Down By the Sea: Draw and Paint with Watercolor, Acrylic, Pen & Ink
144
Down By the Sea: Draw and Paint with Watercolor, Acrylic, Pen & Ink
144Paperback
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781440301131 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 04/09/2019 |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Sales rank: | 297,141 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.20(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.40(d) |
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Painting the Seething Surf
AS THE OCEAN ROLLS INTO THE SHALLOWS, sending massive swells ashore, it creates an unending source of subject matter. In this explosive scene, the water roars and curls and kicks back into far-flung spray, while thick patches of foam hold fast to the bucking surf like a gathering of bull riders clinging to their raging mounts. It's the rare artist who can view the antics of the surf and not long to explore it with pencil, brush or pen. It doesn't matter what medium you choose, the spirit of the sea can be expressed quite well with all of them.
Watercolor is my choice when I wish to portray sunlit surf, with a myriad of highlights dancing on its surface, and breakers that are so transparent at their crest that you can almost see through them. Nothing beats watercolor and the white of the paper for lending brightness to a scene.
Gouache, being opaque, is a more forgiving type of watercolor. It has a heavier look and lends itself well to stormy, brooding seascapes. I find it most useful in adding final specks of highlight and bright color to my watercolor scenes.
Acrylic paint and crashing waves are a great creative combination. The artist can layer streamers of froth over the dark, turbulent water according to her creative whims. Spray can be ardently stroked, dotted or flicked into place as the mood strikes. Although acrylic seascapes lack the airy transparency of watercolor, they are great for capturing the power and energy of the surf.
Pen and ink lends itself well to relating the movement of the waves and the textures of sand, rock and water spray. The most dramatic light-against-dark contrasts can be achieved with pen and India ink. Penwork and watercolors make a nice combination.
In this chapter I will show you how to mix the colors of the cold-water oceans and seas. Then I'll show you how to use those colors to paint realistic waves in watercolor, using masking and glazing techniques.
The painting on the facing page, "Surging Sea," is an example of a watercolor seascape with finishing touches of gouache. You'll find step-by-step instructions for this painting and many others, including acrylic seascapes, within the pages of this chapter. Open your imagination. Smell the salty air, feel the sea-spray against your cheek and hear the roar of the pounding surf. Are you ready to capture the scene? Turn the page.
CHAPTER 2Sandy Beaches and Sweeping Shorelines
THE BEACH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE VACATION SPOTS. I love to feel sand between my toes, smell the tangy ocean air and hear the rhythmic roar of the surf. My brushes and pens can't capture the sound and smell of the seashore, but I can set down its color, texture and mood, and maybe hint a little at how the sand would feel if you took off your shoes and stepped into the scene.
Consider the stretch of sand in the watercolor painting on the facing page. The pale color tones are clear and warm, subtly reflecting the bright reds and oranges of the beach umbrella, towel and sand bucket. The shadows and wet sand areas are cool and inviting, echoing the sea green of the ocean in a muted manner. These earthy colors did not result from the haphazard stirring together of palette puddles, which usually produces muddy tones, but by simply combining two complementary colors (red-orange and blue-green). The gritty texture in the foreground was accomplished by flicking a loaded flat brush against the edge of a credit card to produce simple, controlled spatter.
As appealing as the sand and sea are, a good composition needs a focal point to pull the eye of the viewer into the painting. A distinctive shape or spot of color will do. It could be a clump of beach grass, a piece of drift wood, shorebirds or people. Beach figures can add more than vertical shapes and color to the scene; they can help tell the story. The people in the beach umbrella painting are wearing coats, although the day seems bright and sunny. That, and the fact that the scalloped edge of the umbrella is flapping, suggests that this is probably a northern beach, with a nippy breeze blowing.
Although human figures can add great interest to a painting, a fair number of artists exclude them because they have to resemble people, and since we all know what people should look like, there is an abundance of critics. However, if you move those figures into the background, facial features are obscured and details are banished. All you have to worry about is getting their little bodies somewhat in proportion. They can still provide interest and color. In this chapter I will show you how to turn stick figures into properly proportioned beachcombers. The idea will carry through to help you populate cityscapes, country landscapes and sports paintings as well.
CHAPTER 3Sea Bluffs and Rocky Coastlines
CONTRAST IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS in creating a good composition. The contrast of light against dark, bright against muted hues, and bold busy textures against smooth surfaces, define the forms in an art piece and add drama to the scene. A painting without contrast is about as interesting as a puddle of lukewarm ice cream.
Rock formations protruding out of the translucent waters of the sea and windswept bluff s rising from flat and misty shores, provide some of the best contrasts to be had in coastal scenes. When a mini mountain of stone rears out of the ocean like a marine hay stack, it's called a sea stack. Some sea stacks are far off shore, while others like the one on the facing page, are in the tidal zone. Consider for a moment the contrasts the sea stack brings to the painting.
First there is a contrast of shapes and lines. The rock formation, with its storm-battered trees, lends both a vertical form and a diagonal line to a scene that otherwise would be completely horizontal in design.
