Sailing Beyond Basics - Painting Boats, Water & Reflections In Watercolor

1. Hello, Welcome !: Hi, everyone. Welcome to my new class sailing beyond Basics, painting water, boat and reflections. I'm Sauda watercolor artist and teacher here on Skillshare. I have been painting since 2015 and teaching watercolor online since 2019. Over the years, I have had the joy of guiding thousands of students on their creative journeys. My classes usually focus on moody atmospheric landscape painted with limited palettes. My aim is to help you paint with more confidence while also enjoying the process. This class is designed for watercolor artists who already know the basics of watercolor but want to challenge themselves with a slightly advanced subject. Boats and water may look intimidating at first, but with the right approach, they can be incredibly fun and rewarding to paint. Here's what we'll be learning together in this class. We will begin by going over the art supplies you will need, the colors we'll be using and how to choose and prep your paper. I will also show you how to make a simple sketch for your boat and water scene. Next, we will move on to painting the water, breaking it down step by step. We will start by painting the base wash of water in the first layer, and then add a second layer to build depth, ripples and movement. From there, we will focus on reflections, how to simplify them and how to keep them soft and diffused. Then we will study and paint the boat itself, breaking it down its structure into simple shape, building it up gradually with light and dark layers and keeping the proportions right. Finally, we will bring everything together by adding the final details. By the end of this class, you will not only be able to paint boats and reflection with more clarity, you will also gain a deeper understanding on how to paint and simplify these type of landscapes. Don't worry if you make mistakes along the way. That's part of the learning process, and I'll be here guiding you step by step anyway. If you join me in my previous class 20 days of boats, this one is designed as a next step in your journey. In that class, we explore painting different types of boats in simple daily exercises. In this class, we are going to take it a little further, combining boats with water, reflection, and more advanced watercolor techniques. So if you are ready to develop your watercolor skills and explore the beauty of painting boats, reflections and water, grab your brushes, your paints, and your paper. Let's go. I'm gonna see you guys in the first lesson. 2. About the Class : This class is all about taking your watercolor skills beyond the basics and exploring one of the most rewarding subjects to paint. That is bods, water, and reflection. Together, we will break down what may feel like a complex scene into simple and manageable steps. You will start by learning how to choose the colors and how to prep your paper and make a clean sketch. Then we will move on to painting water in two stages. That is first, we're going to build the water with basic layer and then adding depth and ripples in the second layer. After that, we will practice capturing soft reflections, and finally, we will paint the boat itself with structure, character, and balance. We will wrap up with the finishing touches that make your painting complete. This class is perfect for watercolor artists who already know the basics and want to challenge themselves with more advanced techniques. By the end, you will not only have a beautiful painting of a boat on water, but also the confidence to apply these skills to any watercolor landscape. So I hope you guys are interested in painting today's class project with me. If you are, then let's move on to the next video where we will discuss all the art supplies that we're going to need. So I'm going to see you there. 3. Art Supplies: For this class, you don't need an extensive collection of art supplies. Just a few essential watercolor supplies will be enough to paint, modes, water, and reflections with ease. Here's what I recommend. Coming to paper, 100% cotton, watercolor paper, 300 GSM, coal prusse what I suggest. This is fabriano paper. We used only three brushes. Out of these three, I have used two of those very extensively, and those are silver black velvet, number 14, and silver black velvet, number six brushes. These are round brushes, so alternatively, you will need two round brushes, and one should be larger and one should be smaller. And the third brush is DaVinci. It's a rigor brush to paint sharper details. We'll discuss colors separately in the next video. But the brands of the paints that I used are aquaton anneliar and white knights, only these three brands that I've used. So that is all about the colors. And some essential supplies are Watercolor palette and a pencil for a light sketch and a jar full of water. And a tissue, or a cloth for blotting excess paint and lifting the highlights, and of course, a masking tape. These are all the essential supplies that you're going to be needing. And yeah, that is all about the art supplies that we're going to need. These are all simple and basic, and I guess every one of us will be