Everyday Art: 5-minute Watercolor Seascapes

1. Intro : I'm so happy to see you in this class where you learn how to paint quick, abstract watercolor escapes from either a reference photo or your imagination. My name is Ana cutino, and I'm an artist and a creative entrepreneur. Based on my own experience, I know how challenging it sometimes is to fit a little creative relaxation into a busy day. So over the last few years, I've been exploring strategies to flex my creative muscle without demanding too much time. These quick mini seascapes are one of my favorite mini projects. They are perfect for when you want to pick up your brush and complete a painting in a single painting session. Furthermore, they are great for breaking free from creative blocks. First, I'll introduce you to the supplies and essential techniques that we'll be using. I'll then talk about finding inspiration and reference photos for these abstract seashores. Next, we'll explore composition. In this short lesson, I'll briefly touch upon the classic rule of thirds and then, more importantly, explore how breaking this rule can add a liberating dimension to these abstract paintings. We'll then move onto the heart of this class, painting four tiny seascapes. I'll guide you step by step, sharing my personal process and tips to make each piece a charming representation of the ocean. For your project, you'll paint a miniature seascape of your choice. Finally, I'll guide you in transforming your miniature seashores into touching cards and gifts for your friends and family. I've included a selection of photos in the resources section, providing additional inspiration, along with a list of supplies and the scanned final pictures. Five minute seascapes are all about enjoying the process and seeing where a few minutes of play can lead you. So grab your brushes, and let's get started. 2. Supplies and Your Project: First of all, let's make sure we have all the supplies we need for this class. This is 100% cotton watercolor paper. With its cold press texture and a sturdy 300 GSM weight. It's perfect for absorbing watercolor pigments beautifully. Plus, I've torn it into smaller manageable pieces to make it easier for our projects. Here I've got a size for round synthetic squirrel brush. It's ideal for precision work. Next, I have a flat synthetic squirrel brush for covering larger areas with ease. To achieve clean white edges on our paintings, we'll need some masking tape to create defined borders. I've prepared two containers, one for clean water and another for cleaning my brushes. I'll have an old kitchen towel handy for drying off brushes as needed. Additionally, some paper tissues will be useful for blotting excess water and dabbing away any mistakes. Last, but not least, we'll need watercolor paints. I prefer paints in tubes because of their creamy consistency. However, feel free to use pants if that's what you have available. Here are the colors I'll be using. For the ocean, I've selected a palette, including dahron blue, thalo blue green shade, cob teal and in one instance cobald blue. For the sky, I've incorporated co bald blue, quinacrdon rose and pure yellow, blending them to create various shades. For instance, I created a purple hue by mixing co bald blue and quinacrdon rose, and a warm red by combining yellow and quinacrdon rose. To depict the sand, I've used ba titanium and rocena. For the grassy areas, I've employed a blend of yellow and paraline green, as well as pure paraline green for depth. Lastly, I've used a mix of cocron rose and bap titanium. I also wanted to ensure accessibility for everyone. I've prepared some alternatives for the colors I've chosen. Since pigments such as Cobalt blue or cobalt teal might not be included in every set. Here are some substitutes you can consider. When heavily diluted, alo green blue shade can function as a substitute for cobalt teal, though it's more liquid consistency may pose challenges for drybra technique. Keep that in mind. As an alternative to cobalt blue, you can use ultramarine blue. Additionally, by mixing these two pigments, halo green and ultramarine blue, you can achieve a range of lovely turquoise shades. Lastly, for depicting sand, Rocana serves as a great alternative to baptitanium. You can find the list of supplies in the resources section. For your project, you'll paint a miniature seascape of your choice. You can either use one of the reference photos I provided, choose your own reference photo or simply let your imagination guide you. In the next lesson, we're going to explore some sources of inspiration you can use for your paintings. 3. Finding Inspiration: Now that we've gathered all the supplies, let's explore various sources of inspiration for painting seashores. Browsing through photos online can be a fantastic source of inspiration. I love scrolling through photos on n Splash, which is a platform where photographers share high quality royalty free images. It offers a vast collection of stunning photographs covering a wide range of subjects, including beautiful seascapes. Here's a selection of photos from nSplsh that I've had printed out. What these photos have in common is that you can clearly see the distinctive sections of the sea, the sky, the sand or grass. Also uploaded these photos for you to the resources section of this class. The next source of inspiration can be memories and your own photos. Whether or not you live by the sea or have visited the seaside. Memories can be a wonderful source of inspiration. Furthermore, if you have your own photos of the sea, you can draw inspiration from them. Finally, you can simply let your imagination wander. Combine elements from different sources of inspiration or create entirely new interpretations of sea scapes that reflect your unique vision and style. Now let's move into the next lesson, where I'm going to briefly describe and demonstrate ical techniques that are essential for this class. 