A Caribbean Seascape ..
I sat down once again with the intention of creating .. A better watercolor sunset, and this time I truly believe I did just that. I began the process the same way I have many times before by taping my paper to a hard surface and lightly sketching out a Caribbean seascape. What made this session different was how it ended. Instead of second guessing myself or feeling disappointed, I found myself smiling at a finished piece I was genuinely satisfied with.
And Here Is Where I Began ..
Based on that opening statement, .. You can probably guess that this newest watercolor was a success. I am quite happy with how it turned out and proud of the progress I made along the way. I was able to achieve a few techniques that I have struggled with in the past, and I will touch on those briefly here. I also included a progress summary photo showing all the images I captured throughout the painting process (as seen at the beginning and the end of this post).
For this particular piece, I chose a pre cut square sheet of watercolor paper. Using a number two pencil, I traced a border about a quarter inch in from all sides. These lines served as guides for my tape and would later create a clean white border once the tape was removed. After securing the paper to my white ceramic tile, I lightly sketched out a very simple scene. I envisioned a small stretch of beach, a gentle wave breaking along the shoreline, a low horizon line, and a warm sunset with a couple of darker clouds lingering in the distance.
I started by painting the sky in, with several layers of color. As the colors went down, I used a tissue to lift and block out areas where clouds would eventually live. Once I was happy with the base layers, I let everything dry before shifting my focus to the sea below. Since this was a Caribbean scene, I leaned toward a bright, cerulean blue. I knew the color would need to be muted later because of the sunset lighting, so in the following layers I brought some of the sky colors down into the water. I wanted to preserve just a hint of that blue near the breaking wave, along with a thin unpainted white line to suggest the water rolling over the sand.
Next, I turned my attention to the sand. I avoided using a traditional sandy color because at sunset the beach often reflects the sky, especially when the sand is damp. Many of my reference photos showed this almost mirrored effect. I started with a soft purple tone and planned to layer in some of the oranges from the sunset once everything dried.
At this point, I began adding darker clouds to the sky, .. Varying their size and shape to keep things interesting. I also worked in deeper tones in the ocean to suggest additional waves forming behind the one breaking on shore. The sand was darkened slightly as well to better balance the overall mood of the painting.
After letting the piece dry for about twenty minutes, .. I added my signature and carefully peeled away the tape to reveal the final artwork. I was really impressed with the smooth gradient I achieved in the sky and the small details, especially the subtle wave along the shoreline. The painting is not perfect, but I learned a great deal from it. I now have a better understanding of what works and what does not. The real question is whether I can duplicate the parts I love in another piece. I suppose I will find out the next time I attempt something similar.
For now, I am simply enjoying the feeling of creating something from nothing once again. There is something incredibly rewarding about stepping back and feeling proud of your work. This Caribbean beach sunset feels both familiar and a little different from anything I have done before. I am very satisfied with the results and already looking forward to moving on to the next painting.