The contrast of color is obvious, with the blue of the sea as a backdrop to a complementary range of rusty oranges and peachy-buff hues. The natural orange tones were exaggerated to add pizzazz to the composition.
The deep shadows in the rocks and trees lend all the value contrast to the painting, while the rough stones and leafy shapes provide textural variety.
Now consider what the painting might look like if I had excluded the sea stack and concentrated on the water and sand spit alone. There would be lots of ocean, very little contrast and a great amount of blah!
This chapter explores the shapes, colors and textures of coastal bluff s, and the stone formations that are found in the tidal zone and off shore. With the dab of a brush or the scribble of a pen nib, I will show you how to add the texture of barnacles, mussels and seaweed to foreground rocks, and how to use layering and blotting techniques to produce dense foliage and wisps of fog. If you like to add man-made structures to your drawings and paintings, the last part of this chapter will take you step by step through the mysteries of drawing buildings in proper perspective and how to sketch a towering lighthouse that looks symmetrical.
CHAPTER 4Fun in the Sun — Children at the Seashore
HERE THEY COME, THE BEACH-LOVING CHILDREN, toting colorful pails, shovels and a variety of sand toys. Their faces are animated with excitement. Their feet, shod in sneakers or sandals, skip about, eager to be set free to bound over the warm sand and feel the cool kiss of the ocean. Childish shouts of joy and squeals of discovery blend into the roar of the surf, to complete the sounds of an afternoon at the seashore.
Soon holes will appear up and down the beach as shovels scoop up mounds of moist sand and small hands form them into castle walls. Games will begin and balls will fly over sunbathers, to be chased by laughing children and barking dogs. At the waterline, where the waves taunt the dry sand, toddlers hold tight to the hands of older family members and learn the thrill of jumping over foam edged ripples.
In the imagination of childhood, sand dollars become pirate treasure and sticks of drift wood become the swords with which to defend it. Can you see them having fun in your mind's eye? This chapter is about seeing the seashore through the eyes of a child and preserving it in the form of art.
Consider the little boy in the watercolor painting on the facing page. We can't see what he is pointing to, but we can guess from the shadows cast on the sand that he is seeing kites. From the excitement on his face, we know that he thinks they are wonderful. His thrill of discovery is contagious, making the viewer happy too. I smiled a lot as I painted the children, dogs and toys in this chapter. It brought back good memories. Painting children need not be any more intimidating than jumping those little ripples at the edge of the sea. It may look scary at first but it can be lots of fun. Come on! I'll hold your hand and show you how.
CHAPTER 5Harbors, Boats and Marinas
I REMEMBER HOW EXCITED I GOT AS A CHILD, when we launched our sturdy little wooden boat into the bay, and my sister, my parents and I climbed aboard. It spelled high adventure. All around us, bigger, fancier boats plowed across the swells, but our craft was strong and rode the waves like a dolphin. Sometimes we threw crab pots into the dark waters off shore and hauled aboard our limit of feisty Dungeness crabs. At other times, when the weather was mild and the bar was calm, we took our boat to sea. It was a little scary riding up and down the big ocean swells, but that was part of the thrill. The other part of the adventure was hooking and landing a salmon that was almost as big as my little kid self. They were huge and plentiful in those days.
Old wooden boats still hold a fascination for me. They must appeal to others, too, for they pop up time and again in photos and paintings. Not only are their shapes and colors interesting, but they remind us of the nostalgic past and countless waterborne adventures.
The painting of the three fishing boats on the facing page was done in England. The tide was out, leaving the vessels resting on their keels. I loved their primary colors, slightly faded by the sun, and the way the blue boat tilted towards the other two, as if straining to hear a whispered conversation. The earthy colors of the beach and the textures of the rocks, seaweed and water ripples provided a nice contrasting background to set the boats against. Parts of the composition were provided for me by the actual scene. In other areas of the painting I added, moved around or deleted items to provide a better balance of lines, shapes, colors, lights and darks. The emphasis of this chapter is to help you draw and paint simple boats and to learn how to turn a busy, complicated harbor scene into a well-composed painting.
Creating a Good Composition
Once you have found the scene you want to paint, take a few minutes to study the possibilities. Which view would make the best composition? Making thumb nail sketches or taking dome digital reference photos may help you decide. Here is a list of things to consider when planning a composition.
1. Choose a focal point for your composition and zero in on it. All the other elements in the scene should support this center of interest, helping to either define it or contribute to the overall balance of the composition. Watch out for elements that strongly detract or compete with the focal point.
2. Look for a variety of interesting shapes and lines. Use an assortment of horizontal, vertical, diagonal and rounded, centered shapes in your composition. Designs that have numerous forms and lines all moving in the same direction will pull the eye of the viewer right out of the picture.
3. Make sure your scene has a good value contrast (strong highlights and shadows). If the main subject or focal point is contrasted against a light or dark background, it will emphasize its importance.