having these. So let's get into the next video where we will discuss about the colors. I forgot to mention the most important art supply that is a board to stick your paper to. So this is an acrylic board that I bought from Amazon. You can find it in any stationary shops or you can find online as well. So yeah, I'm going to see you guys in the next video. A 4. Colors Used: Let's discuss about the colors that we're going to use in today's class project. The first color is hookers green from the brand senneliar and the second color is Pines gray from the brand aquatone. I'm going to use a mix of these two colors, the hookers green and Pines gray to paint the water. And the third color is indigo. I'm going to use this one to paint the boat. And the fourth and fifth colors are parole red and Alizarin crimson. Parole red is from the brand aquaton and Alsarin Crimson is from the brand sennelier. And of course, the indigo is from the brand white Knights. I will swatch these colors out for you guys so that you will see the exact shades that I'm going to be using. If you don't have these particular colors, you can always use the colors that are similar to this shade. For example, you can use sap green in place of hookers green and black in the place of Pines Grey, any blue in place of indigo, and, of course, everyone will be having the red color. So this is Hookers green. It's a bright green color, but we're going to be using a mix of hookers green and Pines gray. Then you will get this dark greenish color. So I use this color to paint the water. So as you can see, the water will be usually blue color, right, but I was going for a moody palette. So that's why I have chosen this color. I label these colors out. So Pines Gray and hookers green gives us this dark green color. It's very doubtful at this point that I would be using indigo or not, so I did not swatch it out, but you guys know how the indigo would look right. So this is pyrole red. I'm going to be using a mix of pyrolered and Alysa and crimson to paint the boat. What is a very complicated structure to paint in this particular landscape. So I think I'm going to be using all of these colors to paint the boat. That is pearl right, Alizarin crimson, indigo, and Pines gray as well, except green. So I'm going to swatch Pines gray here as well. So this is our color palette for today. I have already mentioned the alternate colors that you can use. So yeah, in the next video, we will discuss about prepping and sketching the paper. So let's go. I'm going to see you guys in the next video. Y 5. Prep & Sketch: Very first step before we start painting is to prepare our paper. Watercolor paper plays a huge role in how your painting will turn out, and prepping it properly makes the whole process much smoother for us. Here, I'm using my fabriano, 300 GSM, 100% cotton paper. And I'm using a board to stick my paper on. And this is the method that I'm using to stick my paper to the board. This is a bit different than taping down the edges. So this method helps me to keep my paper wet for a long time. If you want to go for a traditional taping around the edges method, that's fine too. All right, let's move on to the sketch. We're going to keep this really simple, the boat. Nothing else for now. No extra details or background, the main shape that we need for painting. We'll guide you as a sketch, so feel free to follow along with me in real time. If you'd rather not sketch right now or if you prefer to trace and start painting directly, you will also find the final sketch image available in the resources section below. You're painting with me here in real time. There are a few things that I want you guys to keep in mind while sketching a boat. Not just for this landscape that we are painting now, but for also your future boat paintings. First thing to get right is the angle of the boat and also the front shape of the boat. That is all. Those are the two things that you need to keep in mind. The rest of the boat will follow along with you and also rest of the painting, the water and reflections as well. Idea today is to have a clean and clear outline that will act as the foundation for our watercolor layers, and also don't worry about the perfection. Just capture the overall shape and structure of the boat. And also keep your the pencil lines very light so that it won't be a distraction while we are painting later. I meant to say, when we paint with the light colors, it's not attractive that the pencil lines would show up. So keep your pencil sketch very light now itself. Personally, I have struggled a lot to get the angle of the boat correctly while I was learning my boat landscapes. So yeah, even while selecting the reference pictures, you have to be very careful with the angle that you are choosing. Also, if you're a complete beginner to boat landscapes or the sketch sketching, I would suggest you guys to go ahead and trace the drawing that I'm painting right now. You can find the image in the resources section below, like I've said before, because this particular boat angle would take a little bit of time and would give you a lot of frustration because it's not easy based on my experience. So yeah. I will also