i-m-a-g-i-n-efx-august

Your questions answered...
Question
How do I go
about painting
huge waves?
Pedro Pereira Barros, Brazil
As a final touch I add some
white brush strokes here and
there, where the waves
break on the rocks.
Answer
Sara replies
As with most of my
painting projects, I start
by gathering some marine
photo references, to ensure
that I’ve got a good grasp of the
subject matter. I also find it useful to
look at the work of great seascape
painters from history, whatever
artistic movement they belonged to.
Marine waves are usually caused by
wind that generate ripples across the
sea surface. As the ripple effect
increases, the sea surface starts to
form a crest that then falls on itself in
a shape that’s more or less comparable
to an irregular pipe.
I have to consider this tubular shape
when illustrating waves, so I paint the
light and shadow as I would for a
cylinder, with a soft shadow in the
lower part and in the hollow body.
I also bear in mind the transparency
of the water. In the upper part of the
wave, near the crest, the water will be
thinner as it comes to a point – and it
catches the light, too. This means the
blue-green colour needs to be more
vibrant and saturated in this area.
In this WIP I’ve almost
finished the waves.
I just have to smooth
some brush strokes in
the white areas where
they’re breaking.
Artist’s secret
Base a custom spray
brush on a paint splatter
I create a new brush by splashing some
traditional watercolour black paint on
a sheet, and taking a photograph of
that. This will help to make the spray
generated by the waves look realistic.
Step-by-step: How to depict realistic waves
I begin laying down a quick sketch of
1
the wave form, so I have an idea of its
key elements: the crest and its hollow
body. Sketching motion lines will also help
me to keep in mind the flow of water, so
I’m able to maintain a strong sense of
dynamism and movement in the scene.
Because the water’s transparent, the
2
top of the wave will be affected by
light, so I apply a light blue and green
that’s more saturated than the tone I use
for the surface of the sea. I then choose a
hard brush and add some neat brush
strokes that simulate the water ripples.
I start painting the crest from the top
3
of the wave that drops down. I choose
a very light grey and use my custom
brush, set to Scatter and with irregular
edges. This will mimic splashes and spurts
of water. I add areas of white foam to help
emphasise the tubular shape of the wave.
August 2017
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