Inspiration on waves and high seas: Instructions for marine painting

Experience inspiration on the waves: In this blog post you will learn more about marine painting and receive a guide to creating your very own maritime artworks.

Let yourself be inspired by the waves and colors of the sea and create a unique masterpiece.

Inspiration on the Waves: An Introduction to Marine Painting

If you're looking for artistic inspiration, take a look at marine painting. It's a great way to unleash your creativity and create a masterpiece.

This article provides a guide to creating maritime paintings, allowing you to artistically translate your inspiration and visual impressions of seascapes , coastlines , or ships onto canvas.

First, you should consider what kind of maritime painting you want to create. Choose a subject that interests you and inspires you. It could be a real seascape you observe in nature, or a scene developed from your imagination. The internet also offers countless sources of inspiration.

In the following video you will see some extraordinary paintings from this genre, painted by true masters of their craft:

Don't let that intimidate you, though. There are plenty of techniques and subjects for beginners in this form of painting. You don't have to become the next William Turner.

The following video shows how to achieve quick success in maritime painting:

The choice of motifs

Some of the most popular subjects are sailing ships , beaches , and sea creatures . You can also take a look at some examples of maritime painting to get a sense of what's possible.

Equipment and materials

Once you've chosen a subject, you need to gather the necessary materials. To paint seascapes and similar subjects, you'll need at least a canvas , an easel , some primers , acrylic paints , brushes , and other tools like a palette knife or sponge .

If you opt for a more intricate design, you may also need special tools or painting mediums for special effects.

Having good equipment for marine painting is essential to help you realize your artistic vision. This includes a good palette of paints that suit your needs, a variety of brushes, and a high-quality canvas. It's also a good idea to have a palette of warm and cool tones so you can achieve different effects.

Having different sizes of brushes is also important for achieving details. When choosing a canvas, remember that it's crucial it's sturdy enough and has a suitable texture for creating a vibrant marine painting.

Once equipped, you can get to work and bring your artistic vision to life…

Fundamentals of marine painting – depicting water and waves

Once you have gathered your materials, you can begin painting. Start by preparing your canvas with a primer. Once the primer is dry, you can begin painting. Use acrylic paints and apply them in layers to increase the depth and contrast of your image.

The next step is to develop an understanding of the structure of paintings that feature water as their subject. To paint an impressive seascape, you need to understand wave patterns. Wave movements are diverse in nature, and depending on the type of waves you want to paint, the movements you depict will vary.

A good way to understand different wave shapes is to watch videos of waves and then look around on your own coastline or in another coastal region. You can also find inspiration in a photograph or a painting.

It's also important to realize that the coastline you're painting usually has far more detail than you might imagine. Therefore, it's crucial to take the time to observe these various details and incorporate them into your painting. Of course, you can also deliberately omit certain details to achieve a specific composition. Often, this will enhance the overall effect of the image.

For example, you can perceive the different colors and shades of waves that cause the light reflections and incorporate them into your painting.

By realistically depicting the details and nuances, your marine painting will become even more vibrant and impressive. Experiment to achieve different effects, and don't forget to add your own personal touch.

Techniques and methods

If you want to learn marine painting, it's important to first familiarize yourself with the different techniques. One of the most common techniques is vibrant watercolor painting . This technique allows you to achieve vivid colors and details in your seascapes.

Another technique is shading , which allows for a combination of light and shadow. This technique is particularly useful for highlighting the various objects in your seascape. It can also help create depth and dimension.

Another technique is smoothing . This allows you to create smooth surfaces that replicate the ocean, waves, and coastlines.

It's also a good technique for adding details and emphasizing the contrast between light and shadow. Keep in mind, however, that each technique has its own advantages and limitations, and there are various ways to apply each technique.

Then there's the distinction between realistic or even photorealistic depictions and abstract paintings. Abstract techniques are easier to learn and very popular these days.

With the right technique and inspiration, you can create unique seascapes that reflect the waves of the ocean.