go ahead and paint, I mean, and sketch the reflection because I just want to see if I got the angle of the boat right. So if you want, you can also sketch the reflection now. It's not going to matter because we are going to be painting the water, so the reflection sketch won't be visible anyway. It's just for my reference. Okay, now our paper is all set and we have got a simple sketch of the board ready. Remember, the sketch doesn't need to be perfect. It's just a guide to help us place everything in the right spot. What really matters is the painting process that we're going to be diving into next. I'm so excited. And yeah, so with our paper prepped and sketch in place, we are ready to move on to the fun part. Let's go. I'm gonna see you guys in the next video. And 6. Water Part 1 - First Wash: Right, now that we have our sketch ready, let's start painting the first layer of the water. I've kept my masking tape under the board. It helps me with the flow of the water. We're going to begin by gently wetting the paper. For this, I'm going to use a clean brush. I recommend using a medium or large round brush. I have taken a flat brush here, but I have quickly changed it because it did not suit the type of direction that I was going for and slowly and evenly wet the area where the water will. Do not wet the boat because we're going to be painting that later. Try not to overwork this step. Just a smooth even layer of the water is enough. You don't want puddles and you also don't want dry patches either. We have already prepared the color mix for the water. We'll be using a mix of hookers green and pines gray for this. This combination gives us a beautiful muted tone that naturally feels moody, and it's perfect for me to paint the water because you guys know that I always go for moody landscapes. Now, with your brush loaded, begin at the top edge of the water area. Here, we will start light, gently drop in the color, letting it softly blend into the wet surface. Keep your brush strokes horizontal. This will really help you suggest the calmness and the direction of the water. Not wet the boat area at any circumstance. You have to keep it dry. And as you work your way downwards, gradually deepen the color. A little bit more pigment to your mix and make your brush strokes slightly stronger. And this gradual shift from light at the top to darker at the bottom creates a sense of reflection. And if you observe any reference picture, this is how you see it. The pigment or the color will be very light at the top and darker at the bottom. Take your time with this layer because the first layer acts as a foundation for the rest of the painting. This layer sets the mood for the entire piece. So take it very gently. I'm going to take more pigment, and I will start adding the waves. You just have to flick your brush in waves to create this. Of course, waves. It's very simple, but only thing that you need here is your paper has to be wet. If it dries up, the waves that you're painting here leaves the dry marks like patches, and that won't be looking smooth or realistic. Move slowly and do not forget to enjoy the process. And you can notice how the waves are settling into the paper just because the paper is wet. This is a long process. You have to keep adding these horizontal lines until you feel satisfied with the result. For me, I have taken more time than needed to paint this because I seem to not have found that right spot with the waves. So you're going to see me paint for a long time. And this is exactly what I meant when I say, take your time. Paint and paint until you feel content with what you have created. This is good, but I don't think this is enough for us to paint the water because as you know, watercolor dries up a few shades lighter, and we're going to have to paint the same process once again in the next video. And I'm going to just splatter some clean water just to give that extra texture, and I'm going to remove a bit of paint that is on the board. And I'm going to see you guys in the next video where we're going to paint the same thing again. See you there. I forgot to mention, you have to keep the layer one, two dry. And only when it is dried up, we can move on to painting the layer two. See you guys in a bit. 7. Water Part 2 - Deepening The Tones: Now that our first layer is completely dry, it's time to move on to the second layer. This layer is really about building the depth in the water. Think of it as reinforcing what we have already painted. The first layer gave us this soft and light foundation. Now we're going to just enhance it a bit more. And it's going to begin by re wetting the paper once again. And for this, I'm using my larger round brush. It's silver black velvet number 14. And yeah, leave out the boat area and rewet the paper very gently. Using the same color mix as before, hookers green with pines gray. If your mix has dried on the palette, just reactivate with a little bit of water. You can also make it slightly more pigmented this time since we are going for a deeper tone. Start again at the top, just like we have done in layer one. Keep your brush strokes horizontal, and let's begin painting the layer two. You will notice