Here is this week's original watercolor, "Take Me to the Beach." At first glance this painting might look "simpler" than last week's. Follow the progression below and I think you will soon agree this piece actually required additional steps and techniques to get to the finish line!
"Take Me to the Beach"
Original Watercolor
7" x 5"
Arches 140 lb. Cold Pressed Paper
Step 1. Sketch and mask to protect foreground whites. I masked the 3 cresting waves, tall foregound grasses, a few scattered grasses in the mounds and the fence posts.
Step 2. Paint the sky using a wet-into-wet wash method (wet paper first, then apply paint). I used dilute puddles of blue (Cobalt and Peacock), red (Permanent Red), and yellow (New Gamboge). I created the clouds by gently blotting paint away with a paper towel (just as the shine begins to leave the paper).
Step 3. Paint the water. I used the wet-into-wet method again and applied Green Gold first at the edge of the beach. Then I continued painting toward the horizon line using Peacock and Cobalt, strengthing the value as I reached the horizon. Here I also added soft violet in the cloud forms to give them a bit more dimension.
Step 4. Paint the sand. This is not an intuitive color. I used very dilute puddles of yellow and red (orange) and added a bit of blue (Cobalt) and Burnt Sienna. I concentrated on keeping the center pathway area brighter (more yellow) so this would lead the viewer into the painting.
Step 5. I used a toothbrush to spatter a bit of paint on the sand (covering the top portion of my painting with a paper towel first). This gives the sand some texture. I limited the spattering in the center, again, to emphasize the light there.
Step 6. Remove all the masking fluid. Soften the hard edges of the cresting waves by scrubbing with a damp stiff brush and blotting. Softly paint the birds in light violet. Paint the fence posts and add the wire detail. Paint the tall sea grasses. Use a fan brush to paint the grass mounds. I used Green Gold first and then added darker greens for grasses on top.
Thank you once again for this opportunity to share my weekly work with you. I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Like what you see? Make it yours! Here is the eBay listing:
"Take Me to the Beach"
Blessings,
Jean