4. Essential Watercolor Techniques: In this brief lesson, we're going to cover the watercolor techniques that are most relevant to this class. First of all, let's have a look at the so called wet and wet watercolor technique. In this technique, the paints apply to a pre moistened surface or added to areas of paint that are still wet. The colors blend into each other creating the typical effects characteristic of watercolor. Start by applying a thin layer of water onto your watercolor paper. You want the paper to be damp and slightly glossy, but not so in wet. Then begin applying new watercolor paint onto the wet paper. Since the paper is wet, the paint will spread and blend more easily. Once you're satisfied with your painting, let it dry completely before adding any additional layers or details. We're going to use this technique to paint the sky during sunset in one of our projects. Wet and dry watercolor technique involves applying paint onto dry paper or on an already dried layer of color. This method results in sharper, more defined edges, and allows for greater control over details. A gradient wash in watercolor is a painting technique where the color gradually changes from dark to light across the painted area. As you move the brush across the paper, you gradually dilute the paint with more water, creating a smooth transition. Prepare a concentrated color mixture and apply it to the upper part of the paper using fluid brush strokes. Rinse the brush briefly, leaving some color in it, and remove excess water. Start from the previously painted area and continue with foot strokes downward. For the final section, rinse the brush again and continue until no or very faint color is visible. Allow everything to dry and avoid going over the already drying area with the brush, as this can create it unwanted streaks. This technique is often used to create backgrounds. We're going to use it to paint the blue sky. The dry brush watercolor technique involves using a brush that's almost dry with minimal water and loaded with concentrated pigment. Lightly pull the brush across the surface of the paper. The brush should skip over the raise texture of the paper, leaving a scratchy textured effect. Use quick light brush ks to achieve this look. We're going to use this technique to suggest the sparkling light reflecting of the water's surface. Lifting in watercolor refers to removing paint from the paper after it's been applied. To lift watercolor paint while it's still wet, use a clean dama brush to gently blot and absorb the pigment. We're going to use this technique to suggest white clouds in the sky. Now let's move into the next lesson where I'm going to briefly talk about composition. 5. Composition: The Rule of Thirds: In this lesson, we will briefly discuss the classic composition principle in art, known as the rule of thirds. We will then explore why and how breaking this rule can add a liberating dimension to these abstract oticus escapes. The rule of thirds is a fundamental composition principle in art. Imagine dividing your painting into nine equal parts with two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. The rule suggests that placing the key elements of your artwork along these lines or their intersections can create a balanced visually pleasing image. In Sea scapes, this often means aligning the horizon on these imaginary lines for a sense of stability. You can see in all of these examples how I place the horizon on the lines dividing the paper into thirds. But here's the catch. Art is also about expression, emotion, and the joy of letting go. When painting fast semi abstract sea scapes, I often embrace spontaneity and sometimes break the rule of thirds to fully enjoy the creative process. This approach allows for greater freedom and fun, capturing the essence of the moment. The main takeaway from this lesson is that while it's important to know the basics of composition, don't be afraid to experiment and let your creative instinct DO brush. In the end, it's your vision and interpretation that breathe life and originality into painting. In the next lesson, we'll finally get to painting the first project. 6. Project 1 Minimalist Pink Seascape: Let's dive into our first project. It will be this playful minimalist seascape. First, I'll paint the pink sky and then the ocean. In this fun technique, I paint simple straight lines that touch in some places, and together they create an abstract representation of the ocean. Here on my palette, I've got three beautiful colors, Quinacridonse, cobalt blue, and ba titanium. First up, I'll mix quinacridonse with baptitanium to create a lovely pastel hue. I want it to be opaque, almost like a soft creamy texture. Then I'll mix up a more transparent version of quinacridonse with water and a creamy blend of cobalt blue. Now let's leave some space around our painting. I'm aiming for about a 1 centimeter white border. With my round number four brush, I'll begin painting the sky. I'm carefully painting a straight line from left to right using the quin ose and batitanium mixture. Then I'll repeat this process just below the first line. Sometimes I'll let the lines touch in the middle, but I also like to leave a bit of space between them at the beginning and end of each line for a playful effect. Next, I'll switch to the watery quinrals and continue painting lines in the same manner. I love watching the colors blend together on the paper. It's like they have a mind of their own. I'll adjust the amount of water I use to control how much the colors spread and mingle. Let's add another line of the opaque mixture of buff titanium and quin rose. This is where the magic happens. I like to let my intuition guide me as I alternate between