immediately how the second layer brings more character to the water. As you move downward, gradually darken the paint even more. The goal here is to create a soft gradient, lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. This shift adds more depth and makes the surface of the water look more natural as you can already see how just a little bit of paint can change the entire structure of the water. Again, like I've said in Layer one, this is how you see even in your reference pictures. To add more character to the water. So my paper is wet as well. So I will try to add more horizontal lines with my brush, just like I have done in Lan. Until I feel like this green paint is looking like water, I will continue to add or change these horizontal lines. Also, do not forget to add wavy structures onto your paper. This is the time because in a bit, the paper will dry up. So let's hurry up and move your brush in a wavy pattern so that you'll get the waves. And also, water is never one flat tone. It's always changing. It always shifts with reflections, light, and some movement. And we are trying to create just that onto our paper. Your time, take as much of the time as you need with this step, work slowly, and also do not forget to enjoy the process as well. Mm. I will add a bit of light to these waves. It's very simple. I'm going to remove all the paint from my brush, and with a damp brush, I'm going to remove some of the paint on top of each wave. This is very interesting technique to create the light in a very easier way. Looking good right. And at this point, I felt like my green paint is looking more like water. So yeah, I'm going to splatter some water onto my paper to add that extra character. And this is it. This is the layer two. And I'm going to keep this for drying. And once the paper is dried up, we're going to paint the reflection part in the next video. So I'm going to see you guys there. 8. Reflections Of The Boat: Now that we have the water painted, it's time to add the reflections of the boat. This is such an important step because reflections are what really connect the boat to the water and make the whole scene feel natural. To begin, make sure your water layer is completely dry. If it's even slightly damp, the reflections will spread too much and they will lose the shape. For the reflections, I will be using the same colors that we have used to paint the water. Load your brush with the hookah screen and pine screen mix and place your strokes directly beneath the boat. You can refer to the sketch that we have drawn of the reflections, but I can't see it now because we have added two layers of green paint. So, yeah. Short horizontal strokes to pull the color downward, and also try not to drag the brush in one continuous line. Instead, break it up a little. That slight unevenness will actually mimic the way reflections naturally shift and distort on water surface. You can see the reflections look a bit softer to the subject above because you want the reflections to feel connected to the water around them. Obviously, the reflections will not hold the shape of the subject above. Again, I'm adding a few more uneven lines around the reflection to give that natural distorted shape. As always, I'm gonna splatter some dark paint, and I'm covering the boat area because we haven't painted that one yet. I will try to add a few details to the reflection to make it a bit more realistic, as much realistic as possible, I mean, and also keep your reflection slightly darker closer to the boat and lighter as it stretches downward. This makes the painting look more balanced and also do not overthink or overwork this step. Reflections are never perfectly straight or mirror like in water landscapes. A little irregularity actually makes them more believable. So if you are happy with what you have painted so far, you're done with the reflections. We're going to let the area dry completely, and we will move on to painting the boat itself in the next video. So I'm going to see you guys there. 9. Boat part 1 - Structure: Alright, let's begin painting the boat. You know, the boat has only two colors we have discussed in colors video. So I'm going to use a mix of parole red, lazarin crimson, and indigo for this, and somewhere a little bit of pines gray as well. So first, I'm going to take a very light shade of indigo. I will add this color to the body of the boat. You have to be very subtle with this color. Do not add darkened indigo here. We need very, very light shade because we're going to be painting over this later. This is just for our reference about the shape of the boat so that we can paint better with different colors later. I will take the mix of Alzarin crimson and Pyrrole red, and I'm going to add very light shade of this color again to the side of the Mm hmm. I'll add a few things to the boat now. I mean, I'm going to sketch a few things. So just take a pencil and follow what I'm drawing here. M add the very light shade of red over here as well. The painting of this boat is just as building up one layer after the other and, of course, adding the light and shadows so that the boat will look realistic. And I'm going to add a bit darker