How to paint a seascape: EPISODE TWO | How to paint waves and water

Hey guys, welcome to another episode of The Great Art Adventure. This week we're going to talk all about seascapes and follow along with a recent project I had in the studio which was actually one of my biggest seascape paintings to date. Hopefully in this episode you'll come away with a few new techniques, perhaps a trick or two. Enjoy. Seascapes are one of my favorite subjects for painting. It's where the irresistible force and the immovable object meet. The relationship between rock and water is intriguing. It's little wonder artists have been inspired by this relationship throughout the ages. In this episode I'll be painting a scene inspired by the Western Australian coast. I find the raw and rugged granite forms of Yallingup inspiring. On a rough winter's day with heavy seas this scene can be incredibly dramatic. For years I've thought about this particular scene and how I might be able to capture it on canvas. Although I'm anxious about starting a painting this big, I do feel ready to give it a go. There are so many things to consider when attempting a project of this magnitude. We're going to need to know the road ahead and begin with the end in mind and to do that we're going to need a plan. I believe in painting with hindsight. With a good plan I can anticipate where most of the stumbling blocks are and avoid them. The process begins in the sketchbook. I start simple and with a thumbnail sketch I map in the zones of the painting. In this stage of compositional planning detail is to be avoided. I'm only interested in my major tones and shapes. Over many small drawings the image is refined. I never get it right on the first go so repetition is key. Each time I draw a thumbnail I identify changes to be made before moving on. I'm eager to start painting but there's still more design work to be done. After I finish my sixth thumbnail I create a detailed drawing incorporating the details I wish to see in the painting. I love using the computer as a drawing tool. It allows me to generate a solid design quickly. Digitally the design evolves at a rapid pace from this to this. I'm working on a 48 by 72 inch Belgian linen stretcher that has been pre-primed with a burnt sienna ground. As my drawing is to scale with this canvas it can be transferred accurately via a grid. With burnt umber on a bristle brush I sketch the scene in square by square. We must get the scale of the drawing to correspond to the scale of the canvas otherwise our image will be distorted. I rub back the drawing so the accumulation of paint does not bleed into the next layer. Now I can finally get started on this painting. With a broad bristle brush I block in my first zone of color, the sky. Generally I start with what is furthest away and work my way forward. I do this for two main reasons. Number one, color coordination. I can keep control of my palette and coordinate my colors better by keeping my combinations simple. As the scene moves forward saturation is increased and this allows for number two, depth. A visual illusion of three-dimensional space can be created by working from the most distant zone forward increasing not only the saturation but the tonal range as well. For my medium I'm using Langridge Oleo Gel. This is thixotropic meaning the more you work it the thinner it becomes. Its thickness might deceive some painters thinking that this volume is going to allow for impasto texture. However this is designed to improve the thinning out and flow of the paint perfect for this stage of our painting. My rock shadows are blocked in as this is the next zone in the sequence. This is a combination of dark earth tones and ultramarine blue. For more information on the colors that I use in this demonstration please visit www.andrewtichler.com and subscribe to the Great Art Adventure bonus newsletter for free tips, tricks, and techniques. The rocky highlight area is a combination of yellow oxide, burnt sienna, burnt umber, and titanium white. Now the next zone in the progression is in need of some attention. The wave is blocked in without detail. At this stage I try to piece together a simple base for my painting for detail to be layered upon. The tube-like volume of the wave is established as the glow of light shines through. The colors here are purposefully subdued. I save the most saturated and brightest combinations for the end. With these wide bristle brushes a lot of ground can be covered quickly. Because I save my tonal best for last I'm able to have more range to play with towards the end of the process. These light areas appear to be white but they have been grayed out significantly. Rock shadows have become progressively darker as they approach the foreground. This adds to the sense of depth. Now my seascape is really taking shape. I'm fairly pleased with the result. I feel it is an adequate base for the next layer of paint in the modeling stage. Now let's take a look at a time lapse of this painting from where it started just as a sketch on canvas to where it is now. Again I block in the painting with zones starting with what is furthest away and working towards the foreground. As zones come forward the lights get lighter and the darks get darker allowing for me to achieve a sense of depth in this initial phase. The next phase in the process is modeling. I pick up a smaller brush and work a more refined combination of colors into the surface. The oleo gel has begun to dry in my block and layers and is still a little sticky as I brush the clouds in. I vary my colors adding to the richness and saturation of these combinations. As the rock is modeled I add another degree of tonal complexity increasing my highlights and my shadows striving for the appearance of a fractured granite surface. Now I'm ready to model the surface of the wave. I've been quite eager to commence this part of the project. I find waves