4. Create color balance. Plan out a color scheme and limit your palette to just a few dominant hues, which harmonize or complement each other. Make sure you repeat bright, eye-catching colors or variants of those hues in several other locations.
5. Textures can add interest to a composition. Does your scene have any areas where the texture can be emphasized, such as grass, sand, old wood, shingles or choppy waves?
6. Remove the junk! Delete any items that don't contribute to the balance, mood or message of the composition.
7. Use your artistic license to make improvements to the composition. Add, change or relocate shapes, colors, textures, etc., to make up for weak areas in the original scene. However, when introducing new items into the picture, make sure that the lighting and perspective of the new addition is compatible with the rest of the composition.
CHAPTER 6Stillwater Marshes and Deepwater Bays
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE STANDING NEAR THE SEA to get the feel of the ocean in your waterscapes. Inland a ways, where the tides bring the tang of salt water into the rivers, bays and estuary marshes, you can find lots of interesting subjects to paint. These scenes are related closely to the seascape, but exhibit a uniqueness all their own. When the tide goes out, gravel beaches are revealed and mudflats are uncovered. These areas are rich in color and texture. As you can see in the river painting on the facing page, seaweed and algae can be as bright as the evergreen trees clinging to the cliff s; and the rocky shores, strewn with bits of shell and drift wood, make a wonderful foreground. When the tide comes in, the bays take on a lake-like appearance, and the marshes show little trace of their salty heritage. So if you just want to learn how to paint your favorite lake or body of still water, even as far inland as the Great Plains, this chapter will be helpful.
Mood is an important element within a composition and I will show you how to use color and design to enhance the "happiness" and serenity of a waterscape, or how to bring your viewers the feeling of awesome respect when viewing a turbulent bay scene.
Waterfowl can be found in abundance in the estuaries. In addition to the typical gulls, you can see a variety of ducks, cranes and herons. The Great Blue Heron, standing tall and statuesque at the edge of the bay or wading in a pond, presents a vertical center of interest that is hard to resist. The ripple patterns cast across quiet waters by a pair of swimming ducks is equally enticing. Ocean mammals also frolic in these briny waterways. How about choosing a seal or sea lion as the main attraction in your composition? They like to frolic in the bays, and sea lions swim up-river many a mile to hunt and sun bathe on house docks. Within the next few pages you will find examples of these various animals, along with demonstrations on how to draw and paint them.
CHAPTER 7A Tropical Paradise
IF YOU TOOK THE SOFT BLUE-GREEN OF A ROBIN'S EGG, the gemstone colors of turquoise, chrysoprase, and aquamarine, and the shimmering teal-green eye of a peacock's tail feather, you would have the colors of tropical waves washing ashore over coral white sands. My Navy husband was stationed at Pearl Harbor for several years. The first time I saw the Hawaiian sea, I remember how surprisingly beautiful the colors were. I had to stick my toes in just to assure myself that the water was real. That's when I got my second surprise; the water was as warm as a baby's bath. I fell in love with the tropics then and there, and couldn't wait to unpack my paints and brushes. On the following page I will show you how to mix the colors of tropical waters, using tube paints which you may already have and a few that would be fun to invest in.
Sunshine is the key to making a beach scene bright, warm and inviting. It not only affects the color of the sea, but the landscape as well. To suggest the land portion of my tropical beach scenes, I choose colors from the warm side of the palette, those that contrast with the blue-greens of the sea. Even the deep green of the palm fronds have touches of Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Orange to brighten them. Adding sunbathers or flowers is another way to put patches of vivid color where needed for balance. Even the sand need not be bland: cream-colored sands look tantalizing when accented against violet-toned shadows. While I'm at it, I make sure that the shadows are dark. Nothing says sunshine like a strong contrast between highlights and shadows. If I need more dark shapes, I may add ironwood trees, shrubs or lava rock outcroppings.
On the facing page are a few watercolor scenes reminiscent of old-fashioned picture postcards — the kind of enticing greetings sent by friends, with the message "Wish you were here!" printed in big letters on the back. In this chapter I'm returning to the tropical beaches, complete with palm trees, coral sand, turquoise surf and sunbathers. You're invited to come along and paint with me, so grab your sun hat, your beach chair and your palette of bright hues and let's paint tropical!
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Down by the Sea"
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Copyright © 2018 Claudia Nice.
Excerpted by permission of F+W Media, Inc..
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Table of Contents
Introduction: "High Tide" 7
A Treasure Chest of Tools and Techniques 8
Chapter 1 Painting the Seething Surf 16
Chapter 2 Sandy Beaches and Sweeping Shorelines 34
Chapter 3 Sea Bluffs and Rocky Coastlines 54
Chapter 4 Fun in the Sun-Children at the Seashore 72
Chapter 5 Harbors, Boats and Marinas 92
Chapter 6 Stillwater Marshes and Deepwater Bays 108
Chapter 7 A Tropical Paradise 126
Resources 142
Index 143