version of indigo color here as well. The light shade of indigo at the at my right side of the boat. So keep adding until the boat the sketch of this boat looks like a real boat. We are done with adding light colors. We have established the foundation of preliminary boat painting. So now let's start adding the darker shades. I'm going to start with the red. Goodbye, the blue colour. I'm going to darken the red color as well. This is us adding the shadows here. So first, we have added the lighter areas, and now we are adding the shadows to that lighter areas. I'm going to add the darker shade of indigo over here as well. Our boat is looking like a boat, I suppose, at least 80%. So yeah, I'm going to add indigo over here as well. Comes the interesting parts. We are going to add darker shade of red to indicate the shadows. So, see, instantly, our boat is looking like a three D structure. That is the power of adding light and shadows. I'm going to paint a paddle over here as well, and the shadow of the paddles. So for the paddles, I'm going to be using red color and for the shadows, I'm going to be using indigo. Adjust the shape of the boat here using the color of the reflection. Just I wanted to make sure the line is straight at the bottom. Details in the reflections, just to make it just to give it more character. And that is all for boat part one. In Part two, we're going to paint a few more things. So I'm going to see you guys over there. 10. Boat Part 2 - Details & Finishing: We are almost done painting our landscape of the day, just a few details, and we are good to go. First, I'm going to take a scale, and I'm going to draw a few things here in the water, and I'm going to add the reflections of those things as well so that the boats landscape look even more realistic. So let's go. No, those wooden planks that boats are tied to. That's what we are painting today. And for this, I'm using only Pines gray. With the same color that we have painted the reflection of the boat, we're going to paint the reflection of these wooden planks, as well. Now comes the hero of all the colors that we have used so far. This is white gouache. You can use white watercolor as well. So I'm going to take that color a little bit on my palette, and we will start painting a few things with this white color. That we are painting now with white colour should be very thin. So for that, we're going to have to change the brush here. That's what I will do as well. I will take Dawnhi rigor brush so that the tip of the brush would be very sharp. And yeah, if you want to change the brush, now is the time. If you have made any mistakes by adding too much color where it shouldn't be, you can cover up using this white color. That's what I'm doing here. That's why I call this white color as the hero of all the colors that we have used. I'll also start painting these structures that are hanging from the boat with indigo color. It's going to take a while to get the shadow on the light perspective right. Now, with the darker sap green and pine cream mix, I'm going to add the reflection of these ropes, as well. That's very important. Going to splatter some white paint in the water as well. So this is it about painting the boat and reflections. In the next video, we'll see if there are any final details that we have to go through. So we're almost done. Just a little bit is remaining. I'm going to see you guys in the next video. 11. Final Details: You can see this is a very short video, so we have only a few final details to add. So I'm going to first add the shadow to this paddle, and I'm going to be using dark or red color for this. Few ropes here and there using the white color. And a few ropes with a darker indigo color and the reflections of those as well. That is it for our boat landscape for today. I'm going to remove the paper from the board because my paper has dried up. But yours if yours is still wet, you can leave the paper for a few minutes and remove it from your board. And I'm going to also cut the edges around the edges of the paper just to give that extra nice look. But that's completely your choice. You can skip this step if you want. You can see our boat landscape is completely ready and looking so good. So I hope you guys enjoyed painting this one with me today. In the next video, we will talk a little bit more about this landscape. So I'm going to see you guys there. 12. Conclusion : Thank you so much for joining me in this class, sailing beyond basics, painting boats, water reflections in watercolor. I hope you guys enjoyed exploring these advanced techniques from painting water in layers to capturing those beautiful reflections and finally bringing the boat to life with details. Oh, it's your turn. I would love for you guys to create your own boat and water scene as the class project and share it in the project section below. Don't worry about the perfection. Each painting is a step up in your journey. I'd be so happy to see your progress. And if you find this class helpful, please consider leaving a review. It really helps other students discover the class, and it means a lot to me as a teacher. Thank you again for painting with me until next time. Happy painting.