fascinating. They have intrigued me as a subject for painting for many years. Every wave is different, no two are alike which is amazing when you consider they all abide by the same universal laws. Waves do many things visually within their life cycle. I try to include these many aspects within the same scene. From the curl to the break to an epic crash. Using a dagger or angled bristle brush I blend colors in my curl zone. Langridge Cobalt Teal plays a vital role here with the glow of the wave. I mix this in with plenty of Titanium White. The slight green tinge is given by adding Yellow Oxide to this mix. Mixing colors can be incredibly tricky. The key is to keep it simple and mix in set areas. To achieve my warm highlights I use Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Red and a touch of Aerolite Lemon. This creates an orange that mixes with the white for a warm highlight. Cobalt Teal, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue and Phthalo Green form the base for my shadows. I can get plenty of variation in these combinations and I make sure I preserve an area for each of these mixes. I paint brighter marks adjacent to the breaking wave, still preserving my highlights. Notice how the next layer is brighter. There's still much more we can do tonally. The white water just in front of the wave is not just a grey monotonous mass. I try to have some variation in this zone. I drop the tone in places using Ultramarine and Burnt Umber, then I increase it with white. This variation in the surface helps me define the shape of the white water zone. Not only do I need white water but also the windows of Bottle Green between. Phthalo Green is introduced here sparingly and blended with the white water to create an energetic effect. The wave is progressing and the techniques we've discussed have helped this breaker take shape. Just a touch more modelling on top of the wave helps me tie the zones together. Tendrils of white water define the surface of our wave and the trough in front. It has a physical form and a body to it. Impasto texture is perfect for this area, so I use plenty of Impasto Medium to give these marks more thickness. Rocks exposed in the white water zone are in need of some attention. I love the look of tendrils of foam falling from the surface. It adds an energy that increases the interest in the foreground. These rocks are catching the last sun of the day. Highlights are a combination of Titanium White, Yellow Oxide and Burnt Sienna. The shadows are reintroduced and I have an opportunity here to increase the interest of these forms by communicating texture with a broken surface. The trick is to vary the highlights and vary the shadows. The shape of my brush plays an important role in painting rocks. I vary my marks each time my brush touches the surface. Now I can work back into the previous layers. I begin to adjust my splash zone with varied tones. This area is supposed to be diffused and fragmented. The shadows are blended with Ultramarine, a touch of Umber and Quinacridone Magenta. Then, over a wet surface with a fan brush that has been trimmed to expose odd bristles, I add in marks of a slightly lighter tone. These take on the appearance of droplets catching the light. Moving to the splash in the midground, the tone of my shadow is even deeper. More Ultramarine and Umber is added to the mix. This splash shows more detail, bringing it forward in the picture. Fine highlights in the break zone are added. The top of the wave receives a brighter tone, bringing it forward and separating it from the background. My fan brush allows me to fragment the zone in front further. I would have to say that the lip of the wave curling back is the dominant focal point of the painting. I take care with my tones here. The brightest light I can manage is added to the top. This is almost pure Titanium White. It's time to intensify some areas. More Phthalo Green is added in conjunction with Cobalt Teal to achieve a glassy effect in the curling wave. The top of the crest is broken, with varied marks changing sporadically between highlight and shadow. There are many intricate details to be added to the painting. Now that our block-in and modelling has been done, this is the time to finesse the image. I think back to the initial inspiration of the scene and all of the delicate details that inspired me. Detail is a process that takes the most time. We must not rush it. This is what really sets the scene and allows our viewer to catch a glimpse of our inspiration. The last glints of light go onto the rocks, giving them a wet and shiny appearance. I scan the painting for any last marks I can add to make an improvement. A few more highlights and it's nearly there. The block-in stage forms the base for the modelling and detail phase to be layered over. You can see here how the image is refined in zones and is worked forward in these phases. This has been an epic project. Painting is an adventure for me. I believe that anyone who paints is on this adventure too. We'll always be striving for that perfect scene and for a way to better our understanding of the natural world through our art. Now that my painting is finished, I feel happy with the final result, but I know the search continues. I must explore this subject more with many more paintings in the studio. Well guys, that does it for another installment of The Great Art Adventure. I hope you've enjoyed this episode all about painting seascapes. As I'm sure you can imagine, it's really difficult to take all of these hours in the studio on a painting such as this and condense it down to 15 minutes. There's so much more that we have to talk about, so jump over to my website www.andrewtichler.com and subscribe to The Great Art Adventure bonus newsletter for additional tips, tricks, and techniques. I love to share this information with people, so hop over to the website and subscribe. We'll see you soon.