Image composition and methodology – step by step

1. Capture the gestures of the seascape

Gesture in art usually refers to the movement of the human body. But imagine that a seascape also has a gesture, one that describes the general ebb and flow of the water. Without gestures, your seascape painting can end up looking robotic and disjointed.

You see many attempts at the classic seascape with breaking waves, where the wave looks screwed to the rest of the ocean and not like an extension of it.

To capture the natural gestures of the seascape, consider what the water would look like if you could paint it with just a single line. This line will represent the most basic gesture of the seascape.

You can then use this line to build structure and form.

2. Build the structure of the seascape

As with gestures, seascapes have a general structure that you should try to capture. This structure can be simple or complex, depending on the type of seascape you are painting.

A tranquil seascape with crystal-clear water has a very simple structure. You are essentially just painting a flat surface. A rough seascape during a storm will have a more complex structure as the water breaks and swirls.

Try dividing the subject into basic geometric shapes such as boxes, cylinders, and spheres. You can paint anything with these shapes, including seascapes.

3. Analyze how to paint with reflected light

Water is naturally partially reflective, so some light bounces off it. This bouncing light creates reflections in the water.

Depending on the stillness of the water, the reflections could be a mirror image of the sky above or a broken mirror with distorted color.

A tip for painting accurate reflections is to use darker highlights and lighter shadows. The highlights are therefore not as intense and the shadows not as deep as the sky (or whatever is being reflected).

4. Use the broken color technique

The broken color technique is perfect for capturing the translucent and reflective nature of water. It also allows you to create an interesting texture for the water.

If you look closely at the sea, you won't see just one color (even though it might appear that way from a distance). On a clear day, you'll likely see various shades of blue, green, yellow, and purple. During sunset, you'll probably see various shades of red, orange, yellow, and purple.

The broken color technique involves using unmixed strokes of different colors. These colors can be closely related (light blue and dark blue) or completely different (red and green). The colors you use will, of course, depend on the type of seascape you are painting.

Claude Monet's breathtaking painting is a great example of broken colors:

Here's a close-up of the water so you can better see the broken colors. Notice how little of Monet is rendered. Without the rest of the painting, this section looks like a jumble of broken colors. But step back and it all comes together.

"The Port of Rouen" also an excellent example of this:

5. Soft and hard edges

You must pay careful attention to the types of edges you use in your seascape painting. Here is a summary of the different edges you can use:

• Hard edge – A very sharp transition between the two shapes.
• Soft edge – A soft transition between two shapes.
• Lost edge – A transition between two shapes that is so soft you can barely see it.

Most edges in seascape paintings are soft or indistinct. This is because water is not a rigid entity, and there is usually a gentle transition from one body of water to the next. However, a few skillfully placed hard edges can significantly alter these generally soft and indistinct lines.

Here are some typical locations for hard edges :

• The crest of a breaking wave.
• The horizon line that separates the sea from the sky on a clear, sunny day. On a cloudy or stormy day, a softer edge might be more suitable.
• The edge that separates clear water and white foam.
• Important contours of the water, as shown in my painting below.

6. Adapt your brushstrokes to the nature of the seascape

Here's a general tip that I find particularly useful for painting seascapes. Try to adapt your brushstrokes to the nature of the seascape.

For example, when painting the roaring waves of a turbulent sea, try using broken and exaggerated brushstrokes.

When painting the calm water of a morning seascape, use long and smooth strokes.

This way, you build up a texture that suits the seascape you're painting. The individual strokes will also enhance the gesture and structure of the seascape.

Tip: Mix up your brushwork to add subtle contrast to your painting. A tranquil seascape might have small areas of turbulence where you can add strong brushstrokes (for example, where the water breaks on the shore). A narrative seascape might have calm areas between the crashing waves where you can add more subtle brushstrokes.

7. Create harmony with shared colors

In seascape painting, the water shares many colors with the sky due to the reflected light. For this reason, I often switch back and forth between the water and the sky to ensure that common colors are used for both areas.

