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How to Paint a Dramatic Seascape in 5

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November 20, 2017 / Samuel Earp List
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I love to paint the sea, in fact it's one of my favourite things to paint! In this blog
post I will show you how to paint this dramatic seascape in ve easy stages.

1. CREATING THE COMPOSITION

Prints and Merch
This painting began with me taking photos from a place called Port Soif on the Available From my
island of Guernsey, UK. The sea was rough and there was lots of light and
atmosphere. RedBubble Store

Port Soif is a great place for getting photo reference for seascapes, especially in the
evening as the light is behinf the waves which means you get contrast between the
shadows of the breaking waves but sharp highlights in the wave crests and white
water. These are all ingredients for epic seascape paintings!

These are two of the photos I used to create this painting, feel free to copy or use
them.

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So we have a few ingredients here to create a dramatic seascape, the rst is some
large waves and heavy swells. We have light shining on the rocks and the back of the
waves. Seascapes look very dramatic and are easier to paint when the light is
coming from behind and to the side of our subject.

We have some jagged rocks, which always adds more drama to a seascape especially
when there are spills and water hitting the rocks causing foam bursts. And nally
we have shadows, this helps to add more drama to our painting by adding contrast
between light and dark and it helps to make the painting look more three
dimensional.

Sketching

After I get my photo reference I sit down with my sketch book and draw some small
thumbnails sketches which results in a nal sketch which I refer to when painting
my seascape. I would thoroughly recommend you do some sketches before you get
in to a painting, it'll make it so much easier.

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The composition I have created for this seascape is an 'S' composition, where the
breaking wave is the focal point and the direction of the rocks in the foreground
leads the eye towards the wave. The direction of the clouds then leads the eye across
to the right to form an 'S' shape before leading the eye back down towards the rocks
on the right. 

The other rocks in the foreground also point in the direction of the breaking wave.

Colour Palette
4 Landscapes - Video Bundle
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4 Painting Tutorial Videos

1. Mountain Stream - Running Time: 65

minutes

2. Rees Valley - Running Time: 53 minutes

3. Rural Landscape - Running Time: 62

minutes

4. Matukituki Valley - Running Time: 74

minutes

I use Langridge Handmade Oils and I'm using the following colours in the painting:

Titanium white

Yellow oxide

Burnt Sienna

Burnt Umber
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Cadmium red light

Quinacridone magenta

Ultramarine blue

Cobalt blue

Cobalt teal

Pthalo green

2. BLOCKING IN THE PAINTING

4 Seascapes - Video Bundle

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4 Painting Tutorial Videos

1. Houghton Bay - Running Time: 57 minutes

2. Rocky Shore Seascape - Running Time: 60

minutes (approx)

3. Taupo Bay - Running Time: 60 minutes

(approx)

4. Piha Beach Seascape - Running Time: 62

minutes

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I begin my painting by sketching out the scene with titanium white mixed with
quinacridone magenta and liquin which is a medium that thins the paint and speeds
up the drying.

You'll notice I am not painting on a white canvas, instead I previously applied a

layer of burnt sienna which gives vibrancy to the painting as it comes through the
paint layers.

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Painting Tutorial Video - Matukituki Valley

Running Time: 79 minutes

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I always begin by painting the sky as this is the furthest away, I mix the colours in
the sky with cobalt blue, cobalt teal, a little ultramarine blue and titanium white.

For the clouds I paint the highlights with pure titanium white, knowing that the
shadow colours will mix in and that I'll be returning to it later on in the painting.

For the cloud shadows I mix ultramarine blue with burnt umber which knocks out
the saturation of the blue. I then add a little quinacridone magenta to tip the
mixture on the violet side and then add titanium white to lighten the tone.

I paint the horizon of the sea taking care to desaturate my blue mix so it doesn't
come forward in the painting. 

Whenever you paint a seascape or indeed a landscape go for either a high horizon or
a low horizon, never in the middle of the painting as it is distracting to the
composition.

Video Download - Matukituki Valley

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Painting Tutorial Video - Matukituki Valley

Running Time: 74 minutes

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I use pure titanium white to roughly mark the areas where the highlights of the
waves and white water will go, again I am not worried it's come straight from the
tube as it'll soon mix with the other shadow colours I an going to use.

