I would like to show you a few techniques that I use when painting under the sea scenes. It is my hope that you will be inspired to start your own ocean paintings.
The most difficult thing about painting underwater scenes is the lighting. When it comes to painting seascapes, there are three primary lights; the sun, the sky light, and the light from underneath the water. The water reflects from above and below, so all of those reflections can make for some very busy areas in a painting.
You can paint an underwater ocean scene with oil paints or acrylics, or you can use watercolor paints. Watercolor is the most popular medium for painting under the sea, but all have their advantages and disadvantages.
In this post I will be showing you some ideas and techniques for using watercolor to create an underwater scene, whether it be a coral reef, sunken ship, or tropical fish tank. The basic principles of painting underwater scenes apply to both watercolors and oil paints; however, the differences in how the media behave will come into play in certain situations.
For example, if you are painting a piece with transparent objects like fish in it then watercolor would be your best choice because it is transparent when dry. On the other hand if you are painting underwater plants or coral then oil paints would be better.
One of the reasons people enjoy doing underwater paintings is that there is so much variety: from anemones to sharks; from shipwrecks to tropical fish tanks; from the view of a diver on a coral reef to a scuba diver exploring a sunken ship; there is just no end to what one can paint.
For a long time I have been wanting to do something under the sea. Today while searching for some photo references of underwater creatures I found this photo of a jelly fish. It was taken at the Aquarium of Genoa, Italy and it has a very beautiful composition and a lot of details both in the jelly fish itself and in the background.
Trying to compose an underwater scene is not really easy because you have to think about a lot of different things: lighting, reflections, bubbles, waves, sea life, silhouettes…etc.
In this post I will try to show you how I painted it from start to finish using mainly Photoshop but also some other techniques that can be applied in other software as well (Gimp for example).
The Painting
Preparing the image in Photoshop
I started by merging all the different layers into one only using “merge down” layer command (CTRL+E). After that I cropped the image so that it would fit my canvas size (in my case 3000x3000px) and painted it black using the brush tool with a low opacity (5-10%). The black layer will help us later when painting over the light areas of our composition.
Next I started blocking out the composition. At this point don
I have been painting on a regular basis for my entire life. I started with watercolors and then oil paints. I always had a love of art and enjoyed the time spent learning to paint; it was soothing and relaxing.
I have been teaching students how to paint for over 25 years, here in Hawaii, and in the mainland US. Most often I teach oil painting, but I also enjoy teaching watercolor painting.
This blog is full of helpful hints and ideas when it comes to learning how to start painting or developing your skills. New ideas are posted weekly so stop by often.
My name is Linda Wilson-Schaefer and I am an artist specializing in landscape paintings, seascapes, still lifes, floral designs, and abstracts. Many of my paintings are available as reproductions on various types of products such as fine art prints, note cards, t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, mouse pads…and more! My goal is to continue my passion of painting and encourage others to do the same!
One of the reasons art is so enjoyable is the opportunity to make something that is entirely yours, free of any boundaries. It’s a chance to let your imagination run wild and create something new. Now, when it comes to art supplies, there are plenty of products to choose from. The thing is, you don’t have to go out and spend a fortune on these supplies. This article will help you get started with what you’ve already got in your house!
Before we start, however, there are two things you need to remember as we begin this process. The first thing is keep it fun! Don’t be afraid to try things just because they may end up looking silly or weird. At the end of this process, you will have learned something new and probably come up with some new ideas of your own!
The second thing is that this is a process. You don’t want to rush through everything because if you do, you may not be happy with how it turns out. Keep at it and don’t worry about messing up along the way! You can always paint over or redo.
Be it in nature or in the form of a painting, water is one of the most beautiful and fascinating things that we can see. Water is so much a part of us that we actually share about 4/5 of our body weight with it.
The softness of water never ceases to amaze me and the magic it creates when it moves is unmatched. Whenever I see water, it is as if all my senses are activated, which makes me enjoy every moment I spend near it – even more when I can paint it.
But painting water isn’t as easy as you’d think. It’s not just about getting the color and light right; there are several other challenges that you have to face before you can create an amazing water scene. In this article, I am going to talk about some of these challenges and how you can overcome them through some simple techniques and tips.