Let's say I'm painting the highlights on the fluffy white clouds in the sky. I could take those light colors and use them to paint the whitewash onto the water. I could take the light blues from the clear sky and use them to add some color variation to the water. I could take some of the dark greens and blues from the water and use lighter versions of those colors for the clouds.

I do a lot of this back-and-forth work when painting seascapes. The end result is usually a sense of harmony achieved through the use of shared colors. By the way, you can find a complete tutorial with step-by-step instructions for painting an entire seascape at the Draw Paint Academy (unfortunately, it's only available in English).

Inspiration for maritime motifs

The sea and its inhabitants have always been a source of inspiration. Maritime motifs in painting reflect this fascination and offer a wealth of themes, giving the viewer unique insights into the world of the oceans and their inhabitants.

Maritime motifs in painting can be traced back to many different sources and influences. Religion a significant role in the development of these motifs, as it contains many stories about the sea and its inhabitants.

Furthermore, myths and legends surrounding the sea are very popular with artists and serve as inspiration for many of their works. Another important theme in maritime painting is seafaring . Countless motifs often focus seafaring or fishing , thus offering the viewer a glimpse into life at sea.

If you would like to follow in the footsteps of the master painter Montague Dawson, who grew up as the son of a ship's captain (see below), then you should either look into opportunities to join a ship, charter a sailboat, or even get your boat license yourself.

To find a suitable training center, search online for accredited training facilities of the German Motor Yacht Association and the Association of German Sports Boat Schools. If you are fortunate enough to live near the Mecklenburg Lake District, you can find recreational boating license courses at the Müritz Boat School, a training center accredited by the German Motor Yacht Association . This school is one of the largest providers of recreational boating license training, and courses and exams can be booked weekly.

For where is one most beautiful and relaxing to paint? On the deck of a sailing yacht is certainly one of the most exciting options and offers fascinating perspectives on seascapes and coastal landscapes.

Finally, there are many other themes explored in maritime painting. For example, natural phenomena such as storm clouds or seascapes be depicted. Historical events can also serve as inspiration for a painting.

Another great way to find inspiration for marine painting is to immerse yourself in maritime culture. Visit a museum dedicated to seafaring and shipbuilding (such as the Maritime World at the Deutsches Museum in Munich ), go to a beach and watch the ships sailing by, or look at pictures of sailing ships and other beautiful sights.

You'll be surprised how many ideas you can discover through simple research. It's also a good idea to look at the work of other artists who paint seascapes to get a feel for how to create your own maritime paintings.

By looking at other works, you can discover a new world full of ideas and inspiration.

“Evening Beach III” by Michael Krähmer

“By the Sea” by Gerd Bannuscher

Inspiration from 2 true masters

Ivan Aivazovsky: A Collection of 729 Paintings

One of the most fascinating and talented artists of the last two centuries was undoubtedly the Armenian-Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky . Ethnically Armenian, he was born in the city of Feodosia, which was then part of the Russian Empire. Today, Feodosia is a port city in Crimea, Ukraine.

Montague Dawson: A Collection of 211 Paintings

Montague Dawson was born in London, the son of a sea captain. His grandfather was the successful Midlands landscape painter Henry Dawson (1811-1878), who himself had moved to Chiswick. Montague Dawson studied under the Newcastle-born marine painter Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917), who lived in London for several years before moving to Falmouth.

After completing his studies, Dawson joined a commercial studio specializing in nautical illustrations.

His works can be found in museums in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, and Newport, Rhode Island.

Conclusion

It was a truly wonderful experience to try marine painting. I was surprised how much fun it was to observe and work with the details and contrasts of the different elements. It's a fantastic way to relax while drawing inspiration from nature.

If you enjoy painting and have a passion for the sea, then you should definitely try painting maritime motifs. It's a wonderful way to learn more about the ocean and how to capture its unique character and essence. It's a truly inspiring way to paint.

With the right equipment and a few helpful tips, you can create beautiful works of art and bring your inspiration from the sea, waves and water onto canvas.