Painting Waves Made Easy! 3 Simple Steps

Feb 18, 2026
In this video, I take you through my full process for painting a breaking wave using just two brushes, three main colours, and three clear stages. It’s a simple, structured approach that lets you build energy, movement, and atmosphere without overcomplicating things.

I begin by marking in the horizon and establishing the basic block colours, mixing cobalt blue, light red, and a touch of yellow ochre to create a deep, workable grey. Waves are made up of many colours, but what really matters is understanding how they pick up sand, reflect the sky, and roll that colour through the water. From there, I start shaping the wave, indicating where it has already broken, where it’s lifting, and where foam and splash will naturally occur.

Once the foundation is down, I move into shaping and energising the wave, using light blues from the sky, greens to describe the form of the wave, and whites to suggest foam and lift. Most of this is done with a fan brush, which I find to be the most versatile brush I’ve used in over 40 years of painting. By changing the angle and pressure, it can create edges, broad strokes, circles, and soft transitions.

As the painting develops, contrast becomes key. When I really need to get the message across, I don’t hesitate to go very light against very dark. At that point, I introduce the knife, loading it with paint and confidently laying it onto the canvas to create strong highlights and decisive marks. Don’t be afraid of the knife — be bold, lay it on, step back, and see what it does.

In the final stage, I fill in the wet sand and foreground, showing how the sky reflects in the thin film of water on the beach. Small rivulets and runs of water are important here — they explain what’s happening in front of the wave and help the whole scene feel believable. I finish by deepening a few blues, adding subtle effects, and tying the sky back into the painting so everything feels connected.

I finish the entire painting using just a fan brush, a liner brush, three colours, and titanium white. Simple tools, clear stages, and confident marks — that’s all you need.

Three steps.
Two brushes.
Three colours.
Learn to paint ocean waves in three simple steps with Robert Hagan Art. This tutorial uses only two brushes and explores techniques for capturing the movement and color of crashing waves. Observe how a palette knife adds texture and depth.
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