Painting water takes patience and practice!
To get the technique of painting water, what ever the state, you have to remember that it is a moving element….it is never still, and to get this technique into your painting in whatever medium you choose to use, putting lots of shades in the same dominant colour and blending the edges together , will give the light and shadow that will define movement, just a pin prick of colour added to your main colour will change the shade , it may be subtle but it will work.
White horses or the surf line – it is so tempting to use just white but when you look at your photo or the real thing and really look, there is actually very little pure white , there are shades of lilacs and greys and ochres etc again use the technique of the basic water shades but use shades of white, then with a tooth brush flick pure white on the tops of your waves , don’t over do ……less is most definately more,then add some darker tones of the sea colour underneath , this will give the shadow as the wave is breaking, ( I like to imagine the wave as clay and rather than using my fingers to make the form, I am using the same directions in my brush strokes) as you move towards the shallows start introducing the sandy earthy tones, and don’t be afraid to splodge a few dabs of aqua and purples and many more contrasting tones , these add a bit of interest and almost give the impression of submerged rocks and pebbles.
Finally ad streaks of shades of white to form the sea foam ….the tails of white horse as the waves recede ready for the next one to come in.