different colors and consistencies. It's almost like a dance of colors on the paper, and I find it incredibly meditative and freeing. The interaction of different color consistencies might create watercolor blooms, which is, in this case, a nice effect. It reminds me of clouds. As we move down the painting, let's remember the rule of thirds. About two thirds of the painting will be the sky while the bottom third will be the ocean. When I reach the area where I want the horizon line to be, I'll switch to cobalt blue. I'll leave a thin dry space between the sky and the sea to prevent the pink and blue from blending into one another. Now for the fun part, using a diluted blue mix, I'll start painting the ocean. Then I'll switch to a thicker cobalt blue straight from the tube with just a tiny bit of water. This dy brush technique creates the illusion of sparkling reflections on the water's surface, adding depth and texture to our painting. Finally, I'll finish of the painting with another section of diluted blue to soften any harsh lines and blend everything together seamlessly. And that's it. Our first project is complete. Feel free to experiment and make it to your own. I've painted this scene many times, and each time feels a little bit different, and I love all of them. 7. Project 2 Grassy Shore: For our second project, I've selected a reference photo featuring a grassy shoreline. While I'll be deviating from the colors in the photo, I'm drawn to its composition with the distinct sections for the sky, sea, and the grass. To bring this scene to life, I'll be using cobalt blue, indent throne blue, yellow, and Perine green. I'm going to place my paper on an old kitchen towel so that I can paint to the very edges of the paper. This time, I'll start with the sky, then paint the grass, while the sky is drying, and then I'll finish off by painting the ocean in the middle of the painting. First, let's tackle the sky. Using my flat brush and cobalt blue, I'm using the wet and dry technique demonstrated in our essential techniques lesson. Starting at the top of the paper with a rich pigmented mixture of cobalt blue. I'll gradually lighten the color as I work my way down, creating a seamless gradient. Feel free to adjust the horizon line to your preference. Remember, it is about both following and breaking the rules of composition. Once the sky is painted, I'll create fluffy white clouds by gently lifting some of the cobalt blue with a clean dry brush. Then a quick blast from the hair dryer to speed up the drying time, although you can let it dry naturally if you prefer. Onto the grassy shore. Using a mix of yellow and peroln green, I'll apply it with a dry brush technique, leaving tiny white spaces here and there to represent flowers or light reflections or distant stones. Next, I'll intensify the color by adding a concentrated peroln green. Apply it sparingly, straight from the pen, in this case, or tube, if you have it, with just minimal water. Using the dry brush technique again, I'll create texture and depth in the grass. Finally, I'll add darker tones to deepen certain areas using a slightly diluted paralln green applied with the wet and dry technique. Don't be afraid to experiment and have fun with it. Last, but not least, let's paint the ocean. Starting with dan throne blue and the dry brush technique, I'll begin in the middle of the white space. Again, this technique allows me to create the effect of the light reflecting from the water. Then with a pigmented mixture of ind throne blue and a touch more water, I'll use the wet and dry technique to add smooth dark areas where needed. Again, let your creativity flow and enjoy the process of exploration. And there you have it. Our second project is complete. Feel free to experiment with different colors, techniques, and compositions to make it your own masterpiece. 8. Project 3 Sandy Beach: For the third project, I've chosen a reference photo featuring a stunning sandy beach. This time, I'll be using masking tape to add an elegant white border to the painting. To really bring this scene to life, I'll be working with Cobalt blue, halo blue, Cobalt teal, and Rosena. First, let's apply the masking tape to the edges of the paper. I'm attaching the paper to an old kitchen towel, but you can use something more solid like a piece of cardboard if you prefer. Given the small size of the paper, I find the kitchen towel works perfectly fine, and I already have it at hand. I cover approximately 1 centimeter at each side of the paper. Now let's deal with the sky. Using my flat brush and cobalt blue, I'll use the wet on dry technique we covered in our essential techniques lesson. I'll start at the top of the paper with a rich pigmented mixture of cobalt blue, gradually lightening the color as I move down, creating a smooth gradient. This time, I'll stop somewhere below the middle of the paper. Once the sky is painted, I'll create some fluffy white clouds by gently lifting some of the cobalt blue with a clean, semi dry brush. Then a quick blast from the head dryer can speed up the drying process, although air drying is perfectly fine, too. Now onto the sea, I'll mark out the horizon line using a very dark mix of tal blue. Then I'll apply cobalt teal straight from the tube with just a touch of water. Using the dry brush technique, I'm leaving small white spaces here and there to mimic reflections on the water. Then I'll add a bit more water to the cobol teal to give a smooth finish to the sea where it meets the sand. Next up, the sand. I'll add a strip of Rosana at the bottom of the painting to represent the sandy shoreline. Using the dry brush technique again, I'll add some texture to the sand and suggest the presence of white stones. Of course, if you want to stay to the reference picture, you can paint the sand with titanium. I decided for Rosana because I wanted more contrast in the painting. If the sea is still wet, I can darken the line. But if the paper is already dry, it's best to leave it as it is to avoid any unwanted blooms. Then another quick blast from the hedge dryer to speed up the drying process. Finally, I carefully remove the masking tape at an angle to avoid damaging the paper. And there you have it. Our third project is complete. 