I paint the translucency of the wave by mixing cobalt teal, pthalo green and
titanium white. As I paint the main body of the wave I start introducing cobalt blue
and ultramarine blue. I also use the colours to roughly mark out the shadows in the
foreground white water.

Video Download - Rocky Shore

Seascape
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Painting Tutorial Video - Rocky Shore Seascape

Running Time: 60 minutes (approx)

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I paint the shadows of the breaking waves by mixing ultramarine, cobalt blue and
titanium white.

I use my trio of blues for the sea at the bottom of the painting and I also add a little
quinacridone magenta and pthalo green to darken the tone.

I block in the shadows of the rocks by mixing burnt umber with ultramarine blue
which creates a near black.

Video Download - Mountain Stream

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Painting Tutorial Video - Mountain Stream

Running Time: 65 minutes

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To complete the blocking in stage I paint the areas of the rocks that are in light
using a combination of burnt umber, burnt sienna, yellow oxide and titanium white.
I form the basic shapes with an ivory dagger brush.

With the blocking in stage complete I allow the painting to dry before beginning the
next stage of the painting.

3. BUILDING UP THE DETAIL

Video Download - Trees and Rolling
Hills
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Painting Tutorial Video - Trees and Rolling Hills

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours

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So now that the painting is dry I start adding detail ton the sky and clouds and
re ning their shapes. Many areas need repainting and I use the colours in the sky
that I used in the blocking in process.

I add more highlight into the clouds with titanium white but still dropping the tone
a little by mixing in a tiny amount of ultramarine blue, burnt umber and
quinacridone magenta. Using a at bristle brush I add wispy bits to the cloud edges
to make it look like turbulent cloud you get in bad weather.

Using a at bristle brush I begin working on the areas of light on the wave crest, Video Download - Taupo Bay
foam burst and white water. I am not using pure titanium white as I need to keep $15.95
the tone darker so I can paint highlights and sparkles at the end, so I add a little
Price is displayed in US dollars
ultramarine blue, burnt umber and quinacridone magenta into the mix.

Painting Tutorial Video - Taupo Bay

Running Time: 60 minutes (approx)

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I start to add highlights to the rocks by mixing burnt umber and titanium white to
the mix. I ultimately want to give the illusion of wet rocks.

I de ne the shapes of the rocks in the foreground on the left side in preparation for
adding more details when they are dry. I felt these rocks need to occupy more space
Video Download - River Valley
in the composition so I made them bigger.
$17.95

I introduce foam patterns in the breaking waves by mixing ultramarine blue, Price is displayed in US dollars
quinacridone magenta and titanium white. This is also the same colours I am using
for the foamy water in the breaking wave. Painting Tutorial Video - River Valley

  Running Time: 70 minutes

4. REFINING THE PAINTING

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Video Download - Piha Beach Seascape

At this stage of the painting I am re ning the highlights in the white water in the $15.95
foreground taking care not to make it completely white as I still need to keep it
tonally a little darker so that when I add the highlights at the end with pure ADD TO CART
titanium white it will really pop.

Using a dagger brush I paint the shadows in the white water using the same colours
I used in the shadow areas of the foam in the breaking wave. Master Color With Artist
I paint the glistening water in the rocks on the right of the painting using titanium
Richard Robinson
white with a tiny amount of burnt umber mixed with it. Check out the range of painting tutorial videos
available with artist Richard Robinson, including
Using an old fan brush where I had removed some of the bristles with some scissors his ‘Mastering Color’ painting tutorials.
I paint water droplets in the foam burst on the right side of the painting.

Next, I focus on painting the re ect light on top of the rocks but also in a manner
that gives the illusions that the rocks are wet. To do this I mix cobalt teal with
quinacridone magenta and titanium white which creates a really nice violet hue, I Mastering Color Includes:
round of the mixture with cobalt blue and desaturate the mix a little by mixing in
some burnt umber. 2 Hours of expert tuition
40 Breakthrough color exercises
Using a dagger brush I mix ultramarine blue with burnt umber and de ne the shape 159 Pages of printable lesson notes
of the rocks in the foreground in preparation for adding the areas in light. I make The Ultimate Artist’s Color Tool is included in the
marks to indicate cracks in the rocks. download notes ready for printing and
construction.
 
