How to Paint Calm Ocean Water In Gouache.

I recently went out to the beach to do a study of the ocean water, and I came up with a method to paint it in a way that I believe will give you reliable results. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Step 1

First thing you should do is put down dark washes that are the color of the planes of the waves facing you.

Step 2

Next you can put the color of the planes of the water facing the sky. In this case it’s a deep mid-tone blue.

Step 3

The underpainting colors weren’t dark and rich enough, so I decided to repaint them darker and thicker.

Step 4

The next step is to add the lighter planes of the water that face the sky to add more dimension to the waves.

Step 5

Next, add the color and shapes of the churning surf. Be careful not to make them too light or too white. They were sort of a greyish-yellow.

Step 6

Final step: Add the small highlights, which are going to be the lightest parts of the painting.

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Hope that helps you in your next seascape adventure!