Project #2 - A Seascape

The transparent oil painting series previously posted was a long but fun one. Throughout the process, I learned that it is very helpful to develop a work in process while writing simultaneously. Not only does it allow the article to offer more hands-on information to the readers, but the painting itself also benefits from the relationship. As such, I will indulge once again in another tutorial-like series hoping that the result is just as rewarding.

In this two-part article, I will guide you through the experience of painting a seascape. Normally seascapes are not common amongst my oil creations, however, my younger brother Greg made a specific request that I cannot resist to honor. A surfer at heart, he asked me to paint a portrayal of his favorite home turf surfing spot. Being that I also share his natural inclination toward the sea, in that we grew up by the same seaside, I decided that I could certainly bring some of my own emotion into such a piece. As such, this project will prove to be experimental, but nonetheless enriching and educational to the readers as well as myself.

The subject of the painting, more specifically, will be a depiction of my brother facing the ocean with his surfboard. SEE FIGURE A. The digital photo from which I will paint it is not ideally suited to be reference for a painting, but it is what my brother wants...and so he shall get!

I began the painting by preparing a 22" x 28" canvas with a white ground. Then, as with most oil paintings, my first application of colour served as an under-painting. Although in most cases (including the last tutorial) I prefer to use a monochromatic palette for the under-painting, in this project I felt that the variant of colors in the sea needed to start developing as early as this first layer. As such, I loaded up my palette with several greens and blues, which became the medley of colour on which the under-painting was predicated. SEE FIGURE B.

The basic elements of a seascape composition are broad and without much detail. As such, the combination of color and brushstroke will establish the dominating essence of the piece. I began to suggest this effect in the under-painting sketch by using broad directional strokes of colour and blending areas of subtlety. I also took liberty in adjusting the composition of the objects to suit the picture plane better.

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