9. Project 4 Peaceful Sunset: Let's dive into our fourth and final project. This time it's a peaceful sunset. I'll be working with cobalt blue, in Dan throne blue, Quin rose, and yellow. Just like in the previous project, I apply the masking tape to the edges of the paper to create a nice clean border. This time, I'm going to paint the sky using the wet on wet technique. First, I apply a layer of clean water to the paper. Then I add some Qin rose. Next, I add a touch of purple mixed from Quin rose and cobalt blue to the very top of the paper. I mix an orange color from Queen rose and yellow and I add it just below the pink section. Finally, I add some pure yellow gradually lightening the color as I move down, creating a smooth gradient. The very light yellowish section should stop somewhere near the bottom third of the paper. Then a quick blast from the hair dryer to speed up the drying process, and when the paper is completely dry, it's time to paint the sea. Starting with danthrone blue and the dry brush technique, I'll begin in the middle of the white space. Again, this technique allows me to create the effect of the light reflecting from the water. Then with a pigmented mixture of danhrone blue and a touch more water, I'll use the wet on dry technique to add smooth dark areas where needed. Then I allow it to dry completely or use my hair dryer again. Finally, I carefully remove the masking tape at an angle to avoid damaging the paper, and our fourth project is complete. Now let's move into the next lesson where I'm going to show you some more examples for inspiration. 10. More Inspiration: Now that we've completed our projects, I'd like to offer you some additional inspiration for creating even more of these cute seascapes. Here are some examples of different versions of our projects. For example, you can take one of the reference photos and by simply changing the style of the border, size of the paper or the painting technique, you can achieve a variety of unique results. I hope these examples inspire you to continue exploring and creating. Now let's move into the next lesson where I'm going to show you how to transform your miniature seascapes into lovely carts and gifts. 11. Turning Your Art into Cards and Gifts: Now that we've completed the painting portion of this class and some additional ideas, it's time for one final lesson. I'm going to show you how to transform your seascapes into adorable cards and thoughtful gifts for your friends and family. As I've mentioned before, it's crucial to keep this practice playful and free from expectations or pressure. That's it, I absolutely love gifting these tiny creations to others. Here are some of my favorite ways to turn tiny seascapes into beautiful heartfelt gifts. First of all, let's create a simple calendar. On the left side of each watercolor paper sheet, paint a C scape. Then on the right side, write the days of the month. Repeat this process for all 12 months. Once you have a card for each month, tie them together with a decorative string or a ribbon. This creates a charming, personalized calendar that makes a wonderful gift. You can also turn your c scapes into unique greeting cards for special occasions. If you want to make a slightly larger greeting card, you can attach a miniature C scape to a bigger card. Next idea are bookmarks. To create a bookmark from your minis escape, follow these steps. Use a hole punch to make a hole at the top or bottom of the paper, and then thread a thin ribbon through the hole and tie it securely. You can add a special touch to your presence with handmade gift tags featuring your work. Use a hole punch or scissors to make a hole at the top of the tag. Thread a thick ribbon through the hole, and then secure the tag to the handle of the gift bag. Or you can use a small wooden clothe spin to clip the tag onto the gift. Here's the next idea, using empty white match boxes to create tiny gift boxes. I painted miniature C scapes and attached them to the boxes using glue or in this case, double sided tape. They are perfect for giving small treasures or keepsakes. Last but not least you can decorate gifts by securing the s scapes with a string or taping them to ribon. These handmade embellishments add a personal and artistic touch to your presence, making them even more special for the recipient. In the final video, I'll summarize everything we've learned together. 12. Final Thoughts: Thank you again for joining this class. It's been incredible sharing this very personal slice of creativity and inspiration with you. I truly hope this class not only taught you some new techniques, but also gave you a little taste of how fulfilling and relaxing these tiny seascapes can be. We've covered some essential watercolor techniques and talked about where to look for inspiration. We've explored the rule of thirds in composition. I gave you a step by step guidance on painting four miniature seascapes. And last but not least, we explored some additional ideas. Now I can't wait to see your project. Please share it in the class project section. I'm looking forward to seeing your interpretations of the ocean. If you've got any questions, just leave a comment in the discussion section. Your feedback is incredibly important to me. It helps me improve and tailor my teaching to better suit your needs. And for more tutorials, don't forget to follow me here on Scale share. Have a lovely day, and I'll see you soon.