This course will literally give you power over color
– the power to be more free, more con dent, and
more creative. Enjoy!
5. FINAL DETAILS

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To complete this painting I add sparkles and highlights to the white water and foam @samuel_earp_artist
bursts in the sea by using pure titanium white straight from the tube. As this is my
lightest tone in the whole painting, it pops when juxtaposed against anything
behind that is darker.

I focus my attention on adding the nal details to the rocks in the foreground,
painting the re ected light in the shadow areas using the same colours I used in my
other rocks to create the illusion of wet rocks.

Using burnt umber mixed with titanium white and a little yellow oxide I paint the
areas of the rocks that are in full sunlight and then add pure titanium to give the
illusion of glistening wet rocks.

I give the illusion of a little heat in the shadow areas of the rocks by mixing burnt
umber, quinacridone magenta and a little cadmium red light.

I complete the painting by adding spills on the rocks, something which always adds
more drama to a seascape.

YOUTUBE VIDEO

Check out the painting video that accompanies this blog.

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How to Paint a Rural

How to Paint a Mountain
Landscape - Tips for
Painting Water and
Distant Mountains
In this painting tutorial I’m going to
show you how to paint a landscape
with a sparkling mountain stream
as depicted in the painting above.
This painting was inspired by the
rugged landscape in southern New
Zealand.
I painted this art work in oils but
you could also use acrylics instead.
Apr 9, 2021
Landscape
In this painting tutorial I show you
how to paint a landscape as featured
in the image above. This painting is
inspired by a rural area in southern
New Zealand. This painting features
a rural landscape at the end of
summer where the elds and hills
are dry, the grass is yellow and the
trees are casting shadows in the soft
evening light. All good ingredients
for a landscape painting.
Mar 9, 2021

How to Paint a Sunset

How to Paint Ocean
Waves and Cliffs
In this blog post I will show you
how to paint ocean waves and cli s
in this painting inspired by a place
called Houghton Bay, New Zealand.
Jan 4, 2021
Seascape
In this blog post I will show you how
to paint this seascape that features a
bright sunset. I will also show you
how to paint the bright sun in a way
that it looks like it’s popping o the
canvas.
This painting is inspired by a place
called Port Soif on the island of
Guernsey which is located in the
English Channel.
Feb 6, 2021

How to Create
Atmospheric Perspective
in a Landscape Painting How to Paint Trees and
In this blog post I am going to show Leaves
you how you can create
In this blog post I will show you how
atmospheric perspective in a
to paint a poplar tree with particular
landscape painting as I show you
focus on the trunk and leaves. This
how to paint this mountain valley
painting started o as a plein air
scene.
painting (painting outdoors) and
then I added more details in the
studio.
What is
Trees are a great subject to paint
Atmospheric and they can be very impactful
when they are the main subject of a
Perspective? landscape painting.

Nov 25, 2020

Simply put, using atmospheric
perspective is a way of creating the
illusion of distance and depth in a
landscape painting, for example
making distant hills and mountains
look like they are far away. This can
be achieved by understanding the
values in the landscape, how light
and dark a subject is and the colour
saturation. Many colours especially
greens and yellows lose their
intensity intensity the further into
the distance they are.

I will explain more as we get into

How to Paint Autumn
the painting demonstration part of
this blog post. Colours - Tips For
Painting Trees and
Dec 5, 2020
Leaves
In this blog post I will show you how
to paint this autumn scene that
features willow and poplars trees
and I will explain how to mix those
autumn / fall colours.

Autumn is a wonderful time of year

especially if you are a landscape
artist, but autumn colours can be a
challenge to paint. I hope in this
blog post I can give you some ‘go to’
colour combinations for mixing
autumn colours so you can
con dently paint trees and foliage.
How to Paint Autumn Nov 7, 2020
Trees
In this blog post I will show you
how to paint autumn trees in this
painting inspired by a place called
Arrowtown in southern New
Zealand. This area was planted with
European deciduous trees including
willows, poplars and sycamores and
every autumn their leaves display
vibrant beautiful colours.

