Painting seascapes in oils or acrylics takes practice built on good observational skills. After mastering the basics, there are some special techniques that can be used to elevate seascapes from ordinary to extraordinary. Here I share effective techniques for painting reflections on water, reflections on wet sand, water transparency, textured foam, and sea spray.
TECHNIQUE 1 Reflections on water
Since water is transparent, the way to show its presence is by what it reflects. In seascapes, this is usually the sky, or nearby objects such as people, rocks and boats. A common mistake of beginner painters is to make the reflection exactly the same colour as the object. Physics tells us, however, that dark objects reflect a little lighter and light objects reflect a little darker, so it's important to…
