Watercolour Seascape: Lesson 1

Washes

1) Lay paper flat in landscape orientation (longer sides top and bottom). Put in horizon line with masking tape. Watch tape doesn’t take the paper up when removing. Place tape a third down from top. Dividing the page into thirds makes a good composition.

 

2) Place a small bit of ultramarine on palette. Use a big soft brush. To make a wash add lots of water so it becomes just coloured water. If you get streaks use a little clean water to blend it.

3) Wet top third (background) with clean water, work from tape up using large clean soft brush.

Paint ultramarine wash over wet area, work from tape up. Brush strokes in one direction across the page. Don’t worry if colour is faint, you can always give it another coat. Move paper to roll paint around.

 

4) Peel off tape and turn paper 90 degrees and repeat steps 2 and 3. Don’t worry if the 2nd wash overlaps. Use cerulean wash to lower two thirds and violet around the horizon line (violet will give the picture depth) Leave to dry.

5) Turn picture upside down so the bottom is at the top, paint thin burnt umber wash down towards horizon and leave some areas not covered. Repeat 5) using thicker paint darkest round the edges covering most of the lower third, the foreground. 

6) Select a smaller flat brush, turn picture the right way up.Use burnt umber wash to put in distant bay near or along the horizon line and add texture to the foreground. Over lay washes to get darker areas. Lines going across the page will help the landscape sructure.  Make use of the flat of the brush when painting lines.

7) Use sap green to add grass to foreground and background. Use Vermillion over the green to give darker areas. Use opposite colours overlaid to tone down colours.

8) Add lemon yellow flowers in foreground and try putting in detail in other colours. Reds and yellows in foreground, blue and purple in background, blue and green in the middle. Try making different types of mark with a piece of credit card, sponge tissue etc.

9) white clouds and the wave crests can either be put in in white after( you may need acrylic titanian white) or use masking fluid at stage 1)