I will show you the step by step

process of how I created this art
work.
Oct 3, 2020
How to Paint Light and
Shadow in a Landscape
In this blog post I will show you how
to paint this landscape inspired by
the mountains around the village of
Glenorchy in southern New Zealand.

In this painting I will show you how

we can use tonal values to create
light and shadow. This painting
features a contrast between the
background hills and mountain that
are bathed in the soft evening light,
juxtaposed against the foreground
which is in shadow.
How to Paint a Rural Sep 26, 2020
Mountain Scene
In this blog post I will show you
how to paint this beautiful rural
mountain scene inspired by the
Matukituki Valley in southern New
Zealand.

The inspiration for this painting

came from a plein air painting trip I
went on with a friend. As we were
painting the mountain view
suddenly loads of cows started
surrounding us and many of them
were drinking from the stream.

The presence of the cows were a

welcome addition as I was able to
include them in my original plein
air painting. It then inspired the
studio painting which I am about to
demonstrate to you now.

Sep 1, 2020

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Comments (19) Newest First

Preview POST COMMENT…

Paul 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Many thanks for this I painted my rst seascape today based on this , would
love to show you it .

Struggled on the rocks to be honest need to see i you so a video on rocks :)

Again many thanks this really helped me a lot and love my new painting :)

Suzanne 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thank you for your tutorials-I'm trying to learn how to paint and am not
able to attend a lot of lessons or workshops.

John C 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Incredible...
If only.................I ...could.........

Samuel Earp 2 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks John

Mark Harvey 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Intersting article and am going to give replicating this a go.. :-)

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Mark :)

Katerina 3 years ago · 0 Likes

This is a very good and complete tutorial. Great job and alot of thanks for
sharing

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Katerina :)

Christine Cho 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Hi, Samuel !
I am so happy to read your very detailed step by step written explanations.
You are "So generous and kind artist" !!
Although I'm using acrylics, your tutorial videos will be a great help for me.
Thank you so much for sharing your talented knowledge with us.
Your paintings are so beautiful in compositions and colors !
God Bless on your artistic activities !!

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Christine, glad you enjoyed the videos and tutorials. Sam :)

Chammi Kaiser 3 years ago · 0 Likes

I thoroughly enjoyed this. You are very generous with your knowledge for
which I thank you. As an animal artist, I am not the greatest seascape artist
so this was invaluable to me.

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Chammi, glad you enjoyed the video :)

Cynthia Laughlin 3 years ago · 0 Likes

What do you name this painting Samuel? I would like to use it as an example
of natural shapes in my Art class at the university and need a name of
Painting and date. I see already it is an oil on canvas. I need to give you the
credit for your beautiful work. Thank you

Luana Narchant 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Hola Samuel...gracias por compartir , eres muy generoso. te sigo desde un

tiempo y veo los tutoriales en youtube me encantan , yo sigo aprendiendo y
mientras mas pinto mas me fascina,.,, soy de Chile ,.,y aca tambíen hay
hermosos paisajes para que vengas !! yo te invito!!! un abrazo y muchas
gracias

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Hola Luana, gracias por tus comentarios, estoy usando el traductor de

Google aquí, así que por favor, perdóname si la gramática o la
traducción no son correctas.

Me alegra que te guste mi canal de YouTube, estoy en el proceso de

hacer más videos. Me encantaría visitar un día Chile, apuesto a que el
paisaje sería increíble de pintar.

Barbara 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Your seascapes are marvelous, the colors just pop! However I cannot nd the
Langridge oils here in the States. Do you know where I can order them.
Thank you, just love your work
Barbara

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Hi Barbara

Thank you for your comment. With regards to Langridge Oils, they
are an Australian brand however I believe there is an art store in New
York that stocks Langridge oils.

https://www.sohoartmaterials.com/extensions/oil-
paint/406/langridge-oil-colours.html

This is the link to their main website:

http://stlukeart.com.au/

Kind regards

Sam

Vicki Lee 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Awesome

Samuel Earp 3 years ago · 0 Likes

Thanks Vicki :)

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