Boy! I’m trying my hand at seascapes and they sure are hard! To get the wave to show movement and to be able to show the sea is moving is very hard to do! For me anyway. 😣 To get that foam and froth just right and to get the correct wave colour is another headache, let alone adding rocks, people and seagulls into the mix.
You also have reflections to worry about, surf curling over and shadows in the large waves as it crashes down. Darks and lights too! And this is not in consideration of whether you will put sun reflections in or not. I have a lot to learn, that’s why I’m plugging along. To get practice. Practice! Practice! Practice! (Now should I use practice or practise?). I am also doing an paid online course to see if I can glean any information, hints and tips.
I will go back to a limited palette and see if that helps! I’ve been using a host of gorgeous colours that I have (my favourite being turquoise and aqua). I am painting on MDF board so I’m wondering how much that is affecting my ability as well, as I usually paint on canvas (where the paint sinks into the material), whereas wooden panels, the paint just sits on the top. I’m also having to wait a couple of days in between layers so it’s not so hard to paint wet into wet. With oil paints it takes ages to dry. This is my preferred medium but I might try a seascape of Lorne that I received from my art course (which has a great headland in it too,) and paint that in acrylic to see if I like that better on boards or not.
Anyway, stay tuned for the next round……….
Cheers for now,
Margie Langtip
La Jolla Beach, California, 9×12″ oil on board
Bay of Fires, Tasmania, oil on board, 12×9″