more white to the paint and brush the lighter tone across the bottom of the horizon, about 1 inch high. Blend the paint with a wet rag, moving from right to left.
3. Allow the sky area to dry. Remove the tape. Place a fresh piece of tape across the canvas with the top edge along the bottom of the sky.
4. Mix ultramarine blue with a small amount of thalo blue and green for the sea. Set aside some of the paint and add a small amount of white to it for a lighter tone. Brush the darker color onto the canvas, leaving a couple of inches below the horizon uncovered. Paint with the lighter tone under the horizon line. Blend the paint with a wet rag, from side to side.
5. Mix white with a small amount of ultramarine blue. Apply some horizontal dabs with a small brush to suggest waves. Add small specks of pure white to the waves to suggest froth and bubbles. Remove the tape from the horizon line.
