Landscapes and townscapes | SUBJECTS
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
The boats and harbor setting
draw your eye through the scene,
following the path of light on
the water where the reections
connect to the sea. Be alert to
the contrast between light and
dark values.
Harbor scene
CAPTURING A NAUTICAL LANDSCAPE
There is so much material to work with in a harbor scene. The colors and shapes
of the boats, the rigging, reective water, the mood created by the weather, and all of
the structure that makes up a harbor are of endless fascination for the artist. Employ
different techniques to capture the shifting layers of color in the water against the solid
forms of the dock and boats, using dark and light values to create visual contrasts.
Newport Harbor, Oregon
Selection of soft-hair at and round
brushes, rigger brush, stiff-bristle
fan brush
16 x 20 in (41 x 51 cm) cold press
140 lb (300 gsm) watercolor paper
You will need
1
Foundation washes
Lightly draw your sketch in
pencil, making sure all the elements
are resolved before you begin to
paint. Smoothly apply a at wash of
ultramarine mixed with a little burnt
sienna with a at brush and overlay it
with cobalt blue. Use a slightly richer mix
to begin the areas of major reection.
2
Add background
Work rapidly with a large mop
brush with a good point to render the
background hills. Use plenty of water to
apply layers of ultramarine with yellow
ocher. Soften the tree shapes as you
work, blending with a stiff fan brush.
Cobalt blue
Yellow ocher
Burnt sienna
Ultramarine
blue
Phthalo green
(blue shade)
Burnt umber
Permanent
yellow deep
Deep scarlet
Sap green
White
gouache
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Harbor scene
Bringing it together
In order to make your painting a
composition containing boats, and not a
portrait of a boat or boats, look for ways
to keep the scene connected. Make sure
that the boats, dock, and structures connect
and ow into each other where possible.
Think about the setting, using a backdrop to
contain the different elements, and blending
each area into another to maintain a ow
through the composition.
3
Introduce color
Start to ll in the boats and harbor
scene with color, using large round
brushes in order to avoid becoming
too involved with detail. Lift out
(see p.82–83) and soften some areas
to suggest mist.
4
Dene forms
Solidify the three-dimensional
objects and create areas of contrast.
Add line detail, accented color, and
some white gouache for sparkle.
Layers of blue and green added
with a fan brush introduce
texture to the wooded hills
Layer movement in the water with a light touch
and a large round brush with a sharp point
Background silhouette
By eliminating some of the buildings
from the background the area is
simplied and becomes a silhouette,
adding atmosphere and depth.
Realistic forms
Painting the harbor structures and boats
in detail attracts the eye through the
painting. Carry colors and merge edges
to keep the elements connected.
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